26weeks
pregnant

Medically reviewed by Clare Herbert, Senior midwife and team leader

Written by Chess Thomas | 20 Aug 2021

IN THIS ARTICLE

Highlights this week

Your baby's taste buds have finished developing.

It's normal to experience hot flushes in pregnancy. Try these tips to keep cool.

Baby development at 26 weeks

Measuring your baby from head (crown) to heel, they’re about 35.1cm (13.8in) long (Hill 2019a),weighing about 913g (2lb) (Hill 2019a). Their growing body is supported by their strengthening spine, which has 150 joints, 33 rings of bone, and 1,000 ligaments (Visembryo 2014).

Your baby's response to sound is becoming more sophisticated as their brain develops (Ogo et al 2019, Visembryo 2014). They’re able to hear more distinctly, and may be able to pick out the different voices of you (Dunn et al 2015, Ferrari et al 2016) and your partner (Lee and Kisilevsky 2014).

Your baby’s lungs continue to develop, branching out new airways with tiny air sacs (alveoli) at their tips. This network of airways is also known as the respiratory tree (Moore et al 2019b).

Inside your baby's lungs, surfactant is developing. This is a substance that coats the inside of the air sacs to help them inflate and deflate efficiently. However, their lungs are not ready to breathe air just yet (Hill 2019b, Moore et al 2019a, Visembryo 2014).

When your baby takes their first breath after being born, sacs will fill with air (Moore et al 2019b, Visembryo 2014). Oxygen will be absorbed into their bloodstream through a mesh of miniscule blood vessels, also now developing (Moore et al 2019b, Visembryo 2014).

If you're having a boy, his testicles are continuing to descend from his pelvis towards his scrotum (Favorito and Sampaio 2014, Moore et al 2019c). Testicles usually reach the scrotum in the third trimester (Favorito and Sampaio 2014, Moore et al 2019c), although for some baby boys it may happen in the first three months of life outside the womb (Moore et al 2019c, NHS 2018).

Your baby's tastebuds are now fully developed (Moore et al 2019d). High up in their gums, the toothbuds that will eventually become their adult incisor and canine teeth continue to take shape (Moore et al 2019e).

baby now breathing small amounts of amniotic fluid

Your baby at 26 weeks

Tap the plus for more details

Advertisement | page continues below

Your baby weighs as much as a red cabbage

length

35.1

head to toe

weight

913

grams

Pregnancy symptoms at 26 weeks

If you’ve been experiencing hot flushes, it may help to know that these are a common pregnancy symptom, particularly in the second and third trimesters.

Hormonal changes during pregnancy and increased blood flow to your skin can make you feel warmer, especially at night. Your body may sweat more as it tries to cool down. Your skin may look red and blotchy during a hot flush, particularly around your face, neck and chest.

The good news is that hot flushes don't usually last longer than a few minutes. Wearing loose cotton or linen clothing and spritzing your face with water may help to relieve the symptoms. Hot weather can also make you feel overheated so find out how to stay cool when temperatures rise.

Your body at 26 weeks

Tap the plus for more details

What you need to know at 26 weeks pregnant

It's possible to get high blood pressure in pregnancy (gestational hypertension), particularly if you're overweight. However, hypertension often has no symptoms. You may not know that you have it until your midwife checks your blood pressure at a routine antenatal appointment.

High blood pressure can be a sign of pre-eclampsia, which is a serious condition that affects how well the placenta works. If you have severe headaches or vision problems, or sudden swelling of your face, hands or feet, contact your midwife. At hospital, they’ll check your blood pressure, test your urine and your blood to confirm whether or not you have pre-eclampsia.

I knew something was wrong when I kept getting headaches and seeing flashing dots. I put off calling my midwife, but now I know I have pre-eclampsia, I wish I'd got checked out sooner.

Josie

Your pregnancy to-do list at 26 weeks

Discover why your skin is so sensitive in pregnancy.
Find out why it’s a good idea to consider your childcare options now.
This easy yoga pose builds strength in your back and pelvis.
If you're overweight, does it mean your baby will be big too? Get the facts from our expert.

Check out the BabyCentre podcast!

The Parent Pod is BabyCentre’s brilliantly entertaining and informative podcast series. Join hosts Claire and Lucy as they walk your exciting journey with you each week from early pregnancy until your baby is 12 weeks old. Subscribe now on the usual channels. Learn more

Sources

BabyCentre's editorial team is committed to providing the most helpful and trustworthy pregnancy and parenting information in the world. When creating and updating content, we rely on credible sources: respected health organisations, professional groups of doctors and other experts, and published studies in peer-reviewed journals. We believe you should always know the source of the information you're seeing. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies.

Dunn K, Reissland N, Reid VM. 2015. The functional foetal brain: A systematic preview of methodological factors in reporting foetal visual and auditory capacity. Dev Cogn Neurosci 13:43-52. www.sciencedirect.comOpens a new window [Accessed November 2019]

Favorito LA, Sampaio FJ. 2014. Testicular migration chronology: do the right and the left testes migrate at the same time? Analysis of 164 human fetuses. BJU Int 113(4):650-3. onlinelibrary.wiley.comOpens a new window [Accessed November 2019]

Ferrari GA, Nicolini Y, Demuru E, et al. 2016. Ultrasonographic investigation of human fetus responses to maternal communicative and non-communicative stimuli. Front Psychol 7:354. www.frontiersin.orgOpens a new window [Accessed November 2019]

Hill MA. 2019a. Fetal development. University of New South Wales Embryology. embryology.med.unsw.edu.auOpens a new window [Accessed November 2019]

Hill MA. 2019b. Respiratory system development. University of New South Wales Embryology. embryology.med.unsw.edu.auOpens a new window [Accessed November 2019]

Lee GY, Kisilevsky BS. 2014. Fetuses respond to father's voice but prefer mother's voice after birth. Dev Psychobiol 56(1):1-11

Moore KL, Persaud TVN, Torchia MG. 2019a. Fetal period: ninth week to birth. Chapter 6 in The developing human: clinically oriented embryology. 11th ed. Elsevier

Moore KL, Persaud TVN, Torchia MG. 2019b. Respiratory system. Chapter 10 in The developing human: clinically oriented embryology. 11th ed. Elsevier

Moore KL, Persaud TVN, Torchia MG. 2019c. Urogenital system. Chapter 11 in The developing human: clinically oriented embryology. 11th ed. Elsevier

Moore KL, Persaud TVN, Torchia MG. 2019d. Pharyngeal apparatus, face and neck. Chapter 9 in The developing human: clinically oriented embryology. 11th ed. Elsevier

Moore KL, Persaud TVN, Torchia MG. 2019e. Integumentary system. Chapter 19 in The developing human: clinically oriented embryology. 11th ed. Elsevier

NHS. 2018. Undescended testicles. NHS, Health A-Z. www.nhs.ukOpens a new window [Accessed November 2019]

Ogo K, Kanensihi K, Mori N, et al. 2019. Change in fetal behavior in response to vibroacoustic stimulation. J Perinat Med 47(5):558-63

Visembryo. 2014. 24 weeks post ovulation: sensory brain waves begin to activate. The Visible Embryo. www.visembryo.comOpens a new window [Accessed November 2019]