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Your Pregnancy: Week 27

Congratulations, you’ve entered your last trimester!
 
Your baby

• Now your baby weighs a bit more than 1 kg (2 lbs), and he's about 38 cm (15.3 in) long from head to toe. That's about as long as your average watermelon!
• Around this point in his development, your baby will open his eyes for the first time. Until now his eyelids, which formed around week 11, have been fused shut.
• Your baby's retinas — light-sensitive tissue at the back of his eyes where visual images form — are developing. The retina sends information from visual images to the brain, which interprets the information into our sense of sight. Your baby will soon be able to see the light that penetrates your uterus and softly illuminates his shadowy world.
 
Learn more about what your baby’s hearing, seeing, tasting and feeling inside the womb.
 
Loosey goosey
As your pregnancy progresses, the cartilage that holds the joints of your pelvis together soften to make the delivery of your baby easier. You may find that all your joints are looser. You may need to adjust your workouts to accommodate your growing belly and loose joints. For example, if you've been jogging regularly, you may be able to continue by cutting down your mileage or slowing to a walk. And be careful not to overstretch — your joints will let you go farther than you should.
 
You said it! Advice from real moms
“Buy ice packs that wrap around your feet. I used them every day in my last trimester!” - Brigid
 
Did you know?
Airlines often won’t permit women to fly after 36 weeks, unless they have a note of permission for their caregiver. So if you’re planning to travel by air, check the timing and the airline’s regulations, and with your caregiver about the safety of travelling to certain areas of the world, especially if you need vaccinations. If you do fly, get up regularly to stretch your legs and keep your blood circulating.
 
Check our Is it Safe? guide for more valuable info.
 
Good question! Since I got pregnant, my husband says I snore! Could this be caused by pregnancy?
In a word, yes. According to one study, women in their last trimester were more than twice as likely to snore (41 percent!). Why? The airways leading from the nose and mouth to the lungs get a little narrower during pregnancy, which may be due to increased fluid retention and weight gain. As well, those hormones that loosen ligaments in the pelvis in preparation for birth may also relax the muscles lining the airways, making it more likely that throat tissues will vibrate and rattle. The good news? Three months after giving birth, most women who’d started snoring during pregnancy had stopped.
 
Labour day tips: Get informed
It’s time! Time to start learning about labour, that is. Perhaps you’ve started prenatal class already, or maybe you’ve decided against a class. Either way, you’ll be better prepared for the big day and up your chances for a good experience if you know what to expect and are ready for some of the decisions that might come up.

Where to start? Our Labour & Delivery section has different aspects of giving birth — see what interests you, and dive in!
 
Looking ahead
Want to avoid excess chemicals in your baby’s environment? We’ve got lots of ways to help you think green as you prepare for baby’s arrival.

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