23 Weeks Pregnant

Congratulations, you have now reached the end of the second trimester. You are about to enter the last stage of pregnancy. Everything that you have done right up until this point has been right on target. Don’t stop doing what you are doing just because you only have three months left. The baby needs vitamins and nutrients right up until the second they are born. You should be excited at the aspect of having the baby very soon.

You should be gaining weight and your baby bump will continue to get bigger and bigger until you can’t tie your shoes anymore. The baby is still gaining weight at the 23rd week of pregnancy. You have to keep up with doctor appointments, sonograms and sticking to eating healthy. If you experience complications, they can be diagnosed quickly and treated before any harm is done. This can be done by listening to your body. If something doesn’t seem right, contact your doctor right away.

By now, you and your partner can enroll in prenatal classes. These classes can help you prepare for motherhood and they explain what you can expect once the baby is born. Surviving nine months of pregnancy is just the beginning. If you haven’t already done so, you should start exercising. Walking is a great way to stay in shape. Exercising can also help with the delivery of the baby as well as help you regain your pre baby figure.

It is important to start taking calcium supplements if you aren’t drinking enough milk. Calcium is important to your bones as well as the baby’s bones. Ask your doctor what other supplements that you may need to help sustain the nutrients and minerals that the baby is getting.

Baby’s Development

The baby is constantly growing and progressively gaining weight. The baby should be about a pound by now. It may not seem like a lot but babies are only born up to 8 to 10 pounds. It is perfectly normal for the baby to only be a bout a pound at this week in pregnancy. The baby should measure in at 11.4 inches. Each baby will develop differently, so if a friend says her baby weighed more at this stage, keep in mind that every pregnancy is different.

By now the baby will look like a newborn and if you are lucky enough to see a 3D sonogram image, it will change your life. The baby fat is starting to form at a very fast rate. The skin is starting to develop and gone is the transparent skin. The baby will continue to move more frequently, this is the best time of pregnancy when you can feel the baby moving around. You may see the baby suck his or her thumb on an ultrasound, it is not a coincidence, and the baby can suck their thumbs now.

The baby can now touch the umbilical cord and their own body parts in the womb. The baby will still swallow the amniotic fluid and it is dispelled as urine. The baby will be taking in more liquids and sugars as supplements. The baby can hear just about anything outside the womb. It is truly an amazing time in your pregnancy. The baby’s pancreas is developing and it has started to provide their body insulin. The lungs are developing and the baby is getting ready for breathing from the lungs.

Changes With Your Body

At this week in your pregnancy, the uterus is now 1-1/2 inches above the belly button. The belly button may start to protrude because the stomach muscles are expanding. You will have gained about 15 to 20 pounds now. Your baby bump has become more noticeable. You should be experiencing any more morning sickness and the fatigue should have subsided. If you are still experiencing morning sickness or nausea, contact your doctor immediately.

As the baby grows you will experience aches and pains associated with leg pains, cramps, backaches and food cravings just to name a few. Some women are lucky enough to go through their entire pregnancy without one once of discomfort. You will also have an increased amount of blood in the lower body. You will have the urge to go to the bathroom more often. You may have some muscle cramping as well.

What To Expect

You will have had some many changes to your body and your mental state at this week in pregnancy and you are only half way through it. Don’t worry, these changes are temporary and they will all disappear after the baby is born. The best way you handle these aches, pains and emotional changes is by having a positive attitude. If you start feeling down, call someone and get together for lunch and go shopping. Having someone else to talk to will help you greatly.

If you have started to eat better, this may be something that you may want to continue on a regular basis. Stay on track by exercising and getting plenty of sleep. Start to shop for cribs, playpens, car seats and clothes. It always brightens your mood when you start getting ready for the end of the pregnancy. Make sure that you are going to doctor appointments and you are following all of the doctors’ orders.

It is important to maintain good hygiene as well. If you sweat excessively, take cool or warm showers. Hot baths are not good for the baby. Make sure that you have your blood pressure and urine checked very time you go to the doctor. This will help keep you updated on your health and the health of the baby.

Tips/Advice

Enjoy the last three months and a few weeks of your pregnancy. Some women enjoy it from day one and others go through such a tough first trimester that it is tough to enjoy. But soon after the morning sickness subsides, you really have to take the time to enjoy it. Motherhood is a blessing and you shouldn’t take it for granted.

22 Weeks Pregnant

By now you are loving every minute of being pregnant. It is an exciting time in your life especially if this is your first born child. Now you are right in the middle of the second trimester. Most new moms to be have already started planning the baby names, getting things together for a baby shower and planning the nursery. You may have started to gain significant weight by now. Don’t be discouraged; the weight gain is for a good reason. The baby is growing at a much more steady pace. You can also start to feel the baby more and more as the weeks go by.

Though the risk of miscarriage has reduced greatly, there are some things that you should safeguard against. For example, stay away from smoking and try to avoid others that smoke too. Refrain from drinking alcohol. You want to be eating more healthy foods rather than junk foods or friend foods. Remember what you are putting into your body so is the baby. You are going to start hearing more stories from friends and family about their pregnancies. It is fun to compare pregnancies but remember that each pregnancy is different. You will not experience the same things as other moms did.

Baby’s Development

The baby is continuing to gain weight as the weeks go by. The baby should weigh about 12-1/4 ounces, if that is not the case, talk to your doctor and find out if there is a reason why the baby is not on target. Not every baby at this stage will be 12-1/4 ounces; they could be less or more. The baby will measure in at 11 inches long. If you were to have a sonogram, the sonogram would show you that the baby looks like a newborn. The head and the body are fully proportionate.

The baby is thinner and there is not a lot of baby fat. The baby should be gaining weight at a good rate now. All of the baby’s organs are developing at a fast pace. The baby’s liver has started to produce enzymes that will help the baby break down the red blood cells. The baby’s red bloods don’t have a long life while in the womb. The red blood cells travel into the placenta and then into the mom’s blood.

It is the mother’s liver that actually gets rid of the baby’s red blood cells. The baby’s pancreas is starting to develop at a nice rate. You will start to notice eyes and lips at 22 weeks of pregnancy. The baby’s iris is still not developed with color yet. You can see that the teeth are below the gum line and the brain is developing at a very fast pace.

The baby’s sensory system is developing very quickly. The brain has functioning neurons right now and the baby is actually learning sense of touch. He or she may be exploring their face or moving their legs and arms to see how they feel. If the baby is a girl, show will have ovaries and the primitive ova or eggs cells. The baby’s uterus will have been completely formed at this point.

Changes To Your Body

By now, you will see a few signs of physical changes to your body. You will feel hormone levels increasing as well as some tenderness and some tingling in the breasts. You may experience some spotting, abdominal cramps, irritability and mood swings. If this happens, you should immediately call your doctor or go to the nearest emergency room. Some women have signs throughout their pregnancy and others don’t. But it is always better to be safe than sorry when it comes to pregnancy.

By now you should be morning sickness free and fatigue free. Though it is important to listen to your body when it comes to pregnancy. You will have increased the blood flow about 40 to 50%. As the pregnancy progresses you will have frequent urination. As the months go by the baby will start pressing down on the bladder.

What To Expect

You are continuing to experience many physical and emotional changes in the course of the pregnancy. You may want to adjust the way you are eating, try to eat healthier. Stay away from fried foods and processed foods, these can cause heartburn. You may want to take up walking after a meal or swimming every week. They are great for digestion and they are great exercise for pregnant women.

One thing that will help keep you grounded during the pregnancy is to talk with their partner, family and friends during the pregnancy. If you are having any doubts, these are the people that you want to talk to. Just by having someone to talk to can really improve your mood.

It is important to take your vitamins and attend every doctor’s appointment that you set. Try to make these appointments that you can keep. It is important that you have your blood pressure checked at regular intervals. You want to make sure that your blood is checked as well. As long as everything is OK, the baby will continue to grow and develop. Motherhood is a blessing and you should be doing everything that you can in order to make sure that your pregnancy goes smoothly.

Tips/Advice

Follow the doctor’s orders, sometimes when new moms to be think they feel fine they may over do it or try to do things at the pace they used before they got pregnant. Listen to your body and slow down if you need to. Follow up on doctor’s appointments and ask them any questions that you may have at any point in your pregnancy.

You have to remember that if you feel tired the baby isn’t going to get everything they need. If start eating on the run and do not choose the right foods to eat then the baby may suffer for it. Everything you do and everything you eat not just benefits you but the baby as well.

21 Weeks Pregnant

You are now into the second half of the second trimester. You are more relaxed and are enjoying your pregnancy more. If you are planning any long trips, now is the time to start to make plans for that trip. For the remainder of the second trimester, you will find that your pregnancy is a bit easier than the first trimester but not as hard as the third. To help alleviate the aches you may be feeling from the growth of the baby, you may want to exercise a bit or maybe try yoga. Don’t do anything too stressful. Keep it low impact.

By exercising you are also reducing varicose veins and back aches that become more common in the last trimester. You should be enjoying the pregnancy and keeping the mind healthy as well. By staying upbeat and taking care of yourself, it can actually reduce your chance of postpartum depression. You may not want to think about postpartum now but it is good to know what the signs are, you may be experiencing postpartum if you are fatigued, you are irritable, inability to handle your newborn and your hesitancy to hold your own baby may be signs of postpartum. Talk to your doctor about this condition, you are not alone it happens to thousands of women every day.

You want to stay fit as well; you can continue running and lightweight training. You want to stay away from bike riding, rollerblading and horseback riding. Walking and swimming are highly recommended. Try wearing loose fitting clothes and after sweating during exercise, always take a shower. It will reduce your chance of yeast or urinary tract infections.

Baby’s Development

At this stage the baby’s blood circulation is doing very well. The baby’s umbilical cord will grow thicker in size and increase in length. The blood will flow through the cord with more power, as the bigger the baby gets the more the blood will circulate. As you go through the second and the third trimester, the baby will grow more and more. The placenta is now almost the same size as the baby. When the doctor takes the measurement from crown to rump, the baby should be 7.2 inches and about 10-1/2 ounces.

In week 21, the baby’s digestive system will continue to develop and grow. The baby’s intestines can now relax and contract. The baby is now practicing swallowing the amniotic fluid; this will help their digestive systems mature. You may also notice that the baby will start hiccuping, it feels a bit strange at first but you will get used to it.

The baby’s eyebrows and eyelids are 100% developed. Fingernails now cover the fingertips. It has been found that newborn babies will suck faster and more intently when you are reading them a story that may have heard while in the womb. They baby may recognize sounds they heard in the womb and act accordingly when they hear it again outside the womb.

It is believed that if you read the baby classic books or spiritual books, it can have an effect on the baby. Classic music and soft sounds may prevent the baby from kicking a lot. They are calming and soothing sounds.

Changes With Your Body

At this week in pregnancy, you should be on target for 10 to 15 pounds. You may be a bit over and maybe a bit under. If you have any concerns, speak to your doctor about them. Now you will be able feel your uterus about ½ “ above your belly button and you will be happy to know that others will actually be able to tell that you are pregnant. You may notice that you are getting more leg cramps and pains in your legs. Don’t panic, this is normal. Exercise will definitely help this condition.

You can reduce leg pain at night by sleeping with a pillow right between your knees. There is something called Maternity Belts, this are designed to help prevent edema and pregnancy swelling in your legs. To take some pressure off your legs, try not standing in one place for a long period of time. You may start to feel more legs cramps, because your legs are carrying more weight due to the pregnancy. Try wearing a more comfortable pair of shoes too. By wearing sneakers or flat shows with cushions will be best at this stage of the pregnancy.

What To Expect

If you haven’t noticed by now, your appetite has increased. It is safe to add about 500 or so calories to your eating plan. Try to stay away from fried foods or even processed foods. Eat food like chicken, fruits and vegetables are a good way to add calories. If you need any suggestions, ask your doctor, they will be more than happy to give you a list of what foods are good to eat. If you are still experiencing cravings, it is ok to indulge just keep them in moderation.

If you are noticing swelling in your feet and legs it is normal, it is due to water retention. This is best alleviating by elevating your legs and feet while sitting down. Try not to stand in one place for a long period of time. The more you are relaxed by physically and mentally, the more the baby will be relaxed. The baby can sense stress at this point in pregnancy.

If you experience blurred vision, vaginal bleeding and nausea, contact your doctor right away. If you can’t get a hold of them, then you will want to go to the nearest emergency room.

Tips/Advice

While the risk of miscarriage has greatly reduced, there are still factors and considerations that have to be taken into. There is no better time to start taking care of yourself better. If you haven’t done so, try eating a more balanced diet and get plenty of sleep. The most important thing is to avoid stress. The baby can now feel exactly what you are feeling.

Article Source : www.pregnancyweeks.us