At 27 weeks pregnant , your second trimester is quickly coming to a close. You only have two more weeks until you are in your third trimester of pregnancy! As you approach this final mile marker, you may notice that some of your old pregnancy symptoms are coming back, such as fatigue!
Fatigue Rears it's Ugly Head Again
You've had several weeks without this tiring symptom, but now that you are in pregnancy week 27, your fatigue and exhaustion will come back with full force. As you near your third trimester, the extra weight of your baby, as well as other pregnancy symptoms (such as late night leg cramps, frequent urination, and insomnia) can also make you feel more exhausted.
Tips to Cope with Fatigue
To help maintain your energy levels at 27 weeks pregnant, you may want to try the following:
Consume small nutrient-rich meals throughout the day.
Take naps and breaks during the day. Go to bed earlier than usual. Don't make yourself stay up until your bedtime. If you're tired, go to sleep.
Drink plenty of fluids during the day, but avoid drinking anything for two or three hours before you go to bed. This way, you won't have to wake up in the middle of the night to use the bathroom.
Gently stretch your legs before you go to sleep. This may help prevent leg cramps during the night.
Unless your doctor has warned you against it, you may want to try to do a light to moderate exercise, such as walking, every day.
Eat a healthy and balanced diet that has plenty of iron and protein in it.
Fatigue and Pregnancy Weight Gain Fatigue will be a part of your life as you continue to gain weight in pregnancy. Your pregnancy weight gain at 27 weeks pregnant may be around 18 pounds for the average-sized woman.
Although pregnancy weight gain will fluctuate from woman to woman, it’s important that you gain the right amount of weight for your body type. This will protect the health of you and your baby. If you don’t gain enough weight, you are at increased risk of delivering a smaller baby (or one that weighs less than 5 and a half pounds). On the other hand, if you gain too much, not only will this increase your fatigue, but you are at risk of delivering a very large baby. Gaining too much pregnancy weight also places you at risk for premature labor, diabetes, high blood pressure, varicose veins, and a host of other problems.
So aim to keep your pregnancy weight gain between 25 and 35 pounds for the average-sized woman.
Shift Positions to Ease Pregnancy Symptoms
Fortunately, these symptoms are only temporary. In some cases, you may be able to encourage your baby to shift positions, and this will ease some of your discomfort. You may also want to gently rub your belly, and this may get your baby to flip into a more comfortable position.
Massage Your Belly and Prevent Stretch Marks
Massaging your belly in a circular motion with oils has another perk - it may help prevent stretch marks from forming. Stretch marks are another common pregnancy side effect that you'll want to be aware.
Baby Now Has Routines of Movement
At 27 weeks pregnant, you may start to notice that your baby has certain "routines" of movement throughout the day and night. You may find that your little one wants to play, flip and flop when you want to take a nap or settle in for the night. During the daytime, you may feel little or no movement at all. Just remember that at this stage of your pregnancy, your baby is spending a lot of time sleeping.
Fetal Development at 27 Weeks Pregnant What a big baby you have at 27 weeks pregnant! Your little one now weighs just under two pounds, and he or she is around 14.4 inches long. (Though some babies may be longer and heavier than others at this point in your pregnancy week by week. But in general, boys tend to be heavier than girls.)
Finally! Your baby's eyes open this week. Your baby's eyes have been fused shut since 9 weeks of gestation. At pregnancy week 27, the eyes have developed to the point where they can open and your baby can see! At this point in his or her eye development, your baby does not respond to light in a coordinated way. He or she may turn toward light, or when startled by noise, your little one may blink in response.
At 27 weeks pregnant, you may notice that when you are near a light source, your baby tends to be more active. If you really want to see your baby move, you can try placing a flashlight near your belly and see if it makes him or her move. (Be careful not to do this too often, since you won't want to disrupt your baby's natural waking and sleeping rhythm).
At this week of your pregnancy week by week, your little one's reproductive organs are now in their proper places. If you are carrying a girl baby, her ovaries now contain all of the egg-producing follicles that they will ever make in her lifetime. In a majority of boy babies, their testes have descended into the scrotum. But in a few boy babies, their testes will stay in their pelvic cavity until after they are born.
Now at 27 weeks pregnant, your big baby is taking up a lot of space in the womb, and he or she now has less amniotic fluid around him or her. Because of this, you will feel his kicks and movements stronger than you did in earlier weeks of your pregnancy.
By pregnancy week 27, your baby's coiling umbilical cord is around the same length as your baby. The umbilical cord grows as your little one grows throughout your pregnancy.
Leg Cramps During Pregnancy As your exhaustion and fatigue returns at 27 weeks pregnant and at the end of your second trimester, you may also develop another annoying pregnancy symptom - leg cramps. Leg cramps during pregnancy make it difficult for you to sleep. Insomnia can make you feel even more fatigued in your last trimester.
You may be dozing off peacefully when a painful leg spasm wakes you up. Your leg cramps may also be accompanied with a jumpy sensation in your legs. Unfortunately, these leg cramps occur mostly at night, but they can sometimes occur during the day.
Causes of Leg Cramps in Pregnancy
You typically start to experience leg cramps in your second trimester. They often get worse as your pregnancy week by week continues. Experts don't know what causes this symptom, but it may be due to the pressure of your heavy uterus aggravating the blood vessels that return blood from your legs to your heart, and from pressure on the nerves in the spine. Some researchers believe that leg cramps are a sign that you need to get more calcium into your diet.
How to Prevent Leg Cramps
Whatever the cause of leg cramps during pregnancy, they are a bothersome symptom that can make your second and third trimester more exhausting than they should be. At 27 weeks pregnant, you may be able to prevent leg cramps by the following techniques:
If possible, avoid standing for extended periods of time. You may also want to avoid sitting with your legs crossed.
Throughout the day, you should do routine stretches of your calf muscles. You should also stretch these muscles before you go to bed.
When it's time to rest, you should lie on your left side to help the blood circulate from your heart to your legs and vice versa.
Keep hydrated throughout the day. Drink plenty of water and fluids.
If you do end up getting a leg cramp or spasm during pregnancy week 27, you may get some relief by flexing your foot or leg, and gently massaging the painful area.
When to Call Your Doctor About Leg Cramps
Although leg cramps are normal at the end of the second trimester, you will want to call your doctor or healthcare provider if your leg pain is accompanied by reddening or swelling in the leg. This may be a sign of a blood clot and will need to be treated immediately.
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