26 Weeks Pregnant

Key Takeaways

• Prenatal testing: Did you "fail" the one-hour glucose screening? You’re probably scheduled for the more conclusive three-hour glucose tolerance test. You’ll drink that sweet concoction again and have your blood drawn multiple times. If you fail this one, your doctor will diagnose you with gestational diabetes. You may be able to control it with diet changes, or medication may become necessary. Either way, you’ll be watched more closely during the remainder of your pregnancy.
• Weight gain: You may have gained close to 20 pounds at this point—give or take. What’s more, your belly will grow about a half an inch each week. (Basically, when you walk into a room, your bump leads the way!)
• Baby’s movement: Feel baby kicking and jumping and wiggling? Talk to them! They can hear you and may respond to the comforting sound of your voice.

Baby is interfering with your sleep, messing with your memory and even giving you a stress headache or two at 26 weeks pregnant. When they say moms-to-be have 40 weeks to get ready for baby, they don’t just mean buying gear. You also need to mentally prepare for a newborn to become the center of your attention. Take it from me: It’s a transition, and you’ll never be completely prepared. (My youngest is 6, and I’m still winging it!) Rest assured, when the moment comes, you’ll figure it all out!

Video Highlights

Baby at Week 26

Baby's immune system is getting ready for life on the outside by soaking up your antibodies. And baby's eyes will soon start to open, if they haven’t already. Can you believe your 26-week fetus already has grown eyebrows and eyelashes? Soon, they’ll start batting them. (Aw!)

Baby is reacting more and more to stimulus, including bright lights, loud noises, the sound of your voice (which they may now be able to recognize) and to pokes and prods through your belly. So even if you can’t take a peek inside your belly, you can still play with baby!

While baby is several weeks away from taking their first breath of air, your little one’s lungs are starting to produce surfactant, which is a substance that lets the air sacs in the lungs inflate. It also keeps the air sacs from collapsing and sticking together when they deflate.

How big is baby at 26 weeks pregnant?

At 26 weeks pregnant, baby is as big as a papaya. Your 26-week fetus measures about 13.8 inches and weighs about 2 pounds.

What does baby look like at 26 weeks in the womb?

At 26 weeks pregnant, pictures of baby are probably not in the cards, so you’ll just have to imagine what baby looks like right now. Baby is still working on putting on weight to get adorably chubby, and their eyes are looking around, though there’s not enough pigment in the iris to determine eye color quite yet.

Baby's still working on putting on weight. At this point, they still probably look quite wrinkly, but they’ll continue to gain weight at a steady pace over the next 14 weeks.

26 weeks pregnant is how many months?

Twenty-six weeks pregnant is six months pregnant, although pregnancy is generally tracked by week, not month. At 26 weeks pregnant, trimester two is nearly over. Get ready for the final stretch!

26 week ultrasound

You’ve probably got a couple weeks until your next prenatal appointment and typically there's no 26 weeks pregnant ultrasound, so you’re probably itching to find out what’s going on inside your 26 weeks pregnant belly. Here’s a look: Baby is taking breaths—of amniotic fluid, not air. It’s good practice for those first moments after birth!

Pregnancy Symptoms at Week 26

Your 26 weeks pregnant symptoms are pretty uncomfortable—and are steadily getting more annoying as baby grows and your body begins to make changes to get ready for childbirth.

Trouble sleeping

Yawn! The closer you get to your due date, the tougher it might be to get some rest. Watch your caffeine intake, stay hydrated and get a little exercise (take walks!) to help your body settle down at night.

Swelling

You might not like the puffiness, but it’s normal to have some mild swelling around week 26 of pregnancy. But it’s important to watch out for swelling that’s severe or sudden, which could be a sign of a dangerous condition called preeclampsia. Call your doctor if your swelling seems worrisome.

Headaches

These are often due to hormone fluctuations or stress. But you can also get pregnancy headaches if you’re hungry or dehydrated, so continue taking care of yourself and baby by eating at least every few hours and keeping a glass of water by your side for frequent sipping.

Pregnancy brain

Is it getting tricky to remember stuff? That may be a physiological symptom of hormone fluctuations, but it also might be because, well, you’ve got quite a bit on your mind.

Braxton Hicks contractions

Notice your belly occasionally feeling really tight? It could very well be a Braxton Hicks contraction. Don’t freak out—your muscles are just flexing to practice for labor. As long as the contractions aren’t steady or severe, they’re run-of-the-mill. Tell your doctor if the contractions are painful or don’t stop; those are signs of preterm labor.

Higher blood pressure

A slight boost in blood pressure is normal at 26 weeks pregnant. If your doctor sees too high of a rise, though, they might have you monitored more closely. That’s because hypertension—a systolic reading of more than 140 mm Hg or diastolic reading of more than 90 mm Hg—could be a sign of preeclampsia or HELLP syndrome. These potentially dangerous pregnancy complications would need to be addressed right away.

What to expect at 26 weeks pregnant

At 26 weeks pregnant, you’re hopefully still feeling pretty good physically and able to enjoy interacting with baby inside your belly. You might be starting to feel a little anxious about birth, though. If you are, start thinking seriously about what you hope for your birth experience. Remember that you can’t plan exactly what'll happen, but you can make plans for many of the possibilities.

Your Pregnant Belly at 26 Weeks

By 26 weeks pregnant, you’ve probably gained about 16 to 22 pounds—or about 27 to 42 pounds if you’re 26 weeks pregnant with twins. When you touch your 26 weeks pregnant belly, you’ll notice the top of your uterus is about 2.5 inches above your belly button. Your belly will keep growing about a half inch each week for the rest of your pregnancy. At 26 weeks, baby size and belly size are likely starting to feel unwieldy, so don’t forget to take it slow.

Why does baby move so much at night?

It’s not uncommon to hear people say that their 26-week fetus is nocturnal. In fact, the majority of babies in utero are active in the evening or at night! Though it’s not exactly clear why this is, scientists believe that fetuses are working on developing circadian rhythms, even in the womb. So if baby has decided that bedtime = partytime, take heart in knowing you’re not the only one being kept awake by their own baby.

Tips for 26 Weeks Pregnant

Here are some things you can do this week to take action to live your best life.

Start asking loved ones to get vaccinated

Any loved ones who will be in close contact with baby need to get an updated Tdap vaccination. You might find that older loved ones may brush this off, saying that they never did that when you were little, but hold firm. Things change, and this is important.

Time for a safety check

You may be enjoying a baby shower sometime soon, or gifts may start to roll in from friends and family. Yay! Just keep in mind that people aren’t always savvy about checking updated safety standards, so you may have to go through to make sure gifts (especially hand-me-downs) are safe for baby. Graciously return or exchange anything that doesn’t pass muster.

Start talking

If you haven’t started talking to baby yet, now’s the time to get chatty. You can read books, sing songs or just narrate your day so baby has a chance to enjoy your voice. Loved ones can also talk to your belly, so baby can learn their voices too.

Keep up with exercise

In all honesty, getting your pregnancy workouts is only going to get harder as your belly grows. But for now, you’re probably still feeling pretty spritely, so use that energy while you have it.

Wins, Challenges and Wisdom

As you approach the third trimester, you might find yourself slowly running out of energy—but that’s okay. Take it day by day (hour by hour if you have to) and cherish those moments when you get to feel baby’s little movements!

• Win: “I'm enjoying my weight gain, actually. For the first time in my life I'm relishing watching those numbers go up on the scale… I like seeing my figure getting rounder. It's such a cool transformation.” - joyfullyfound
• Challenge: “His kicks are so much stronger than my first son’s ever were, and he kicks often. It took me forever to fall asleep last night because I couldn't get comfortable with him kicking so much!” - Marley629
• Wisdom: "I know all the milestones are great (getting to the second trimester, starting to show, feeling movement, etc.), but try not to rush it… I urge those of you earlier on to try to enjoy each day because it might be your last day of feeling somewhat normal and not like an elephant-sized human incubator." - Rachel&Joe