Pregnancy Guide for Couples: Week 27
Welcome to the last day of your second trimester! This week, we’ll talk about preparing a birth plan and taking a birth class (highly recommended)!
What’s Going on with Baby
At Week 27, your baby is the size of a computer keyboard!
During this time, your baby’s nervous system continues to mature daily. Their little bodies are gaining fat, helping their skin look smoother with time. The increase in body fat will help regular their body temperature after birth. Here are other ways your baby is growing this week:
The digestive tract develops and matures as your baby swallows amniotic fluid.
Some of the vernix caseosa may have shed, but it is still helping to keep baby’s skin hydrated.
Your baby can respond to sounds inside and outside of the womb!
What’s Going on with Mom
Next week, you’ll be in your third trimester! If you haven’t started creating a birth plan, now is the time to begin. Learning about all your options can feel overwhelming, which is why we also recommend taking a birth class that covers all your options so you feel prepared. Here at Balanced Families, we call birth plans "Birth Wish Lists" because birth is unpredictable. Make a plan, but also be flexible. Here are some questions to ask yourself when creating a birth plan:
Research childbirth classes and sign up for one. We recommend beginning around Week 28.
Decide what "type" of birth you want: unmedicated, epidural, induction, c-section?
Discuss your birth plan with your Midwife or OB
List your preferences by priority (pain management, labor positions, etc.)
Outline preferences for medical interventions (induction, episiotomy, etc.)
What’s going on with Partner
To prepare you and Mom for labor and delivery, take a birth class together! Taking a birth class for couples is hugely beneficial and will help you both be on the same page when it’s time for baby to arrive. Birth classes cover all the nitty gritty details about what to expect, including:
How to prepare for an unmedicated birth, epidural, or C-section
Stages of labor
Labor positions
Pain management techniques
Specific ways a birth partner can support mom
And more!
Our popular Birth Class for Couples is also bundled with our other classes: Breastfeeding Made Simple and Newborn Class for Couples, so you both are 100% prepared for birth and postpartum. Check it out below!
RESOURCE OF THE WEEK
Balanced Families® Online Classes for Couples
Our online classes are 100% unbiased and balanced, meaning you'll learn about all types of birth and ways of caring for baby. We will prepare you for unmedicated birth, inductions, c-sections, breastfeeding, formula feeding, and everything in between. We give you just the facts so you can make decisions with confidence.
We also include partners throughout the courses rather than just an add-on at the end. They deserve to be just as prepared as Mom.
Click the button to learn more!
