27 weeks pregnant: what to expect in Québec

Your baby

Hearing

Around twenty-four weeks the baby begins to hear low-pitched sounds from outside: your voice, music, the voices at home. Periods of activity and rest become recognizable. Around twenty-eight weeks the eyes begin to open.

You

The trimester you feel better

For many, the second trimester brings more energy and less nausea. The belly rounds out, appetite returns, and it is often the time for plans: sharing the news, setting up the room, choosing prenatal classes. Moderate physical activity is encouraged unless advised otherwise.

Late-pregnancy discomforts

Heartburn, back pain, heavy legs, broken sleep, frequent urination: third-trimester discomforts are common. Irregular, painless contractions, called Braxton Hicks, may appear. Regular contractions that get closer, leaking fluid or bleeding should be reported right away to the place of birth.

Mood matters too

Anxiety and depression can begin during pregnancy, not only after. According to the INSPQ they are treatable, and the sooner the better. If worry or sadness has taken over for more than two weeks, talk to your professional, the CLSC or 811, where Info-Social also answers.

In Québec

Screening for gestational diabetes

Between 24 and 28 weeks, follow-up offers a screening test for gestational diabetes, a blood test after a sweet drink. If the result calls for follow-up, your professional will refer you to a specialized clinic; this page gives no target values.

The whooping cough vaccine

Québec’s immunization program offers, free and in every pregnancy, the whooping cough vaccine between 26 and 32 weeks, to protect the baby from birth, before their own vaccines. The flu vaccine is also offered in season. Ask your professional or the CLSC.

Prenatal classes

Group prenatal classes are offered by the CISSS and CIUSSS, often at the CLSC, and by community or private organizations, free or with fees. They cover birth, breastfeeding and the baby’s first care, in two to eight sessions depending on the region. Ask your professional or the CLSC what is offered in your area.

A visit every 4 to 6 weeks

According to the Mieux vivre guide, between twelve and thirty weeks follow-up includes a visit every four to six weeks: blood pressure, weight, fundal height, the baby’s heartbeat, your questions. Between visits, 811 answers, and the place of birth in case of bleeding, pain or leaking fluid.

QPIP: choosing the plan and planning the dates

QPIP maternity benefits can start as early as the 16th week before the expected week of delivery. Basic plan (more weeks, lower rate) or special plan (fewer weeks, at 75%): the choice of the first parent to apply applies to both. Apply online, at the earliest on the Sunday of the week you want payments to start. Our QPIP calculator estimates the amounts.

Preventive withdrawal, if your job carries risks

If your job exposes you to hazards for the pregnancy, the CNESST program Pour une maternité sans danger allows reassignment or preventive withdrawal with compensation. The request starts with your health professional, who fills in the certificate: raise it at the first visit.

With Maliah

If gestational diabetes is diagnosed

Maliah offers blood sugar tracking only if you indicate gestational diabetes: readings are logged with the time and the meal, and the table is shared with the clinic. The app calculates no dose and sets no target: those come from your team.

Your symptoms and questions, ready for the visit

Nausea, sleep, blood pressure taken at the pharmacy, the baby’s movements, questions that come at 3 a.m.: everything is logged in Maliah, by voice or in two taps, and is there at the next appointment. Nothing is interpreted: the app keeps the facts, your professional reads them.

Pregnancy week by week, in the app

In Maliah the pregnancy is followed at its own stage: the current week, appointments, preparation reminders (bag, car seat, birth plan) and your notes, shared with the other parent. The due date calculator gives the starting point.

Related free tools

Sources : INSPQ : Mieux vivre avec notre enfant de la grossesse à deux ans (guide 2026) · INSPQ, Mieux vivre : Suivi de grossesse · INSPQ, Information périnatale : Rencontres prénatales · INSPQ, Information périnatale : Santé mentale en contexte périnatal · Québec.ca : RQAP, choix du régime et types de prestations · Québec.ca : Programme québécois d’immunisation · Directeur de l’état civil : Déclaration de naissance · Québec.ca : Trouver un service de garde et inscrire mon enfant (Portail d’inscription)

This article is for information; it does not replace advice from a health professional. In Québec, call Info-Santé 811 when in doubt (elsewhere in Canada, your provincial health line). In an emergency, call 911. Updated on October 27, 2026.