26 WEEKS PREGNANT

• This close-up image of your baby-to-be's ear shows just how developed his/her features have become.
• Although his/her hearing is still rudimentary, by the time he/she's born, your baby will be able to recognize your voice because of hearing it constantly in utero.

• Your baby's eyes are finally fluttering open. Woohoo! His/her fused eyelids are slowly starting to open little by little, and by the time the next week rolls around, he/she will open the eyes completely. However, even if your baby can open the eyes properly from the next week onwards, the vision will still take a few more weeks to develop.
• You'd be delighted to know that your baby now weighs about 800 grams and is about 14 inches in length. What the medical world calls a 'respiratory tree' has now formed in your baby's lungs. His/her lungs now have vital blood vessels, which help bring new airways.
• At the very end of these new airways, air sacs, called alveoli, will start to form. These sacs will fill with air as your baby takes the first breaths after being born.
• The last few weeks saw the first traces of your baby's canine teeth, and this week brings in incisor teeth. The taste buds have now fully matured, and he/she can easily practice breathing through the nostrils.
• By soaking up your antibodies, your baby is preparing their immune system, gearing up to take on the outside world. His/her cochlea and peripheral sensory end organs have also fully developed at this stage.
• Your baby now has blue coloured eyes. That is impossible, you might be wondering, and you might be even more sceptical about how we can say this for sure.
• All babies have blue eyes in the womb, the genes have nothing to do with the baby's eyes at this point. The baby's final eye colour will only be determined after birth.
• Up until now, your baby could only sense lights but now can respond to them too. His/her warnings and hints might be cryptic and rather subtle, and you would really have to pay extra attention.
• If he/she does not like the brightness too much, they will not hesitate in letting you know with a kick or an increase in the pulse rate. The same applies to harsh sounds and general noise pollution too.

• Pregnancy brain : Are you a bit too forgetful these days? Well, it's nothing but your pregnancy brain acting up. Try and write down important things to do in your diary or phone. Don't be stressed about this as it is going to go away, soon.
• Bloating & gas : Your growing uterus is putting more and more pressure on your stomach and this may make you feel constantly bloated. Remember to take frequent, small, healthy meals and substitute your snacks with high-fibre fruits and juices. Drink as much water as possible.
• Round ligament pain : Your growing uterus is basically stretching all parts around your abdomen and this in turn causes the ligament pain. Put your feet up and relax whenever you can. Make sure not to sit or stand in the same position for too long. Keep changing positions and you may start feeling better.
• Clumsiness : Not lady-like anymore? Are you tripping over things more often than usual? Well, you are just heavy and probably stressed too. This clumsiness is going to stay with you for a while, even after delivery. But relax, it will definitely go away one day.
• Migraines : Are you suffering from severe headaches that last for days? Do you see blurred images? Too nauseous as well? Do keep track of these symptoms and let your doctor know. Migraines are a common symptom and can be tackled well.

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• The second trimester is about to end, and we bet you are excited beyond measure about all the changes happening to you.
• You may see a slight increase in your blood pressure right about now. But that is quite normal.
• However, there are certain symptoms you should not ignore at this stage.
• Is your weight gain quite rapid all of a sudden?
• Too much of a blurry vision and abnormal swelling on your hands and feet?
• Well, these could be signs of pre-eclampsia. Do let your doctor know immediately if you see any of these changes.