Pregnancy Week 27: Insomnia and a New Way to Measure Baby

Week twenty-seven of your pregnancy is your last week in your second trimester. Are you experiencing pregnancy insomnia? Not sleeping is common problem for expectant mothers. Your baby's measurements are taken differently starting in your twenty-seventh week of pregnancy. In one week you baby has jumped by three to six inches in length because of the new measurements.

Pregnancy Week 27: Baby's Measurements

Your baby weighs just over 2 pounds and is now 12-15 inches long. This sudden jump in length is due to the method that healthcare providers use to measure your baby. Until now, he was measured from the crown of his head to his rump. From now on your baby will be measured from his head to his toes.

Pregnancy Week 27: Baby's Development

Your baby is developing subcutaneous fat and smoother skin during your twenty-seventh week of pregnancy. His hair is really growing and he may now have a full head of hair. Developmentally, his spleen has turned over the production of his red blood cells to the bone marrow. Your baby is also able to hear better and may recognize your voice and the voices of people around you. He may react to certain sounds or music by kicking, punching, or flipping. Try different sounds to see what he likes.

Pregnancy Week 27: Pregnancy Insomnia

Are you still sleeping well at night? If you are, enjoy it. Your body is reducing its need for sleep by making you an insomniac around the twenty-seventh week of pregnancy. Pregnancy insomnia can affect up to 78% of expectant mothers.

Pregnancy insomnia is common in the final months of pregnancy. You may have trouble falling asleep and staying asleep. You may also have vivid dreams or nightmares. Throw in some bathroom runs and heartburn and your nightly snooze is broken up several times each night.

You can try some natural remedies to cure your insomnia and to help you sleep and stay asleep. These natural remedied include getting plenty of activity throughout the day to help tire you out. But do not overdo your activities because being too tired will counteract your ability to fall asleep.

You may want to try some relaxation techniques to help you fall asleep. Some pregnant mothers enjoy nature sounds from a CD, a massage, or guided imagery techniques to help cure their insomnia.

Fresh air and exercise can also help tire you out. Also, limit your fluid intake in the evenings. You may be able to reduce your bathroom runs letting you stay asleep longer.

For more pregnancy weeks and fetal development you can read:
Pregnancy Week 23

Pregnancy Week 24

Pregnancy Week 25

Pregnancy Week 26

Click here to find more information on your pregnancy and baby's development.

Sources:

Personal Experience

Fit Pregnancy (2009). Pregnancy Calendar. Retrieved: April 8, 9, 2009. Web Site: fitpregnancy.com/calendar/40251887.html

Myers-Gorrie, Trula, Slone-McKinney, Emily, & Smith-Murray, Sharon (1998). Foundations of Maternal-Newborn Nursing (2^nd ed.). Philadelphia, PA: W. B. Saunders Company.

What to Expect (2009). Weekly Pregnancy Calendar. Retrieved:April 8, 9, 2009. Web Site: whattoexpect.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/landing.aspx