The pregnancy timeline weeks 25 to 28

Giving birth becomes less of an idea now and more of a reality as 25 to 28 weeks pregnant the birth comes ever closer, it's now time to start considering your birth plan.

Week 25
The baby's length from crown to rump is now 22cm. It's already time to book childbirth classes. At this stage your uterus is the size of a football, your baby's genitals are fully formed. It has fingerprints and a settled pattern of sleep and wakefulness. It will also be displaying signs of left or right-handedness.

Week 26
At week 26 the baby's length from crown to rump is 23cm. Now that you're getting close to your big day, back-pain, leg cramps and pressure around your pelvis may now be causing you discomfort. If baby's movements are causing you pain underneath your ribs, try lying on your side. This is the week your baby starts opening their eyes and blinking. They will usually be blue regardless of their final colour, which will develop later, after birth.

Week 27
Week 27 and your baby's length from crown to rump is 24cm. If you haven't already done it, start shopping for all the baby equipment you need before it becomes too tiring for you to drudge around shopping malls, better still try and buy as much online as you can. If your baby was born during this week it would stand a 90% chance of survival, but would be very premature, and therefore have a lot of problems to overcome. Things like breathing and regulating body temperature would pose problems for your baby if it was born at this early stage.

Week 28
At week 28 your baby's length from crown to rump is 25cm. During this week a glucose and iron level test may be carried out, plus your antenatal check ups will become more frequent, every two weeks. If it's necessary, you'll be injected with Rh immuno-globulin to prevent you from developing harmful antibodies.