Guide to Being 27 Weeks Pregnant

If, up to now, you've barely been showing, this week could be your entry into "obviously pregnant" zone. Your baby is big enough now that your uterus has exceeded the previous boundaries of your abdomen, so you're probably feeling a bit lumbering, and possibly clumsy.

Of course, there may also be the heartburn, constipation, hemorrhoids, stray hairs in unlikely places and that dark line down the middle of your belly. You're probably feeling lots of movement in your womb, since that little one has more limb control these days, and the round ligament pain in your lower abdomen is, most likely, still very much around.

Your uterus is growing about half an inch per week now, shifting your center of gravity; pressing on your nerves, blood vessels and organs; as well as just generally increasing your load. As a result, some other week 27 symptoms may include:

Around this time, you may also start experiencing Braxton-Hicks contractions, aka "false labor." These mild, usually painless contractions are getting your uterus ready for the real deal a few months from now. You may feel some pressure, or nothing at all. If, on the other hand, you feel strong contractions, notify your doctor immediately, since it could signal preterm labor, and we definitely don't want that: Your little one is still very much baking.

Length: About 14 inches (head to toe). Weight: About 2 pounds. Eyes: Open.

This week or next week, somewhere deep in your abdomen, tiny eyelids are opening, closing and opening again. Tiny, curious eyes are looking around the interior of your uterus and shutting quickly in response to bright light. It's a whole new visual world.

Also this week, your baby may be experiencing:

It can be a lot to take in, this sprint toward readiness for life outside the womb, not to mention your own new life -- or, we should say, new lives. Your partner's about to experience a new life, too, and along those lines …

With all the focus on the mom-to-be -- well-deserved, no doubt -- it can be easy to forget there's someone else involved here who almost definitely is feeling anxiety, excitement and confusion, too.

Partners, you don't need to keep it all in, thinking you need to be the all-strong, all-knowing, all-positive one to counter the pregnant lady's swings. In fact, it's much better if you share all of these things. No one wants to feel like he or she is alone in having questions or fears or doubts or the occasional anticipatory squeal.

Talking about your feelings about the baby, parenthood and how your lives are about to change can only help to strengthen your relationship, assuage your own anxieties and, most likely, take some of the emotional weight off the woman who's already got a lot to carry.

This week, besides bonding over a shared fear of diaper blow-out, you may also want to think about …

It's the last week of the second trimester, which means you've got three months until you bring home a brand-new baby. If you haven't yet, you probably want to get moving on:

Other things to keep in mind this week include:

And, at last, a few things you can probably wave off.

As you round second, you've probably got some good "pregnancy brain" going, and with car seat comparisons and infant bathtub features taking up a lot of room, you'll be glad to know you needn't worry if:

And if, as you contemplate the respective benefits of doulas and aunts, you notice your partner isn't quite as "into it" as you are -- don't worry about that, either (at least not yet). The next time you feel a kick, and the time after that, remember to put your partner's hand on your belly. You're feeling things your partner isn't, and it's up to you to share.

For more information on pregnancy, parenting and related topics, look over the links on the next page.