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You should be almost bursting with excitement this week since you are halfway through your pregnancy and you have only twenty weeks to go. Before now, twenty weeks must have seemed like a long time, but you now know just how short it is. In just a little time, you will be meeting your little one. Meanwhile, your baby is also preparing to arrive.
Your ultrasound this week should be able to identify your baby’s sex. So this is a good time to have an ultrasound if you wish to know whether your baby is a boy or a girl.
If you weren’t able to feel your little one’s kicks and punches last week, you might this week. However, it can take a bit longer.
Your baby is still busy improving his or her sucking reflexes, and he or she might even use a thumb to practice.
Your ultrasound this week should be able to identify your baby’s sex. So this is a good time to have an ultrasound if you wish to know whether your baby is a boy or a girl.
If you weren’t able to feel your little one’s kicks and punches last week, you might this week. However, it can take a bit longer.
Your baby is still busy improving his or her sucking reflexes, and he or she might even use a thumb to practice.
This is the week of the big reveal. You should have decided with your partner if you want to find out your baby’s gender or not. Remember that no decision you make regarding this is wrong, so take your time deciding and don’t let anyone pressure you.
Although it’s unclear if they can taste the molecules of your food, some study suggests that what you eat during pregnancy can influence the foods your baby prefers later on. In this week, your baby’s brain cells are growing fast.
This week, the skeleton solidifies, cartilage converts to bone. Bone marrow begins to produce blood cells, and the arms and legs are proportionate to the body. Your baby’s sucking reflexes are also developing so that they can feed when they are born.
The uterus and ovaries are formed, eggs are developed, or the testicles are descended. This week, many of you will have your anomaly scan, which will show how your baby is developing, assess the health and position of your placenta, and highlight any apparent issues with your baby’s body. It also allows you to see your kid in incredible detail. In your ultrasound pictures, do they seem to be sucking their thumb?
If you didn’t feel your baby’s punches and kicks last week, you will this week — and it will be wonderful! However, it may take a bit longer.
This week, your baby weighs about 300 grams and measures about 10.5 inches in height. Your baby can be compared to a banana this week. You may be wondering if your baby suddenly grew tall when you compare their height this week to that of last week. However, this is not the case. Since last week, your baby hasn’t grown 4 inches.
They’re just being judged differently. Measurements are obtained from the top of a baby’s head to their bottom, or “crown to rump,” during the first half of pregnancy (when their legs are curled up against their torso). They’re measured from head to toe starting at 20 weeks. If you measure your baby’s height from crown to rump this week, you will get an answer of about 6.5 inches which is about the size of a banana.
Your twenty weeks belly is more pronounced than before and starting from this week, at each prenatal visit, your doctor will take your fundal height.
At 20 weeks pregnant, you have about 20 more weeks to complete your pregnancy journey.
This week, and probably in the next to come, you should stay away from spicy food. Heartburn and indigestion are common pregnancy symptoms in this stage, and eating spicy foods will only aggravate the heartburn. You will also continue to get leg cramps and swelling in your hands and feet.
Vaginal discharge will also increase until childbirth; it is normal, but alert your doctor if the discharge is a weird color or smells bad. You can also expect to get an increase in sexual energy and drive. It is advised that you take advantage of this energy while it lasts because the third trimester is known to be a more tiring one.
It is also common to find yourself getting out of breath this week. This is because your uterus is pushing against your lungs as it expands. When you get shortness of breath, you should sit down and rest for a while. You may also notice more or faster growth than usual in your nails and hair. This is a result of the different hormones that pregnancy secretes.
You may experience dizziness, headaches, sleeping problems and tiredness, stretch marks, and round ligament pains.
This week, and probably in the next to come, you should stay away from spicy food. Heartburn and indigestion are common pregnancy symptoms in this stage, and eating spicy foods will only aggravate the heartburn. You will also continue to get leg cramps and swelling in your hands and feet.
Vaginal discharge will also increase until childbirth; it is normal, but alert your doctor if the discharge is a weird color or smells bad. You can also expect to get an increase in sexual energy and drive. It is advised that you take advantage of this energy while it lasts because the third trimester is known to be a more tiring one.
It is also common to find yourself getting out of breath this week. This is because your uterus is pushing against your lungs as it expands. When you get shortness of breath, you should sit down and rest for a while. You may also notice more or faster growth than usual in your nails and hair. This is a result of the different hormones that pregnancy secretes.
You may experience dizziness, headaches, sleeping problems and tiredness, stretch marks, and round ligament pains.
Be careful about the kind of exercises you do. Even though exercises are recommended to help you watch your weight, you should be careful about your choice of exercises. Don’t do anything that involves you jumping or running. To be safe, join an exercise class for pregnant women, and try yoga and Pilates.
Also, ensure to eat healthy for yourself and your baby’s sake. If you like nuts and not allergic to them, you should eat a lot of them because it provides a lot of vitamins for your baby.
Braxton-Hicks contractions: This week, watch out for Braxton-Hicks contractions. These are contractions that can start as early as the twentieth week as your body starts preparing for labor. These contractions are usually nothing to worry about as they are mild and unpredictable, but alert your doctor if you notice that they come at regular intervals. They could be a sign of early labor, a very serious birth complication.
Spicy food: This week, and probably in the next to come, you should stay away from spicy food. Heartburn and indigestion are common pregnancy symptoms in this stage, and eating spicy food can aggravate the heartburn. You will also continue to get leg cramps and swelling in your hands and feet.
Vaginal discharge: Vaginal discharge will also increase until childbirth; it is normal, but alert your doctor if the discharge is a weird color or smells bad. You can also expect to get an increase in sexual energy and drive. It is advised that you take advantage of this energy while it lasts because the third trimester is known to be a more tiring one.
Hormonal changes: It is also common to find yourself getting out of breath this week. This is because your uterus is pushing against your lungs as it expands. When you get shortness of breath, you should sit down and rest for a while. You may also notice more or faster growth than usual in your nails and hair. This is a result of the different hormones that pregnancy secretes.
You may experience dizziness, headaches, sleeping problems and tiredness, stretch marks, and round ligament pains.
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