20 Weeks Pregnant

By now you are right in the half way point of your pregnancy. You are entering the second half of the second trimester and there is light at the end of the tunnel. The best part about the second trimester is that it is the easiest and most enjoyable out of all of the weeks combines. You don’t have the morning sickness of the first trimester or the fatigue and you don’t have the fatigue and the feeling of being pregnant forever like some women do in their third trimester.

By now you are comfortable with being pregnant and you should be able to tell the sex of the baby by now. Even though the sex organs are developed already, it really isn’t until week 20 or so when you can tell. You have a much better chance of catching the baby in the right position than ever before. Now that you are half way through the pregnancy, you may want to start to think about the birth. Do you want to go natural childbirth or c-section? Now is the time to discuss that with your partner and your doctor.

You doctor can take you through each choice and you have plenty of time to do some research and decide which way is best for you and the baby. By now, you can start thinking about child birth classes, these classes will teach you about giving birth but they will also teach you some relaxation exercises such as yoga and breathing exercises.

Baby’s Development

The baby has been developing at a nice, quick pace. The baby will now weight up to 4 times the weight it did from the start of the pregnancy. By now, you can also start to feel the baby fluttering in the womb. This is one of the best joys of pregnancy. Being able to feel the baby that you and your partner created. By the 20th week, you will also be able to tell when the baby is sleeping and when the baby is awake. You and the baby are on opposite schedules, you will feel the baby more around more as you are trying to sleep or lie down.

The baby should weigh about 11 ounces by now and the baby should be 6-1/2” in length. The baby will start to practice breathing without the development of the lungs. The baby is covered with light fine hair called the lanugo. This helps the baby keep their body temperature inside. The baby has developed hearing by now and may start to respond to your voice as well as the other sounds from outside the womb.

The baby’s organs and structures are still developing. The baby is covered with a white coating called vernix caseosa; this will help keep the baby’s skin safe from irritation as the baby travels through the birth canal. The baby will start to produce meconium, this is a dark green sticky matter that includes cell loss and amniotic fluid that has been swallowed by the baby with digestive secretions.

Changes With Your Body

While the baby is growing, new moms to be may start to have trouble breathing or even taking deep breaths. The lungs will become restricted with your organs as the uterus is being pushed up so are your organs. This is common and there is nothing to get worried about. If you are experiencing trouble breathing, bring it to your doctor’s attention. While you are pregnant, it is always best to be safe than sorry.

Some women experience this trouble until the last month of pregnancy when the baby starts to descend into the birth canal. At this stage of pregnancy, you should expect to gain about 8 to 10 pounds. The doctor should be monitoring your weight gain. If they have any concerns they will let you know. Don’t assume that you are gaining weight and stop eating. It is never a good time to go on a diet while pregnant. You may start to notice stretch makes at this week in pregnancy. Use cocoa butter, this not only will decrease your stretch makes but it leaves your skin smooth and hydrated.

You may notice as the baby grows that you are experiencing constipation, indigestion and some skin itchiness. Stay hydrated and drink plenty of fluids every day. Stay away from caffinated drinks, these drinks only make you thirstier. Plus too much caffeine is not good for the baby. If you experience excessive itching it could be a symptom of a liver abnormality or a reaction to the prenatal vitamins. If you are having trouble with itching, ask your doctor they can determine exactly why the itching is happening. Try using a cold compress on the parts of skin that itch. You can make a mixture of baking soda and water. This will relieve the itching as well.

What To Expect

At this stage of your pregnancy, you should be relaxing and enjoying every minute of it. You should be both physically and mentally relaxed. Stay on target with your exercise and eating plan. Continue to take your prenatal vitamins. At this stage of pregnancy, anemia is common and if it is left untreated then it can lead to premature birth or complications. Try to increase your iron intake with foods or a vitamin supplement. Foods you can choose from are eggs, chicken, dried fruits, wheat germ oatmeal and fruits and vegetables.

Now is when new moms to be start narrowing down their list of baby names. They will also start looking at catalogs or looking online for baby items like cribs and carriages. You can also expect to find out the sex of the baby if you choose to. If you don’t want to know, make it clear to the doctor and the nurses that you don’t want to know. Sometimes it has a way of slipping out.

Tips/Advice

As the baby will continue to grow at a fast rate. You are going to experience body changes as a result of the baby’s changes. These changes are normal and if you have any concerns at all, now is the time to speak to your doctor. If you think something isn’t right, don’t hesitate to call your doctor or go to the local emergency room.

19 Weeks Pregnant

You are now into your second trimester. At this stage of the pregnancy, a few more changes are going to be taking place in the mom to be. There will also be more changes in the baby as well. This week some count as the middle of the pregnancy and by now you will have completely adjusted to the ever-changing mental and physical state of pregnancy.

As the pregnancy progresses, there is more of a chance to develop vitamin deficiencies more commonly iron deficiencies. That is why is it is more important than ever before to continue taking the prenatal vitamins as well as iron supplement that your doctor can recommend for you. You may also experience some skin problems as well. There may be rashes and brown patches if you are exposed to sunlight for a prolonged period of time.

The baby is growing more and more every week, you will now start to be able to feel the baby punching and kicking as the week’s progress. Fetal movements are how most mothers gauge the normality of their pregnancy. If you believe that something isn’t right, contact your doctor; a sonogram may be needed to calm your fears.

Baby’s Development

The baby’s development will be very specific at this week in time. The baby’s kidneys are now starting to produce urine and the baby will have some hair growing on their head. The baby’s teeth and gums are progressing nicely as well. There are some terrific developments to the baby’s brain. The part of the brain where the brain can control the senses is starting to emerge.

If the baby is a girl, she will have more than 6 million eggs in her ovaries. You will notice that the doctors will have stopped measuring the baby from crown to rump and will now measure in at head to toe. The baby should be about 7-1/2 inches long and will weight about 7 ounces.

The skeleton of the baby will continue to harden and the muscles will become stronger. If you are lucky enough to have started to feel the baby kick you will notice that the kicks can be fast at times. The baby will start to figure out where the womb starts and ends. By now the baby will start sleeping about 20 hours a day. The baby will start moving again when the new mom to be wants to lie down and take a rest. The baby at this week has become aware of the sounds happening outside of the womb.

Changes With Your Body

As the pregnancy progresses, you will start to itch more and that is due in part to dry skin. By staying hydrated, drinking 8 to 9 ounces of water a day can really help with dry skin. Cocoa Butter and Aloe Vera are great for dry skin. You can use a moisturizer as well. You may or may not noticing stretch marks, if you do Cocoa Butter is the best thing to use. As we mentioned there is excessive sweating that comes with this week in pregnancy. You may want to use cornstarch powder and take showers a few times a day. Stay away from drinks with caffeine they tend to just make you even more thirsty.

Some women may experience some heart palpitations, fainting spells and some dizziness. This could be due to the iron deficiency we mentioned earlier. Your doctor will want to test your blood for anemia. The baby’s red blood cells are still developing so make sure that you have your blood tested. The dizziness could be caused by low blood sugar, you will need to maintain your diet and eat small snacks throughout the day to prevent this from happening.

Hypotension is also common in pregnancy; this happens when you lie sideways, but lying on your back could cause heartburn as well as breathing problems. Try to keep your feet elevated while sleeping on your side. You may experience round ligament pain; this pain comes from the abdomen from one of the other hip area. The may could increase to the groin but these are pains can be alleviated, ask your doctor if you are feeling these aches and pains. They will have some recommendations as to what you can do.

What To Expect

Your baby is starting to become aware of sounds outside the womb; they can be startled by sounds from the outside. They may respond to the mom and the dad’s voices but if there are siblings, you should encourage them to talk to the baby too. You don’t have to shout at the baby, nice smooth soft sounds would be best.

You should stay away from any over the counter medications as well as any herbal remedies. These herbal remedies tend to relax the muscles and they could be a risk to a miscarriage. At this point of your pregnancy, you can relax knowing you are past the danger spot but it still is possible for something to go wrong.

Talk to your doctors about any fears or concerns that you may have. This is really the best time for you to sit down with your partner and your doctor and have a talk about what to expect now and further down the line.

Tips/Advice

You may not remember any or all of the feelings that you had during this pregnancy. Try keeping a journal of every day of your pregnancy. Then after the baby is born and perhaps years later, you can look back and share these feelings with your child. Have your partner take pictures of you at every month of your pregnancy and make a scrapbook for your child. It will make them feel special, as they get older.

Make sure that you voice any concerns about how you are feeling to your doctor. You should be relaxing and enjoying your pregnancy. Sharing the experience with friends and family will mean a lot to them as well.

18 Weeks Pregnant

As you progress more into the second trimester, you will start to notice that your appetite is increasing. This will happen over the remainder of your pregnancy. As the baby grows they are absorbing all of the nutrients as that happens your appetite will increase. This can be where women get into trouble when gaining weight. You will have to increase the amount of food that you eat, try to keep it healthy. It isn’t always easy and it is ok but you have to eat the not so healthy foods in moderation. But keep in mind that what you are eating the baby is eating. Try avoiding heavy fried foods, these types of foods will not be beneficial to you or the baby and they may cause more heartburn. Try not to lie down right after you eat, this will alleviate the heartburn that you may be feeling. Add a bit of exercise to your routine, you don’t have to exercise every day but try taking a 20-minute walk every day. This will help keep you healthy as well as prevent heartburn.
By this week, your cardiovascular system is undergoing some major changes. Your blood pressure may drop lower than it normally is. You may experience dizziness when getting up from a seated position. Try to keep fruit juice or a small snack on hand. If these persist or get worse, contact your doctor. Your doctor may perform an ultrasound test to check on the growth of the baby. Women who are high risk will have more sonograms than women who are not. It is important at this stage of pregnancy that you get plenty of rest and listen to your body more.

Baby’s Development
By now the baby’s CR or Crown to Rump length should be approximately 5-1/2 inches and the baby will now weigh around 5.25 ounces. The baby is continually growing at a nice, safe pace. The baby is still developing fat layers but this week, the baby will slow down for a bit. In the last month or so the baby will gain about ½ a pound every week.
At week eighteen, doctors can determine if the baby has any heart abnormalities with the aid of the ultrasound machine. If there are positive signs or unconfirmed signs of abnormalities the doctors will continue to do some testing. The baby will keep moving more and more as the uterus expands. You will start to feel more movement as the weeks go on.
Your baby could be doing somersaults in the uterus and they can even sit cross-legged. The baby’s hearing is more advanced and they can hear sounds as well as the sound of your voice. If they become startled they may start kicking. The baby will become familiar with the sound of your heartbeat and other voices like the dad. The blood continues to go through the umbilical cord. You can hear the baby’s heartbeat but if you invest in a stethoscope you can hear the baby’s heartbeat whenever you want.
The baby can flex their arms and legs, which result in many fetal movements. There is a protective layer being formed call the Myelin, this forms around the nerves that will actually continue to protect the nerves up to year after birth.

Changes With Your Body

By now you will be able to feel the uterus right below the stomach. At week eighteen the uterus is about the size of a cantaloupe. By now, an average weight gain would be about 10 pounds or so. Every woman is different, if you have any concerns about your weight, it is important to speak to your doctor right away. You may also start to use the bathroom more often. As the pregnancy progresses the baby will at some point be putting pressure right on the bladder.

There is a condition called Postural Hypotension, this condition will cause dizziness in some women. This condition can decrease by slowing standing up and to slowly sit down. You will also see some continued changes in the breasts. The areolas will become darker and the breasts will be tender. Some women will have an increase in breast size. Many women may experiences some indigestion problems as well as constipation or even piles. Do not take any over the counter medication unless you speak to a doctor first.
Many women will have a lot of itchiness; this can be caused by tight fitting clothes or undergarments. Wear cleaner clothes and more loose fitting clothes too. If you start to see stretch marks try using an aloe lotion or anti wrinkle creams.

What To Expect
By now, you may have read some baby books that have said that some women can feel their baby’s movements. Not every woman can but don’t worry, the baby has plenty of time to start kicking up a storm. If you have strong muscles in the abdomen or are a bit overweight in that area, you may not be able to feel the movements of the baby right now.
At this point in pregnancy, the doctors will be able to tell if you are having more than one baby. The chances of multiple births are not as common as you may think and the moms who are having more than two babies are a result of infertility drugs. Teenage moms are also more likely to have multiple births as well as pre-term deliveries.
To keep up your energy, you want to snack more often during the day, but stay away from empty calories. If you are not sure what you should be eating ask your doctor they can help you with nutrition.

Tips/Advice
Keep taking your prenatal vitamins and stay hydrated. Relaxing and enjoying the pregnancy is the best thing that you can do right now. Keep following your doctors’ advice and get plenty of rest. If you want to start looking at baby names, it can be a fun way to pass the time. Nine months is a long time, especially if you found out early that you were expecting.

Article Source : www. pregnancyweeks.us