- Pregnancy Week by Weeks
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The second trimester that started at week fourteen with the gradual lifting of first-trimester nausea is ending. The relative comfort of these middle weeks, the energy that returned, the anatomy scan, the first clear kicks, the bump that became visible and then undeniable, the developing familiarity with the particular rhythms of your baby’s movements, all of it belongs to the second trimester that is now in its final days.
The third trimester that begins soon is a different experience. More physically demanding. More emotionally charged. Closer to the birth in ways that make it impossible to continue deferring preparation. The countdown that has existed in your head since the positive test starts to feel genuinely imminent rather than conceptually distant.
But this week is still the second trimester. And your baby, who has been growing at a pace that is genuinely extraordinary across these months, is doing something this week that most pregnancy content mentions in a sentence if at all.
Baby may be dreaming.
Your baby at 27 weeks
Your baby measures approximately 36.6 centimetres from crown to heel and weighs around 1.06kg this week. Baby has reached the one kilogram mark.
The development that is most remarkable at 27 weeks is happening in the brain. Rapid Eye Movement sleep, the sleep stage associated with dreaming in adults, has been detected in fetuses from around this point. The brain activity that occurs during REM sleep in adults is associated with the processing and consolidation of experience, and while what your baby is processing and whether they are dreaming in any meaningful sense cannot be known, the presence of REM sleep indicates a level of brain activity and neural development that is genuinely extraordinary for a baby who has not yet been born.
The brain itself is growing rapidly in mass and complexity. The surface is developing more folds, increasing the neural surface area that will eventually support complex thought, memory, and perception. The cerebral cortex, the outermost layer of the brain responsible for the most sophisticated neural processing, is thickening and developing at a pace that will not be matched outside the womb.
La lungs continue their critical maturation. Surfactant production has been increasing for several weeks and continues to do so at 27 weeks. The lungs at this stage are significantly more developed than they were at viability at 24 weeks, and a baby born at 27 weeks, while still premature and requiring intensive neonatal support, has outcomes dramatically better than a baby born three weeks earlier. Each additional week adds something measurable and significant.
Your baby’s immune system is receiving its final significant passive contribution before birth. Immunoglobulins from your blood continue crossing the placenta, transferring the immunological memory of your own exposure to infections and vaccinations to your baby. This passive immunity will protect the newborn through the first months of life while the immune system matures, and it is one of the reasons that the final trimester weeks matter for immune protection as much as for lung and brain development.
Fat accumulation continues. The subcutaneous fat that has been building since the mid-second trimester is filling in the skin progressively, and the increasingly defined, increasingly solid appearance of the baby at later scans reflects this ongoing process.
Your body at 27 weeks
The physical experience of the last weeks of the second trimester is shaped by a uterus that now sits approximately 7 centimetres above the navel and whose presence is felt in virtually every aspect of daily physical life.
Braxton Hicks contractions may be more noticeable at 27 weeks than in earlier weeks. These practice contractions, a tightening across the front of the abdomen that typically lasts 30 to 60 seconds and then releases, are irregular, typically painless, do not follow a pattern, and ease with hydration and a change of position. They are more common later in the day and after physical activity. Regular, intensifying, or painful contractions at 27 weeks always warrant a call to your gynaecologist rather than being attributed to Braxton Hicks without medical confirmation.
Shortness of breath during physical activity is common and likely worsening as the diaphragm has progressively less room to descend fully with each breath. Slowing down when breathlessness arrives, choosing gentler forms of movement such as walking and swimming rather than anything vigorous, and not pushing through breathlessness are the appropriate responses. Sudden severe breathlessness at rest, or breathlessness accompanied by chest pain or palpitations, warrants immediate medical contact.
Back and pelvic pain is a significant feature of the second half of pregnancy for most women and will likely intensify through the third trimester as the baby grows heavier and the physical demands on the musculoskeletal system increase. Swimming, which removes gravitational load from the joints while allowing full body movement, is one of the most reliably effective forms of pain management for pregnancy-related back and pelvic discomfort. If pain is significantly limiting daily functioning, a referral to a women’s health physiotherapist is worth requesting from your gynaecologist at the next appointment.
Sommeil at 27 weeks is genuinely more challenging than it was a month ago. The combination of the growing bump limiting comfortable positions, frequent urination, the baby whose active periods do not consistently align with your sleep hours, heartburn worsening when lying flat, leg cramps arriving at night, and the general physical discomfort of late second trimester pregnancy all contribute to fragmented sleep that rest alone does not fully address. Sleeping on the left side with a pillow between the knees and another supporting the bump is the most comfortable arrangement for most women at this stage.
Leg cramps, if they have been a feature of recent weeks, may be worsening. Consistent calf stretching before bed, adequate hydration throughout the day, and magnesium-rich food in the daily diet are the most practical preventive approaches. If cramps are frequent and significantly disturbing sleep, mention it to your gynaecologist.
Swelling of the feet and ankles remains common and is likely more pronounced in the Mauritius heat. Elevation when sitting, avoiding prolonged standing, and consistent hydration are the management approaches. Sudden significant swelling involving the face and hands, especially with headache or visual disturbances, warrants same-day medical contact.
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Breastfeeding preparation
The third trimester is the right window to begin preparing for breastfeeding, and the last week of the second trimester is the right moment to prompt that preparation before the third trimester arrives and the mental bandwidth shifts toward birth.
Breastfeeding is significantly more likely to succeed when preparation happens before the birth rather than in the reactive, exhausted, overwhelmed hours of the first 48 hours postpartum. The mothers who are most likely to continue breastfeeding beyond the difficult early weeks are almost always the ones who went in with information, who knew what the first days would feel like, who understood that colostrum in small volumes is appropriate and sufficient for a newborn’s marble-sized stomach, who knew what a correct latch looks and feels like, who had a lactation consultant’s number saved before they needed it rather than searching for one at 3am with a baby who will not attach.
In Mauritius, where the national breastfeeding rate is below 30% and the gap between intention to breastfeed and continuation past the early weeks is significant, this preparation matters more than in markets where support infrastructure is more established.
The specific things worth doing in the coming weeks: read the nutura.org breastfeeding basics article that covers the first six weeks honestly rather than aspirationally. Discuss your breastfeeding intentions with your gynaecologist or midwife so they are part of your birth record and can inform the care you receive in the first hours.
Nutrition at 27 weeks
The last weeks of the second trimester is the right moment to establish the nutritional habits that will carry you through the third, when your baby’s growth rate is at its most rapid and the demands on your body are at their highest.
Iron is the most critical priority heading into the third trimester. The blood volume expansion that has been underway since the first trimester reaches its peak in the third, and iron demand increases correspondingly. Anaemia in the third trimester is associated with increased fatigue, reduced birth weight, complications at delivery, and reduced iron stores for the baby at birth. Continue pairing plant-based iron sources with vitamin C at every meal without exception. If a recent blood test has shown low ferritin or haemoglobin, address it with your gynaecologist before the third trimester begins rather than managing through it.
Calcium needs are highest in the third trimester as your baby’s skeleton is growing at its most rapid pace and the calcium demand on your own stores is greatest. Including calcium-rich food at least once daily is the consistent minimum. Milk, yoghurt, cheese, calcium-set tofu, tinned sardines with soft edible bones, and dark leafy greens are the most accessible sources in a Mauritius kitchen.
DHA from oily fish is worth including several times this week as the third trimester, which is the period of most rapid brain growth and the window when DHA is most actively incorporated into neural tissue, is about to begin. Sardines, fresh fish from the market, mackerel, and to a lesser extent walnuts and ground flaxseed contribute meaningfully.
Protein at every meal remains essential as the third trimester’s rapid tissue and organ growth will draw heavily on amino acid availability. A palm-sized serving of fish, chicken, eggs, lentils, beans, or dairy at each meal provides adequate protein without requiring elaborate preparation.
Fibre alongside consistent hydration manages the constipation that tends to worsen through the third trimester. Oats, lentils, beans, vegetables, and fresh fruit daily are the most practical sources.
When to contact your clinic
Contact your gynaecologist for heavy vaginal bleeding, significant or one-sided abdominal pain, regular or intensifying contractions before week 37, leaking fluid from the vagina, fever, sudden severe shortness of breath, severe headache with visual disturbances or swelling of the face and hands, a significant sustained change in your baby’s movement pattern, or any symptom that feels clearly wrong.
Formal movement monitoring, counting movements and knowing when to call, becomes part of your daily awareness. Antenatal appointments move to every two to three weeks. The physical demands of the pregnancy increase as your baby’s growth rate accelerates. And the birth, which has been a future event for all of these weeks, becomes something that is now close enough to prepare for in earnest.
The second trimester nearly ends with a baby who weighs around a kilogram, who may be dreaming, who knows your voice, who kicks with enough force to be visible from across a room, and who has been building herself inside you with an efficiency and an intelligence that is genuinely extraordinary.
The third trimester begins shortly.
References: NHS — You and your baby at 27 weeks pregnant. nhs.uk. American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists — Second and third trimester prenatal care. acog.org. World Health Organisation — Antenatal care recommendations. who.int. Tommy’s — 27 weeks pregnant. tommys.org. Ministry of Health and Wellness Mauritius — Antenatal care guidelines.
Disclaimer: This article is for informational purposes only. Always consult your gynaecologist or midwife for guidance specific to your pregnancy. If you have concerns about symptoms, movement, contractions, or your antenatal care at any stage, contact your clinic.