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Week 26 – Second Trimester – Week by Week Pregnancy Calendar

Your Baby In Week 26

At long last, your little swimmer can see the womb! Your miracle’s little eyelids have finally separated (they were fused closed previously) and they’re probably having their first moments of sight as you read this (or maybe it already happened while you were brushing your teeth or watching Oprah or something).

In addition to seeing their little studio in your belly, they’ve recently acquired the ability to say “yes” and “no” in rudimentary sign language as they can now move their head back and forth. This is also the time where your little super star’s head hair is starting to grow! A cute little cowlick or two may be springing into position right now, getting ready for years of cute-but-stubborn bed-head.

Also, their toenails have grown in and you little raisin continues to slowly pile up fat beneath their still-loose skin. Most importantly, brain tissue and neurons are all developing at a rapid pace, increasing their (genius-level?) brain activity and will continue to function at accelerated levels for the first seven to eight years of childhood!

Your Body In Week 26

There are a multitude of icky things that happen during pregnancy (skin eruptions, gas you can’t possibly control, etc.) but increased vaginal discharge might top the list. Other fun stuff going on:

If you find yourself leaking a small amount of urine when you cough, laugh or sneeze, don’t worry. Temporary incontinence is common in pregnancy. That’s just great, you think. You knew you had to get diapers, but you thought they’d be for the baby, not for you. To head off that problem at the pass, try working out your hoo-hoo by doing Kegels.

If your discharge is thick or itchy, you might have a yeast infection. Even if you’ve had a hundred of them, this isn’t a time for over-the-counter treatments without consulting your doctor first, so get on the phone.

If you’re finding yourself having to urinate much more frequently than normal (that would be urinating like every 10 minutes instead of every 15 thanks to a certain someone sitting on your bladder), you might have a urinary tract infection. Again, see your doctor. Usually a simple “pee in this cup” can tell you for sure.