Pregnancy at week 26
3-minute read
Your baby
Your baby now measures more than 30cm and weighs about 820g. They will start to put on a lot of fat and muscle from now, which will fill them out to look more like a newborn baby.
By 26 weeks, your baby can respond better to the world around them. They can suck, see, hear and taste, and might move in response to you running your hand firmly over your tummy. In boys, the testicles are fully descended now.
The lungs still aren’t mature, but they are developing quickly. The baby would have about an 80% chance of surviving in intensive care if they were born now, but they would still need help to breathe for quite a while.
Your baby at 26 weeks
| Length: | 23cm (head to bottom) |
| Weight: | 820g |
Your body
As your baby grows, your centre of gravity is shifting. This means you might start walking differently and you might be quite clumsy. Take care not to trip over!
You will probably be experiencing Braxton Hicks contractions, leg cramps and backache. You may also have indigestion and heartburn as your baby bump moves higher under your rib cage.
From now and into the third trimester, you might start having some vivid dreams. That’s due to the pregnancy hormones and because your sleep is more disturbed. You might also find that because, for example, you need to get up to go to the toilet more often, you’re more likely to remember your dreams.
Things to remember
If you don’t know your Rhesus (Rh) blood type, you will need a blood test now to check whether your baby needs protection against rhesus disease.
That’s because if you are Rh-negative and your baby is Rh-positive, there can be serious complications for the baby. If you are Rh-negative, you will need special injections at your 26-28 week antenatal visit and again at 34-36 weeks.
Talk to your doctor or midwife about having the blood test if you don’t know your blood type.
Read next
Your pregnancy at 27 weeks
Learn about your pregnancy journey and what is happening to you and your baby.
Speak to a maternal child health nurse
Call Pregnancy, Birth and Baby to speak to a maternal child health nurse on 1800 882 436 or video call. Available 7am to midnight (AET), 7 days a week.