27 Weeks Pregnant: Baby's Growth, Symptoms and Weekly Tips

At 27 weeks pregnant, your baby is growing fast and your uterus expands daily. Learn about your baby's development including thumb-sucking, eye changes, and breathing, along with physical symptoms like breathlessness, itching, and sleep issues.

At this stage, your baby is growing fast and your uterus needs to expand a little every day to fit it. But be excited, it's just a few weeks before the little one comes into the world.

Your Physical Changes at 27 Weeks

Breathlessness - Simple things like talking on the phone, climbing staircases, or walking quickly may make you feel breathless. Be careful of your posture and avoid slouching so that your lungs get space to expand.
Itchy tummy - The itching sensation on your tummy is due to the stretching of collagen fibres in the middle layer of your skin. Rub some moisturizer after bath and avoid water of extreme temperatures and soaps which make your skin dry.
Carpal tunnel swelling - Fluid retention can cause the carpal tunnel in your wrist to swell, putting pressure on the nerves. Physiotherapy and a wrist splint can be very effective.
Sleep difficulties - Many things may be running in your head or you might feel like peeing often while awake at night. Keep a set time for sleeping and avoid naps through the day so you are tired enough to sleep at night.

Symptom	Cause	Remedy
Breathlessness	Growing uterus pushing lungs	Maintain good posture; avoid slouching
Itchy tummy	Stretching collagen fibres in skin	Moisturize after bath; avoid hot water
Wrist pain/numbness	Fluid retention causing carpal tunnel swelling	Physiotherapy; wrist splint
Insomnia	Anxiety, frequent urination	Fixed sleep schedule; avoid daytime naps

Your Baby's Development at 27 Weeks

Size - Your baby is now spending more time unfurled and can be measured from head to heels. Your baby is around 38 centimetres this week.
Fat formation - Fat continues to form under the skin and around your baby's vital organs.
Eye development - The retinas of your baby's eyes are going through changes and maturation, along with opening and closing of eyes which has been happening since the last couple of weeks.
Thumb sucking - Your baby can now suck his or her thumb voluntarily. This simple pleasure is no more an involuntary action from this week onwards.
Breathing practice - The baby is still breathing the amniotic fluid in and out of his or her lungs, with oxygen being provided by the placenta.

Baby Milestone	Details at Week 27
Length	Approximately 38 centimetres (head to heel)
Voluntary movement	Can now suck thumb by choice (not involuntary)
Eyes	Retinas maturing; eyes opening and closing
Fat development	Forming under skin and around vital organs
Lungs	Practising breathing with amniotic fluid

Important Tips for Week 27 of Pregnancy

Cord blood storage - Every state has its own guidelines governing the storage and administration around cord blood storage. It is advisable to find out all the information about this.
Healthy weight gain - If you do not gain enough weight during pregnancy, you and the baby may face some problems. You can make changes to your pregnancy diet to gain the needed nutrients without gaining too much weight.

Kimberly-Clark India makes no warranties or representations regarding the completeness or accuracy of the information. This information should be used only as a guide and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional medical or other health professional advice.

FAQs on Week 27

At 27 weeks, simple things like talking on the phone, climbing staircases, or walking quickly may make you feel breathless. You may also have itching on your tummy, fluid retention in the wrist, and trouble sleeping.

At 27 weeks, your baby is growing fast, can be measured from head to heels, and is around 38 centimetres long. The retinas are maturing, the eyes open and close, and your baby can suck his or her thumb by choice.

The itching sensation on your tummy is due to the stretching of collagen fibres in the middle layer of your skin. You can rub some moisturizer after a bath and avoid extreme water temperatures and drying soaps.

Sleep may be difficult because you have many things running through your head, need to sort out problems, or feel like peeing often during the night. It is advisable to keep a set time for sleeping and avoid naps through the day.

Find out all the information about cord blood storage because every state has its own guidelines around storage and administration. It is also important to gain enough weight and make changes to your pregnancy diet if needed.

Pregnancy week