The Changes in Your Body at 24 Weeks Pregnant

When you are 24 weeks pregnant, others will certainly notice your growing belly. Your regular clothes will no longer fit comfortably and you will have to start wearing looser clothing around your waistline. The baby is growing steadily, but it still has wrinkled skin because it needs to gain weight. The baby taste buds are starting to develop at this point and you may develop a craving for sweets because the baby realizes that it likes sweet treats. The main thing that you do have to realize at this stage is that the baby is developed enough that it would be able to survive if you did go into premature labour. However, it would have to stay in the hospital for some time.

As your belly starts to expand, you may notice that you are developing stretch marks in the form of red lines across your stomach. These are normal and may be quite itchy. You can alleviate this discomfort by using creams and lotions to make the skin of your stomach legs and buttocks softer so that it can expand easier. Although the creams and lotions will not erase the stretch marks, they will fade after the baby is born. You will notice that your skin is drier than normal and you need to use more cream on your hands and face than you usually do. Dry skin is a normal part of being pregnant as well.

Another normal symptom of pregnancy that you may start to experience in your 24th week is that your eyes become more sensitive to light. Artificial tears solutions will help to alleviate this discomfort so that your eyes are not stinging or watering a lot. Headaches, cramps and discomfort in your lower back is also quite common at this stage of your pregnancy. The swelling of your hands and your weight gain at this time could also cause a tingling or numb sensation in your fingers. This is because the extra weight can compress some of the nerves in your wrist. The experience is usually mild and will go away once the baby is born. To help ease the discomfort, you could place a bag of ice on your hands several times a day.

You will notice that your hair is growing faster than usual and while you may love the fact that your hair is better than ever before, you may not like the fact that there is hair growing on other parts of your body. This is due to the increase in hormone production in your body. It is safe to tweeze the hairs and to use waxing or electrolysis methods during pregnancy. It is not a permanent condition and your hair growth will return to normal after you give birth.

Because the baby is now bigger, weighing a little over a pound and measuring about a foot in length, the space inside the uterus is getting smaller. You may feel as if there is something digging into your ribs and you may find it harder to get a deep breath. Since the baby ears and hearing is now developed, loud noises may cause the baby to move around or kick. At the same time, the baby is getting used to the sound of your voice and the beating of your heart

What is Your Baby Like at 22 Weeks Pregnant?

At 22 weeks pregnant, you are just about at the end of the second stage or trimester of your pregnancy. The baby is now just over a pound in weight and measures almost eleven inches long from the top of its head to its heels. If you were to be able to actually see the baby at this stage, the skin would be quite wrinkly even though the facial features are developed. This is because the baby needs to gain weight now and fill out more. You would not be able to see what color eyes you baby has because the pigment in the irises is not yet developed. The inner organs are still developing and the pancreas is starting to produce hormones. The lungs have not yet developed so the baby would have difficulty breathing on its own. During this stage tooth buds, which will develop into teeth, start to appear in the gums.

Your belly has expanded significantly and you are likely wearing maternity clothes or at least clothes with elastic waists. It is quite normal form expectant mothers to have gained about 15 pounds by the 22nd week of the pregnancy. You are starting to feel much better than you did in the early weeks because the nausea, frequent trips to the bathroom and the tiredness are gone or at least not as intense as they once were. You will likely have a greater appetite for food that you were unable to eat during the morning sickness period and you may start having cravings for foods that you previously wouldn eat. These cravings often occur at odd times, such as in the wee hours of the morning. Once you realize the type of food that you do crave, it is a good idea to have some extra on hand so that your partner does not have to try to find a supermarket that is still open at this time. If you consistently crave junk food, you should try to find a healthier food that you enjoy and can substitute for it.

One of the things most expectant mothers notice at the 22nd week is that they have vaginal discharge. If this is your first pregnancy, you may become alarmed and schedule an appointment with your doctor, but this is a normal part of being pregnant. You may become more susceptible to urinary tract infections because you are not going to the bathroom as often and you may start having haemorrhoids. You should make sure you drink plenty of water and avoid foods that may cause you to become constipated.

During this time, your ligaments and muscles are starting to expand to make room for the growing uterus. This means you may have pains in your belly area and may become alarmed that there is something wrong. These aches and pains are also normal and will eventually subside. You should use creams and lotions to soothe your skin so that you won have too many stretch marks after the baby is born.

Start Enjoying Your Pregnancy at 15 Weeks Pregnant

You are three weeks into your second trimester when you are 15 weeks pregnant. You will find that your energy is returning and you are able to stay up later at night. In spite of how energetic you feel, you still need to get a full nights sleep because the baby benefits from your rest just as much as you do. Your belly is also growing at this stage making you visibly pregnant. This could cause you some discomfort when you lie down. Adding extra pillows to the bed can help you feel more comfortable, especially a body pillow that you can wrap your arms and legs around. You may start to feel too warm at night and this can affect your internal body temperature. It is best to turn down the heat at night and add more blankets to the bed if your partner finds it cold. You will probably throw these off as you sleep and become warmer.

Although the baby is starting to move about inside the uterus, you do not have any fluttery feelings yet. This won’t happen for another few weeks. When you do start to feel the movements, they will feel quite similar to gas rumblings and you won’t notice them until they become more frequent.

The babys neck and shoulders are well formed at 15 weeks and the head is in the proper position in the body. Eyelashes and eyebrows will start to develop at this stage and some hair will start growing on the head. The eyes are also in the right spot but the baby cannot see yet because the eyes are shut. However, he/she can sense light through the shut lids.  If you shine a flashlight in your tummy and concentrate on what you feel, you may even feel the movement as the baby moves away from the light. The ears start to look human and less like those of an alien.

One thing you will be able to feel is the baby hiccoughing. Since the baby can suck and swallow at this stage of the pregnancy, there will be times when it swallows too much amniotic fluid. You will be able to feel a slight thumping sensation when this happens. By now the baby has grown to a length of about 4 inches and weighs about two ounces.

Since the baby will start to grow faster after the 15th week, you do need to make sure your diet is filled with healthy foods that will supply you and the baby with the nutrients you need for energy. Even though you may have unusual cravings, try to stay away from eating too much junk food because you may feel as if you are constantly hungry. You may be glad that morning sickness has passed, but it can still crop up when you least expect it, such as when you get a strong smell of certain foods.

Even though you have a little baby bump, you have only gained about five pounds. The baby is only about the size of an apple and the arms seem to be longer than the legs.

This is my 19 week video. Only 9 more days til we find out if we’re having a boy or girl.

You are Out of the High Risk Period at 13 Weeks Pregnant

When you reach the stage when you are 13 weeks pregnant, you are just into your second trimester. The first trimester is the riskiest stage, so after this point you can start to relax a little and not think that every little ache and pain is a sign of trouble. At this point your morning sickness is starting to ease up so you can feel more like yourself again. Many women hold off telling anyone outside the immediate family that they are pregnant until they have reached the 13th week. Up to this point, you do not show any signs of a belly bump or if it is there it is not very big. You are probably still wearing your normal clothes or ordinary clothing with elastic waistbands. You are not yet big enough to warrant wearing maternity clothing. These larger clothing, though, will come in handy after the baby is born and your stomach is not back to its normal size.

You do notice a change in your bra size with your breasts getting larger due to the increase in the estrogen hormone in your body. They may also feel lumpy, but this is normal because the mammary glands are getting ready to start producing milk. You may also notice that you are starting to get stretch marks on your stomach, hips and buttocks due to the stretching ligaments. You can use lotions containing Vitamin E to help prevent these stretch marks from becoming any larger because it helps to keep the skin soft and supple. Your body will also absorb the Vitamin E and pass it on to the baby.

The baby growing inside you is about three inches long and weighs only about 20 grams. The head may look slightly larger than the rest of the body, but this will change in the coming weeks.  He/She has fingers and unique fingerprints. Although the baby does swallow some amniotic fluid in its sucking and swallowing movements, the kidneys and urinary tract are functioning and this will carry this fluid out of the body. The entire body is covered with a fine filament of soft hair called lunago.

You have a renewed interest in lovemaking at this stage. Many couples expecting their first baby wonder if it is safe to have intercourse, and it is as long as you do not have a history of miscarriage or have had recent vaginal bleeding. It is normal to experience a milky discharge from the vagina in the 13th week of your pregnancy.

At 13 weeks, the babys eyes are shut and the bones are starting to become more solid. The intestines are all in place attached to the umbilical cord.  The sockets for the teeth are in place in the gums and the vocal cords are developed. The baby does not make any sounds though because it is encased in the sac of amniotic fluid.

You will start to have more energy at this point and will not have to lie down as frequently during the day. Your trips to the bathroom won’t decrease though and you will start to need to go more often.

At 12 Weeks Pregnant the First Trimester is Over

It is when you are 12 weeks pregnant that you can tell by an ultrasound if you are going to have a boy or a girl. Although you may have noticed some weight gain, your belly is not yet large enough for others to detect that you are pregnant. If you have been experiencing morning sickness, you may even have lost weight. Morning sickness reaches its peak in this week and the next, so much so that you can get sick just by brushing your teeth. You may notice that your gums are tender or that there are small lumps on your gums. This is a normal part of being pregnant, but there is nothing wrong with visiting your dentist just to check things out.

You will still be feeling tired and want to take naps during the day. It is important that you go to bed early and get a good night rest. Even though your stomach may churn at the thought of food, you should make sure you have healthy meals and snacks. Taking your folic acid and iron supplements is extremely important for the growth and development of the baby.

At 12 weeks, the baby is starting to look less like a little alien and more like a human baby. Its eyes have moved into the proper position on the head and the ears have developed. The baby can now swallow and does in fact swallow some of the amniotic fluid that surrounds it in the uterus. It doesn have lungs at this point and so cannot breathe. The intestines have not yet formed inside the body and are still in the umbilical cord. It is during this week that the baby starts to develop fingernails and toenails.

The baby is now about 2.5 inches long and weighs about .5 of an ounce. Even so you will still be able to see the nose and chin. Since your risk of having a miscarriage is greatly reduced by this time, you can start to relax and enjoy your pregnancy with worrying all the time. If your morning sickness has decreased or started to wane, you may start craving certain foods and be able to cook some meals for yourself. It is important that any meat you eat is cooked thoroughly so that you do not take a chance of getting toxoplasmosis. It is also important that you refrain from emptying the cat litter because you can get this virus from cat feces.

You may feel a lot better when you wear loose clothing even though you aren really much bigger than your normal size. The loose clothing lets you feel more comfortable, especially if the weather is hot and humid. Take a walk when you can so that you get your exercise and start preparing your muscles for the job ahead for the next six months. When sleeping at night, you may also find it more comfortable to curl yourself around a body pillow.

Don be alarmed if your breasts and nipples are tender and if your breasts start to enlarge. This is your body way of preparing food for the new arrival.

How You Can Expect to Feel at 18 Weeks Pregnant

When you are 18 weeks pregnant, you are in the middle of the second trimester. At this time, your friends and family will tell you how good you look and that being pregnant suits you. This is because pregnant women at this stage seem to have a glow about them. The morning sickness has passed for most women by now and they are able to enjoy being pregnant concentrating on the coming birth of the baby. You are your partner can also renew your relationship because you are not as emotional over little things as you were only a few weeks ago.

When you are 18 weeks into your pregnancy, you will have many feelings of movement in the womb. These are called quickenings at this stage and feel like bubbly movements inside your body. The baby is starting to move about and the feelings come from the movement this causes in the amniotic fluid almost like waves. It is advisable to get exercise more often to strengthen your muscles for the job they will have to do. While strenuous exercise is out of the question, you should take longer walls when the weather is suitable.

You will start to have more gas pains and indigestion at this point because of the growing baby. At first you may even think that the babys movements are the rumblings of gas into your stomach. You may feel hungry most of the time because the baby needs lots of nourishment for its growth and development. The hunger pangs may be more frequent if you have missed out on all your favourite foods during morning sickness and you may also have unusual cravings. Foods that are high in carbs are important to give both you and the baby the energy you need.

To ease your hunger pangs, you should have a supply of nutritious snacks on hand, such as nuts, crackers and cereal bars. In this way, you will be sure your body is getting the nutrients the baby needs instead of loading up of junk food that has no nutritional value. These are small and easy to fit in your purse so that you always have something to eat close at hand.

At this point you and the father can start talking and reading to the baby so that he/she will start to recognize your voices.  The ears are formed perfectly in place and are fully functional so the baby can hear you. The babys bones start to ossify or harden at this time. They are also coated in myelin so that sensation to the nerve endings will travel quickly to the brain. The nerves throughout the body are starting to develop into the complex nervous system that will be evident by the time the baby is born. The baby also has a sense of smell, taste and sight at 18 weeks. It weighs between five and seven ounces and is a little more than 5 inches long.  From now on though, the babys growth will develop at a much faster pace.

What it Like to be 14 Weeks Pregnant?

You are officially into the second trimester of your pregnancy when you are 14 weeks pregnant. You have renewed energy and you don have morning sickness as much as you did in previous weeks. In fact, it may be gone all together. If you haven made the announcement that you are pregnant, others will start to guess because you will have a little bump in your belly. This is the time to sit back and enjoy being pregnant as you plan for the future little bundle of joy. In most cases, once you have passed the first trimester you are out of danger of having a miscarriage, so you can start to relax.

Catch up on your sleep once you enter your 14th week because you will need it later on. Since you are feeling so much better, you will have a renewed interest in love making, much to the delight of your partner. However, you will start to have aches and pains in your lower back due to the body production of a hormone called relaxin. The production of this hormone is essential to allow your belly and uterus to expand to meet the needs of the growing baby. The production of this hormone is at its peak in your 14th week of pregnancy and the levels will remain high throughout the rest of your term. It will help to strengthen and loosen the muscles in your pelvic area to make the birth easier.

It is very likely that you will start feeling mild contractions and pulling sensations during this week. Many new mothers in their first pregnancy become alarmed and schedule a visit with their doctor because of this, but it is normal. This is a sign that your ligaments and muscles are starting to stretch to make room for the baby.

The baby skeletal system has developed by this point and now the brain building begins. The skin is still quite wrinkly, but after this the baby will start to develop fat and fill out. The baby also has fingerprints at this stage of development and although the arms are fully developed, the legs are still quite short in proportion to the rest of the body. Even though the baby only weighs about an ounce and is only about 3.5 inches long, you will soon start to feel little fluttering movements as he/she starts to move around.

Now that you have more energy, this is a great time to start taking walks to build up your muscles. You should also start eating more salmon because it is a good source of Omega 3 fatty oils, which are good for both you and the baby. You may also start to have food cravings and the fact that your morning sickness has passed, you may want to eat strange foods. Ice cream is one food that many pregnant women crave at odd hours of the night. It is helpful if you stock up on your favourite flavour so that you have it on hand when you need it.

18 Weeks Pregnant

You’re just about 50% through your pregnancy at 18 weeks pregnant. If you were experiencing morning sickness, it should be just about gone and you’ll be feeling better. At this particular point of your pregnancy you’ll probably be feeling quite energetic.

At this time of pregnancy, most women feel quite good in fact. They are still feeling quite comfortable and are rejoicing in showing off the pregnancy. Your belly should be showing to some extent now and you may need to switch to maternity clothes if you haven’t done so yet.

By 18 weeks pregnant you’ll be experiencing the baby’s movements as small kicks and fluttering movements. As your pregnancy progresses these will be getting stronger. You can use this as experience in making an assessment of your baby’s general wellbeing by the amount of movements you experience.

Eat healthy and don’t stress too much about gaining weight. About ten pounds is what most women will gain by this stage of the pregnancy. The better your food intake selections are, the lower the weight that you gain will be.

Make every calorie count because you are building a person! Take it easy on high sugar content desserts and be sure to eat fruit, vegetables and protein. Be sure to drink enough water to stay well-hydrated, dehydration will cause contractions.

Instead of eating three large meals per day you will find it better to eat several smaller meals each day. You’ll maintain a good blood sugar level without overeating. As the baby grows bigger, this approach works well and also because as your uterus grows, your stomach gets squeezed.

Exercise is important in staying healthy. Simply taking a walking around the neighborhood or local park a few times each week will result in an easier labor and general better feeling than if you don’t do any exercise at all.

You may also become aware that at about 18 weeks pregnant it is harder to be comfortable when sleeping. Experimenting with different positions may be necessary. It may be helpful to use extra pillows or a body pillow made for pregnant women.

Enjoy your pregnancy and your changing body. Pregnancy is only for a short time, so relish it if you can.