25 Weeks Pregnant

You have now entered in to the third trimester of pregnancy. This is also where many physical changes happen. The baby may seem too small to be born right now but there is plenty of time left. The baby may not be gaining weight at such as fast pace anymore but there is nothing to worry about. The baby will start gaining weight, at least a ½ a pound a week until they are born. Your baby bump is more prominent than before and you will have people trying to guess if you are having a girl or a boy.

On a sonogram, you may see the baby’s hair texture, color as well as eye color one way but all of that can change once the baby is born. Your body may start to feel more achy and more tired than you did in the second trimester. You have to listen to your body, when the body says slow down; you really have to do it. The stress that you are putting on your body is being put on the baby as well. You will soon notice that you won’t be able to see your feet anymore and tying your shoes may prove to be a challenge.

As a new mom to be, you should know that there is a risk or premature delivery from this week forward. This may happen due to an incompetent cervix or an infection in the uterus. If the cervix ruptures you may be required to remain in the hospital for the remainder of the pregnancy. If the baby were born at this week, the baby would have a good chance of survival. The risk would be the weight of the baby. The baby would be susceptible to infection because of the low birth weight. This is why it is important to take it easy and take good care of yourself in this stage of pregnancy.

Baby’s Development

The baby has slowed down in gaining weight. The baby is still growing but not as significantly as before. There is no reason to panic; the growth will kick back into gear in the next few weeks. The baby’s bones are starting to harden and with the help of a sonogram, you may be able to see your baby sucking their thumb. The white coating that is protecting the baby will continue to do so. It protects the baby from the acid of the amniotic fluid and will help the baby to maintain body heat.

The baby’s taste buds are developing nicely and they can tell the difference between salt and sweet tastes. There is less room in the uterus for the baby to move so you will be feeling a lot of movement from now on. The baby’s fingernails and toenails have fully formed. The baby’s head and body have come into their own.

Changes With Your Body

At week twenty-five, you will start to notice some very light red or brown marks across the abdomen, these are stretch marks. You can avoid having anymore appear by staying active. You can reduce the appearance of these stretch marks by using a Cocoa Butter or a moisturizer. You can also take preventative measures by using a support bra and some anti wrinkle cream. Try to stay away from tight fitting clothes. These stretch marks will fade once the baby is born.

You may experience some dry eye or some sensitivity to light. You can use artificial tears or s saline solution. Ask your doctor what he would recommend. Try to adjust your diet, add more vitamins and minerals, diets that are lacking vitamins is one of the causes of dry eyes. Plus, you will get your health back faster after the baby is born.

At this stage of pregnancy, you may experience excessive heat and sweating. This can also lead to infection if you don’t stay cool during your pregnancy. Take cool or warm showers, wear clean clothes and keep your clothes fitting loosely. Stay hydrated, keep your water or drink intake high, stay away from drinks with caffeine, they will just make you more thirsty.

What To Expect

By week twenty-five, you will be taking another blood test to test fro anemia. If your doctor was concerned about this earlier he would have prescribed iron supplements. These blood tests are just precautions. Your skin may start to become itchy again like in the first trimester. The skin will stretch and cause stretch marks but as we mentioned this can be alleviate with support bras, cocoa butter and loose fitted clothes. If you experience excessive itching, your doctor may prescribe a test for liver problems or perhaps a fungal infection may happen.

The only way for any of these conditions to be diagnosed is by letting your doctor know about anything out of the ordinary that you are feeling. It may not seem like something to you but it may to your doctor. It is important for you to maintain your lifestyle now that you are in the third and last trimester. Now is not the time to slack, it is the time to step up and power through the last three months. Listen to your body that is a key to a healthy pregnancy.

If you feel tired, slow down. If you feel dizzy it means you are over doing an activity. If it means getting more rest than so be it. Remember it is for the health of the baby. This may sound easy to say but it would be important to try to maintain good posture while pregnant. This will avoid spinal problems later on too.

Tips/Advice

Listen to your doctor and follow all of these suggestions. Now is also the time to finish up any preparations for the baby’s nursery. In a few weeks, you won’t be able to travel as much or shop without becoming tired. You may also be in the stages of planning a baby shower. Make sure that you plan this at least a month or two months ahead of time. Don’t wait for the last minute; you want to be able to have a good time without feeling tired.

Article Source : www.pregnancyweeks.us

How to Help Your Baby Sleep Through the Night

Getting your baby to sleep throughout the night is one of the hardest task of a parent. It can be stressful and it affects both the parent and the baby. This is why most of the parents say that parenthood is not an easy job. It is easy to learn but it is definitely not easy to master. What is more suffering than your baby not able to sleep through the night? Parents like you have to stay up the whole night with your baby because your baby can't have a good night sleep. Can this be solved? The answer is Yes. Here are some steps on how you can avoid and help your baby to sleep throughout the night silently. You will be having extra sleep time too!

The first thing to do is to try to limit your baby's naps. Naps in the afternoon or anytime of the day will increase the percentage of your baby unable to sleep silently in the night. If your baby is really tired, let your baby have a nap only for a few hours, not too much. Besides taking care of what is happening throughout the day, some techniques in the night are needed to help your baby sleep throughout the night. Lavender is popular for its soothing effects so providing your baby with a warm bath with lavender is definitely helpful. Warm and soothing baths every night can help your baby to have a good night sleep. Furthermore, Lavender lotions can be rubbed on your baby's body to double to soothing effect, hence providing a very comfortable feeling for your baby. As we know, some people will drink a cup of hot chocolate before they go to sleep because it will help them to sleep better. It is advisable to make a warm bottle of breast milk for your baby before getting your baby into bed. Adults need them, so do babies.

Sleeping habits of a baby are no different from adults. When it is time to sleep, ensure that the surrounding environment is quiet and peaceful because it creates a sleeping environment for your baby, therefore easing the sleeping process of your baby. When it is time to sleep, get your baby into bed even if he is not fully asleep. You need to get your baby into a sleeping mood and let him fall asleep on his own. This way your baby is already used and associated in the dark room before and when he falls asleep. Soothing music can be played at very low volume in case your baby won't be able to sleep on his/her own. These type of music can ease the sleeping process and also works throughout the whole night. As mention before, it is important to get your baby in to that sleeping mood. Do not play or entertain your baby one hour before he goes to bed, also ensure that the environment is quite and peaceful. Doing this will get your baby to calm down his hyper active mood and therefore enabling him to go to bed in a sleeping mood. If it is done appropriately, your baby will be able to sleep all night.

The main reason for your baby waking up in the middle of the night is because your baby doesn't know how to put themselves back to sleep, adults often roll over and get over with their sleep, but babies don't. It is important to create a constant routine for your baby on when to wake up and when to sleep. Everyone has a sleep-wake cycle that we need to follow, babies also has their own cycle. Be sure to always look out for their sleepy symptoms and allow them to sleep for just a moment if it's in the afternoon. Being a parent can sometimes be tiring, but it's definitely a great experience

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24 Weeks Pregnant

You are now coming to an end of the second trimester. In a few weeks you will enter into the last three months of pregnancy. You look forward to the end of the pregnancy because you want to meet your baby. But there are some huge changes to both your physical as well as mental state. As the pregnancy progresses, you will gain more weight. The uterus will continue to grow, as the baby gets bigger.

As time goes on, there won’t be any room left in the uterus because the baby will be full size and that is when you will feel every movement the baby makes. Due to the growing baby and the weight gain, you will start to experience more leg cramps and backaches. You will continue to have frequent trips to the bathroom and some fatigue.

There is still plenty of time to start the prenatal classes. These classes will discuss the remainder of the pregnancy, what to expect during childbirth and what to expect when the baby comes home. These classes are not required but they are very informative. You can start attending them now or some people wait until the 7th month of pregnancy. Check your local hospital for the class schedules.

Baby’s Development

At this week of your pregnancy, they should measure about 11 inches and weigh about 1-1/4 to 1-1/2 pounds. If you have any concerns about the weight of the baby, now is the time to ask the OB GYN. The baby’s brain and the lungs are quickly starting to develop. The baby’s taste buds are coming along nicely too. The lungs are developing branches so that the special cells will produce the surfactant to help inflate the baby’s lungs.

If the baby was born at this week of pregnancy they may have trouble breathing because the surfactant is not developed enough. Babies born at twenty-four weeks may be born with disabilities and would require long term NICU care. The baby is still gaining weight and developing baby fat. This helps the baby keep in their body heat.

Some new moms to be may experience what is called Braxton Hicks Contractions. These are small contractions that you may feel from time to time in the last trimester. But don’t worry these are not like regular contractions and they will not affect the baby. When you go for your next sonogram, you will see that the baby’s face is now complete with very distinguishable features. The hair on the baby’s hair will continue to grow and the baby’s eyes are still closed. Over the next three months the baby will just continue to gain weight and grow. The baby will also start to practice breathing at week twenty-four of pregnancy.

Changes With Your Body

Now you will be able feel the top of the uterus about 2 inches from the belly. This will continue to grow as the baby grows. You may start to notice some stretch marks on the abdomen and on the breasts. You may want to use moisturizer on these stretch marks or use cocoa butter. You may notice that your eyes are more sensitive to light and they become drier than usual. You can use eye drops or maybe artificial tears to help with the problem.

By now you will physical feel and know when the baby is sleeping and when the baby is awake. It may be a good idea to rest when the baby is resting because the baby tends to be on an opposite sleeping schedule than you right now. You will also be able to feel the uterus or abdomen tighten every now and then. This will happen more in the third trimester.

Some of the other symptoms that you may notice in this part of the pregnancy are breast changes, more trips to the bathroom, constipation, itching and heartburn. You may experience round ligament pain, these are the ligaments stretching as the baby continues to grow. Some women experience very severe round ligament pain and others don’t feel it at all.

You are going to feel like you have a permanent head cold, the increased blood flow puts pressure on the mucus membranes, which causes congestion. Do not take any over the counter medications without speaking to your doctor first. Try some simple saline drops first.

What To Expect

You will be asked to take a glucose test. This test is to check for gestational diabetes. If you are diagnosed with the condition, it can be controlled and will disappear after the baby is born. Some symptoms of gestational diabetes include fatigue, nausea, excessive thirst and frequent urination. Only a small percentage of new moms to be will have GD, only about 2 % to 5%. That is why the screening is so important. The cause is due to the placenta producing too many hormones that relate to insulin resistance.

You will still experience heartburn at this stage of pregnancy. Try to avoid lying down after eating and try taking a walk after a meal. You may want to break up your meals into smaller but more frequent meals during the day. Try to avoid eating anything late at night, if you need to snack on some crackers. If you are already gaining weight at a steady pace, some women at this point may become self-conscious. Never alter your diet to lose weight while you are pregnant. Talk to your doctor if the weight gain concerns you.

Tips/Advice

Keep on following the doctors’ orders. If you haven’t started to already pick up a baby book and see what they have to offer in ways of suggestions on eating and exercise. It is never too late during a pregnancy to start exercising. If you are looking for a low impact aerobic on DVD, check your local video store or retail store like Wal-Mart or target. Stay away from exercises that cause a lot of bumping around like horseback riding.

Source : Pregnancyweeks.us