pregnancy week 26
26 weeks pregnant.
Eyes open for the first time this week. The baby can see only dim shadows but reacts to bright light through the belly.
Updated 29 July 2026 · Sources: NHS and ACOG
Your baby this week
Skinnier than they'll be at birth but starting to look more like a newborn. Eyelashes are present, and eyes flutter open and shut.
- Eyes open for first time
- Reacts to bright light
- Lungs start surfactant production in volume
- Brain grows rapidly
What may be changing in your body
Bump is firmly above the belly button. Many feel persistent back ache. Braxton-Hicks practice contractions are routine.
Pelvic girdle pain
Pain at the front of the pelvis or in the hips when walking, climbing stairs, or turning in bed is common as joints loosen. Keeping knees together when getting out of cars and beds helps, and a physiotherapist referral can make a big difference — ask your midwife.
Braxton Hicks after activity
Practice tightenings often follow exercise, a busy day, or a full bladder. Rest and water settle them; regular painful tightenings before 37 weeks warrant a call to your midwife or doctor.
Headaches
Occasional mild headaches from tiredness or tension are common. A severe headache that does not ease with rest and fluids, particularly with vision changes, needs a same-day call to your midwife or doctor.
Increased vaginal discharge
More clear or milky discharge is normal in pregnancy. Report anything itchy, smelly, green, or bloodstained, or any gush of fluid, to your midwife.
Eye changes
Fluid retention can subtly change the shape of the cornea, making vision feel slightly off or lenses less comfortable. It usually reverses after birth; sudden visual disturbance, however, needs urgent review.
Feeling the bump harden randomly
Your belly may go noticeably firm for short spells as the uterus practises tightening. As long as it is irregular and painless, it is expected at this stage.
Your week 26 checklist
- Ask your midwife about physiotherapy if pelvic or back pain is affecting daily life — early referral works best.
- Complete the glucose screening if it has not happened yet.
- Choose your antenatal classes and confirm dates fall before week 36.
- Start batch-cooking one extra portion per meal for the freezer — future you will be grateful.
A useful partner move this week
If she is turning in bed with obvious discomfort, pelvic girdle pain may be starting — encourage her to mention it to the midwife rather than pushing through, and take over stairs-heavy chores. Start the freezer-meal habit together now; one extra portion each time you cook builds a real newborn-weeks buffer.
What comes next
Third trimester starts in about a week. From there, expect more discomfort but also more interaction with your moving baby.
Common questions
What is pelvic girdle pain and will it go away?
Pelvic girdle pain (PGP) is discomfort around the pubic bone, hips, or lower back caused by pregnancy hormones loosening the pelvic joints unevenly. It affects roughly one in five pregnancies and usually resolves after birth, but early physiotherapy, pacing your activity, and small habits like keeping knees together when pivoting genuinely reduce it. Tell your midwife rather than assuming it is something to endure — referral pathways exist for exactly this.
When should I get the whooping cough vaccine?
The whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine is recommended in every pregnancy, ideally between 16 and 32 weeks, so protective antibodies cross to your baby before birth. Newborns cannot be vaccinated against whooping cough until eight weeks old, so your antibodies are their only early protection. If you have not had it yet, book it this week through your midwife or GP practice.
When should I start perineal massage?
Most guidance suggests starting perineal massage from around week 34, a few times a week, and evidence suggests it reduces the likelihood of tearing needing stitches for first-time mothers. There is no benefit to starting earlier than the mid-thirties weeks, so for now it is simply one to note in the diary. Your midwife or antenatal class can show you the technique when the time comes.
How many months is 26 weeks pregnant?
Pregnancy months do not divide evenly into weeks, so clinicians date pregnancy in weeks. At 26 weeks, you are in trimester two.