You have reached the 27th week of pregnancy and the changes in both the baby and the expectant mother are becoming more apparent. So, what happens during pregnancy week by week and what happens in the 27th week of pregnancy? How big is a 27-week baby? What are the changes in the mother during the 27th week of pregnancy? What are the changes in the baby at 27 weeks of pregnancy? 

Yeditepe University Hospitals Gynecology and Obstetrics Department Head and IVF Specialist Prof. Dr. Erkut Attar answered these questions about the 27th week of pregnancy. 

How Big is a 27-Week Baby?

Your baby now weighs close to 875 grams. It is about 36.6 centimeters from head to heel and is as big as broccoli.

Baby Development at 27 Weeks of Pregnancy

Around this time, your baby may be opening its eyes for the first time. At first, it may only open its eyes a little, but if it sees the bright light from your belly, it may blink.

Your baby's sleep and wake cycles are more regular. Just like you, during light sleep when you are dreaming you will have Rapid Eye Movements (REM). When it is dreaming, its eyes will move rapidly back and forth under closed eyelids. During REM sleep, your baby may breathe amniotic fluid more actively. These breathing movements will help your baby's lungs to develop in preparation for birth.

What Happens at 27 Weeks of Pregnancy?

Your baby's sleep and wakefulness phases, which are independent of day and night, can be recognized by their movements. There are periods of about half an hour of sleep. When it sleeps, it will be still; when it wakes up, it will move again. If you have not yet identified the times when your baby tends to move, you will notice this tendency in a few weeks.

Changes in the Mother at 27 Weeks of Pregnancy

Sudden dizziness is common during pregnancy, especially when you stand up after sitting for a long time. This happens because the pregnancy hormones cause the blood vessels leading to the uterus to dilate to increase the blood flow to your baby. This lowers your blood pressure and slows down the blood flow to your heart and brain. You may feel dizzy or faint because of this.

In addition, during the second and third trimesters of your pregnancy, your growing uterus puts pressure on your blood vessels, especially when you lie on your back, and this can cause dizziness. For this reason, your doctor will advise you to lie on your left side, especially in the later weeks of pregnancy, so that blood can flow more easily to both you and the uterus.

Low blood sugar or low iron levels can also lead to feeling faint or fainting. Try to stand up slowly after sitting or lying down. Make sure you eat small meals frequently throughout the day to avoid low blood sugar.

During these periods, urinary incontinence can occur when you sneeze or increase your intra-abdominal pressure due to the pressure of your baby on your bladder. Frequent urge to urinate is also very common.

Antenatal classes help prepare you for the birth of your baby and the first weeks of parenthood. If you haven't signed up yet, this might be a good time to find out about them.