The last, third trimester of pregnancy begins this week! Great, you don't have long to wait! This week your baby's weight is about 900 g, his height is 34 cm. He already knows a lot: he closes and opens his eyes, sucks his fingers, and some especially active ones - even his toes. The little person has his own wakefulness and sleep schedule, it does not always coincide with your schedule, so some pregnant women are prevented from sleeping at night by active pushes and kicks.
The baby's lungs have not yet fully matured, but if he suddenly decides to see the light earlier than expected, then with the help of special equipment he will be able to breathe. Now alveoli are formed in the lungs, which are tiny bubbles and alveolar ducts - tubes with air. The alveoli have thin walls through which carbon dioxide is exchanged for life-giving oxygen. The alveoli will fill with air only after birth; they will be filled with the baby’s first breath. And a special substance, surfactant, will help him breathe air for the first time, which will ensure the opening of the alveoli. The production of surfactant begins this week in the baby's lungs and reaches the required concentration by the time of birth. A lack of surfactant can lead to trouble with the baby’s breathing, which is why wise nature begins to prepare a supply of it in advance.
Now you sometimes feel the baby's hiccups, which usually last for several minutes. Don't worry, it won't cause any inconvenience to the child. Brain tissue continues to develop, the brain is actively working. Are you wondering what the baby is thinking about? Talk to him, let him think about you!
Sensations and changes in a woman’s body
External changes in a woman’s body are associated with preparation for future motherhood.
During the first months of pregnancy, the breasts have managed to increase in size, and now a small amount of colostrum can be released from them. This is a normal phenomenon if there are no ailments. Due to changes in hormonal levels, a woman develops age spots, which disappear without a trace after the end of pregnancy.
In addition, changes in mood are possible. If in the first months this was a consequence of early toxicosis with nausea or vomiting and other ailments, now the mother begins to worry about the upcoming birth.
Exactly 27 weeks have passed since the first day of the last menstruation, which was followed by ovulation and fertilization of the egg by sperm. If in the first weeks there is a high probability of the embryo (blastocyst) detaching from the uterine wall, then over time its position will stabilize. It begins to actively develop and increase in size. By week 27, a greatly grown belly causes a lot of problems for a pregnant woman. The uterus affects the lower region, which includes the intestines and bladder. You need to be prepared for consequences such as digestive problems and frequent urination.
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To cope with constipation, heartburn, and bloating, doctors recommend that mothers follow a diet that allows them to regulate the process of bowel movements. But you need to come to terms with the frequent urge to go to the toilet: under no circumstances should you tolerate it, it can harm the genitourinary system. It is especially difficult for women at night; sometimes they have to go to the toilet several times.
The impressive size of the uterus presses not only downward, but also upward, tightly adjacent to the diaphragm. Hence the breathing problems - shortness of breath. There is a feeling of stale breath. If before it was not difficult to take a deep breath, now it becomes difficult.
Sleep problems are a common occurrence at 27 weeks. They may be due to anxiety, running to the toilet, or some other factor. Sometimes the mother and baby simply do not have the same sleep and wakefulness patterns. A woman feels well the movements of her child in the womb, and if the baby wants to play at night, then the mother has to stay awake with him. During excessive movement, experts recommend calming the baby with stroking and a lullaby.
Pain at 27 weeks of pregnancy
Even though most of the pregnancy is over, the expectant mother may experience pain from time to time. Discomfort is caused by a number of reasons and, as a rule, does not lead to miscarriage. It is important to know them so as not to confuse them with a real threat of termination of pregnancy.
- Pain in the sides of the abdomen and in the lower back is the result of stretching of the muscle ligaments of the uterus.
- Leg pain, cramps and swelling appear due to various circumstances. Cramps can be caused by a lack of nutrients in the body (for example, calcium), and excessive swelling indicates kidney problems, poor drinking habits, or too much physical activity.
- Pain and dizziness in the head, sudden onset of drowsiness and weakness. One of the reasons may be the uterus compressing the vena cava, which supplies blood to the heart.
- Pain in the anus causes frequent constipation. In this case, the pregnant woman most likely has hemorrhoids, which should be treated by a specialist.
Fever and colds
A woman’s immunity during pregnancy weakens its protective functions, so her body is susceptible to infection with various kinds of diseases. First of all, we are talking about viral infections. To avoid catching a cold, gynecologists recommend their patients to be more thoughtful about where they spend their time. It is best to give preference to meeting at home with a small group of friends rather than going to a crowded gathering. In public places the risk of contracting an infection is higher. In addition, in order not to catch a cold, you need to dress appropriately for the weather, keep your feet warm, and during epidemics, eat foods rich in phytoncides (garlic and onions).
If the body still cannot withstand the pressure of bacteria and is overcome by a cold, it is necessary to adhere to certain rules:
- Monitor the temperature. If it stays at 37-37.5 degrees, then there is no need to bring it down with medications. Increased body temperature is common during pregnancy. If the mark on the thermometer approaches 38 degrees, you need to drink paracetamol.
- When the first signs of a cold appear, you must make an appointment with a therapist and gynecologist. Doctors will advise the safest and most effective methods of fighting colds during pregnancy. If your temperature rises, you need to call a doctor at home.
- To prevent dehydration, you should take warm drinks: teas, fruit drinks, milk.
- As a safe remedy, you can use traditional methods: rinsing and inhalation with infusions of medicinal herbs.
- During illness, bed rest in a well-ventilated room is recommended.
Discharge at the 27th obstetric week of pregnancy
Discharge at the 27th week of pregnancy is profuse. Compared to the first months, now you can see more contents from the genital tract on your underwear. This may be alarming for some mothers. But experts reassure: at this time this is the norm. Most importantly, the color and consistency should not change. If blood appears from the vagina, then you must immediately go to the hospital to prevent spontaneous abortion.
Often at 27 weeks pregnant women develop candidiasis or thrush. Symptoms of this unpleasant disease include cheesy discharge with a sour odor, itching and soreness in the vaginal area.
Thrush must be treated urgently and get rid of it before childbirth. Otherwise, it may harm the child's health.
What happens to the baby at 27 weeks?
- The baby's size is increasing. Its height can reach 24 cm, and its weight can reach 1 kilogram. Outwardly, he looks almost like a newborn, his body is proportional, and his face has eyebrows, eyelashes, and hair.
- In the womb, the child lives an active life. Periodically, he opens his eyes, reacts to light, listens to sounds from the outside, moves his arms and legs.
- By this period, all the baby’s internal organs are already formed. Starting from week 27 they begin to improve. The baby's brain is enlarging and the first convolutions are forming.
- Oxygen reaches the baby through the umbilical cord, but his lungs already take a certain shape.
- Original feces - meconium - accumulate in the intestines.
Recommendations for the expectant mother
- If you have not yet signed up for courses for expectant mothers, now is the time. These classes are useful because they address issues that are increasingly worrying a woman. These are issues of the health of the child and mother, preparation for childbirth, and breastfeeding. In addition, in such courses, the expectant mother can take a break from her worries and communicate with doctors and other pregnant women. Fathers are also invited to some classes.
- If your job involves sitting in one position for a long time, then you need to get up and stretch your body as often as possible. In this way, it will be possible to avoid swelling and varicose veins.
- Talk to your child, tell him how your day went, take an interest in his affairs. The baby can already respond with pushes. Constant communication with the baby will definitely bear fruit, establishing a relationship with the mother not only now, but also after childbirth.
- Despite the fact that she no longer feels sick, the woman needs to monitor her weight gain. Review your diet, eliminating foods that are too high in calories.
Walk in places saturated with oxygen. Of course, it is not easy to find such sites within the city, but try to get out to nearby forest plantations, parks and public gardens as often as possible. Saturating the body with oxygen is good for you and for the baby.
Dietary recommendations
It is important to continue to adhere to healthy eating principles. The volume of the mother's stomach has decreased due to the growing uterus, so she needs to eat in small portions. The diet of a pregnant woman at this stage should be based on foods rich in proteins and calcium: milk and fermented milk, fish and lean beef, nuts. Daily consumption of vegetables and fruits, soups, and cereal porridges will be beneficial. Nutritionists recommend consuming buckwheat, which, together with liver and spinach, replenishes iron reserves in a woman’s body.
And now about the sad thing - about the list of products whose consumption should be reduced or eliminated altogether. The expectant mother should not drink alcohol, coffee, or carbonated drinks. Fast food, instant food products, as well as dishes that are spicy and fatty will be harmful. Food cooked in oil will be too heavy for a pregnant woman's stomach and may worsen digestive problems. Too salty dishes provoke the appearance of edema.
The consumption of buns, pies, pies and other flour products should be reduced to a minimum. They do not bring any benefit to the body, but cause candidiasis or lead to rapid weight gain. It is considered normal if a woman has gained no more than 7-8 kg from the moment of conception until the 27th week.
Vitamins at 27 weeks of pregnancy
Considering the unfavorable environmental situation and the intense rhythm of life in which we live, it is impossible for any person to drink vitamins. What can we say about the body of a pregnant woman, which is sorely lacking nutrients to ensure the normal functioning of both mother and child. This is where multivitamin preparations designed specifically for pregnant women come to the rescue.
According to research, an expectant mother needs 1.5 times more beneficial microelements than before pregnancy. You need to take vitamin complexes strictly according to your doctor’s instructions, observing the dosage and regimen.
Physical activity
By week 27, some pregnant women find it quite difficult to maintain their previous physical activity. Nevertheless, it is necessary to force yourself to move as much as possible through “I don’t want” and “I can’t.” The easiest and most affordable way is to walk in the park or just down the street. You can do this alone or in a pleasant company. It is important to wear comfortable clothes and shoes that will reduce the load on your feet while walking.
Some mothers sign up for courses for pregnant women, which, in addition to the lecture part, include physical exercises and breathing exercises. These classes are very effective, because they are designed specifically for pregnant women and will be useful during childbirth.
Physical activity during pregnancy helps you cope with:
- with swelling and cramps;
- with urinary incontinence, possible in the last months of pregnancy;
- with digestive problems;
- with postpartum problems.
For especially advanced mothers who prefer an active lifestyle, pregnancy does not become an obstacle to playing their favorite sports. They go to water aerobics and yoga, and visit the gym.
Sex at 27 weeks pregnant
At 27 weeks of pregnancy, sexual activity is not contraindicated unless there are serious reasons for it. The reason for imposing a ban on intimate life can be various problems that have arisen during this period: the threat of premature birth, pathology of the cervix, disturbances in the functioning of the placenta, gestosis, oligohydramnios or polyhydramnios. Also, the doctor may advise abstaining from sexual relations if the pregnant woman has a history of miscarriages or multiple births.
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All texts for pages about mother and baby were kindly provided by RAMA Publishing - these are chapters from the book by Svetlana Klaas “Your Favorite Little Man from Conception to Birth”, reviewer Irina Nikolaevna Kononova, Candidate of Medical Sciences, Associate Professor of the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology of the Ural State Medical Academy (Ekaterinburg).
Necessary studies and analyzes
At 27 weeks, the expectant mother should visit a gynecologist at least once every two weeks. Thus, as you get closer to giving birth, you will have to visit the doctor more and more often. This will make it possible to monitor the baby’s health, assess the parameters of its development and readiness for the birth process. At the appointment, the doctor performs the following procedures:
- measuring the volume of the abdomen and the height of the uterine fundus;
- listening to the baby's heartbeat with a stethoscope;
- measuring weight and blood pressure;
- interpretation of blood and urine tests.
As usual, the doctor will carefully review the results of the tests to rule out the presence of common diseases - anemia, cystitis, hypertension or hypotension.
Weight
By the 27th week of pregnancy, most women gain weight from 7 to 10.5 kg (from the weight established at registration). In some cases, a deviation from these indicators to a lesser or greater extent without pathology is possible. The gynecologist observing the pregnant woman should decide whether underweight or overweight is a dangerous symptom, based on tests, medical history, well-being and body mass index before pregnancy.
Over the next 7 days, it is advisable to gain no more than 500 g.
Possible complications
Premature birth is possible at 27-28 weeks. You need to know the symptoms that should alert you. So, you should immediately consult a doctor if you notice:
- unusual nagging pain in the lower abdomen, very similar to menstrual pain;
- a feeling of heaviness in the lower abdomen, as if something were pressing on the bladder and vagina;
- the appearance of bloody discharge;
- cramping pain lasting more than half a minute;
- Lack of fetal movements;
- leakage of clear liquid.
Medical advice on nutrition during pregnancy
- a minimum of fried, pickled, spicy, fatty foods;
- to prevent anemia, eat beef liver, pomegranates, parsley;
- to replenish ascorbic acid: grapefruit (if there is no allergy), tomatoes, cauliflower;
- It is better to boil, bake, stew, cook in a double boiler, but not fry. Serve warm;
- A mixture of vegetable and fruit juices is useful.
Poor quality food can complicate pregnancy, even lead to miscarriage. Therefore, doctors additionally prescribe multivitamins. 2-3 months after conception, folic acid and preparations containing iron are prescribed. At the AltraVita reproduction clinic, gynecologists have extensive experience in successfully managing multiple pregnancies. Women carrying twins can undergo comprehensive diagnostics at the medical center and consult with a therapist, endocrinologist, nutritionist, and psychologist. A pregnant woman can contact her doctor at any time and receive highly qualified assistance.
Doctor's opinion
70% of two pregnancies end in caesarean section.
It is indicated in the pelvic or transverse position. Sometimes the doctor decides to perform surgery to avoid existing risks. Unforeseen consequences can occur even with a normal pregnancy and correct presentation. If a woman has already had a cesarean section before, some gynecologists argue that pregnancy with twins can pose a danger to life or health. But practice does not confirm this opinion. — Andamova Elena Viktorovna Obstetrician-gynecologist, Ph.D.
During pregnancy with twins, giving birth on your own is allowed if the gestation proceeded satisfactorily, the woman in labor is healthy, the onset of labor is regular, and both babies have a cephalic presentation.
