Week 26: Thinking ahead to birth

Your baby — about the size of a head of lettuce — is opening their eyes for the first time this week, and their sucking reflex is strong enough that they may be sucking a thumb. Their immune system is strengthening with antibodies passed across from you.

You might spot a few signs of your body getting ready: a little colostrum (your first milk) leaking from your breasts, stronger Braxton Hicks, and a sense of your baby’s favourite active times — often the evening, just as you’re trying to rest.

With the third trimester around the corner, it’s a good moment to start thinking about your birth plan and what matters to you. It’s also worth connecting early with breastfeeding support — the Australian Breastfeeding Association runs a free 24/7 line on 1800 686 268 — and booking antenatal classes if you haven’t.

With the third trimester in sight, it’s a nice time to start gently turning your mind to the birth itself — not to have everything decided, but to begin the conversations. Reading about your options for labour and pain relief, thinking about who you’d like with you, and jotting down what matters to you all help you feel more prepared and less at the mercy of the unknown. Antenatal classes are great for this, and good for partners too. There’s no rush — you’ve got a few months — but easing into it now beats leaving it all to the last weeks.

Around now or soon, you’ll likely be offered the whooping cough vaccine, which is recommended in every pregnancy to protect your newborn before they’re old enough to be vaccinated themselves. Your provider will talk you through the timing.