Your Pregnancy - Week 26

As you move into Week 26 your baby is flipping and turning, finding the right position to enter the world.

At your next midwife check, they might declare your baby is head down. But don’t be fooled, your baby can quite easily turn at this point so could be bum down at the next appointment. 

All those acrobatics mean you might start to feel a bit sleep deprived. Because you move around during the day this tends to rock your baby to sleep. And when you relax at night. Bam. Party time. 

Here are a few top tips to help you sleep:

• Rest when your baby does. As they sleep around 20 hours at the moment try and grab a nap in their quiet moments. It’s a handy habit to get into for when you’re doing endless night feeds and need an energy boost. 
• Invest in a maternity pillow and sleep on your side with it between your legs. 
• Create a relaxing sleep environment, no screens or phones in the bedroom and try meditation to slide into the night. 
• You can also try some gentle exercise in the evening, focus on relaxing rather than revving up. 

Read: Your pregnancy: Week 25

What does my baby look like?

Your baby is now a shade over 35cm and has packed on another 100g or so taking them to around 750g, about the weight of 7 or 8 lemons. 

This week your baby will open their eyes for the first time. And you’ve probably been told all babies are born with blue eyes. It’s not true and depends on your genetics. They might be born with brown eyes that then change colour (and it can change again!) usually settling into their ‘real’ eye colour when they’re about three years old. 

I can’t do a poo 

Going to the loo for a number two but nothing happening? It’s constipation. Sadly it's common in pregnancy but can be frustrating, painful and all that straining can lead to piles. 

Everyone is a bit obsessed with pooping in pregnancy, whether you’re worried about having a brown slip up in labour or what’ll happen after you give birth. It’s nothing to be embarrassed about and if you have any concerns or your constipation is tricky to manage chat to your midwife or GP. 

But there are a few things you can do to help the poop exit without too much drama:

• Stick with a healthy, balanced diet high in fibre and loads of veg and fruit. 
• Drink loads of water and don’t let yourself get dehydrated. 
• Exercise if you can - movement helps! 
• Talk to your doctor if you’re taking an iron supplement as it can cause constipation. 

It’s best to let nature do her thang so don’t hold your poo in and give yourself plenty of time to go to the loo. 

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Read: Your pregnancy - week 27