26 weeks pregnant: Your baby and your body

Choose your week

Week 26

Know your due date?

Enter the due date from your care team to find your estimated week today. Your date stays in this browser tab.

Second trimester

About the size of

a cucumber

Approximate length

14.0 in / 35.6 cm Head to heel

Your baby

Your baby's eyes are beginning to open. Eye development continues during pregnancy and after birth, and the eventual eye color is not something this weekly guide can predict. The cucumber illustration is a rough comparison of length. Your care team uses your own pregnancy information to assess growth rather than comparing it with a fruit or vegetable.

Your body

Leg cramps may interrupt sleep, making the next day harder even when you have spent enough time in bed. Gentle stretching and discussing an appropriate activity routine may help with comfort. Ask before starting supplements for cramps, since a product is not automatically suitable just because it is sold without a prescription.

This week

Getting help with leg cramps and sleep

Describe whether the discomfort is a brief muscle cramp or something that persists, and whether one leg looks or feels different from the other. Pain with swelling, redness or warmth in one leg needs prompt medical assessment rather than routine cramp advice. If sleep is repeatedly disrupted, discuss the whole picture: cramps, reflux, bathroom trips, worries and daytime tiredness. Your care team can help you prioritize what to address first. Bring your medicine and supplement list so any suggested treatment fits with what you already take.

Explore prenatal care

Looking ahead

A question for your next visit

Are these symptoms typical cramps, and what can we do to improve my sleep safely?

Sources for this week

Read the NHS guide for this week ↗ Body changes and discomforts — Office on Women’s Health ↗

Browse pregnancy weeks

A little context for these comparisons

These are approximate sizes for each week, not measurements of your baby. Babies and produce both come in different sizes, and the illustrations are not shown to scale.

Before week 20, length is measured from head to bottom. From week 20, it includes the legs, from head to heel. That change explains the jump in length between weeks 19 and 20.

When to get help

If your baby’s usual movements slow down, stop, or change, contact your maternity care team right away.

Seek medical care right away for warning signs such as a severe or persistent headache, vision changes, chest pain, trouble breathing, severe belly pain, vaginal bleeding, leaking fluid, or thoughts of harming yourself or your baby. These are examples, not a complete list. If you cannot reach your care team, seek urgent medical care. Call 911 for a medical emergency.

Read the CDC urgent maternal warning signs

About this guide

Approximate measurements and development information draw on the NHS weekly guides. Linked US health resources support care and preparation topics. The topics are suggestions for discussion, not a schedule of required appointments or tests. Your own care plan may differ.

Every pregnancy is different. Your care team can help you understand your baby’s growth and any symptoms you’re experiencing.