Know Your Baby's Growth at 17 and 18 Weeks of Pregnancy

Every mother is anxious to know what is going inside her tummy when she is undergoing hectic weeks of pregnancy. The fetus grows in different aspects at different advancements of pregnancy. Here is a guide to know developments of the baby at 17 and 18 weeks.

17 weeks pregnant

When you are pregnant with a 17 weeks old baby his/her size will be about a small melon. The height would measure up to 5 inches and the growth is occurring quite rapidly. The skeleton which once was a mass of cartilage is gaining strength and converting into bone. The crucial joints of the baby are flexible and are also getting moved regularly. The skin of baby is still very delicate and transparent whereas the sweat glands have started forming. In few weeks the eyes will start moving in the sockets to the sides inside closed eyelids. 

 18 weeks pregnant

At this stage the baby has grown 1 inch taller than previous week measuring up to 6 inches. The weight will reach up to 200 grams and the uterus will be full of amniotic fluid. The baby will make some movements such as twisting, kicking, and rolling that you can feel inside the womb. In this week the ears are placed at right position along with the genitals that are formed and well placed. As the ears are placed the brain processes different sounds and signals sent towards it.

These weeks also witness great changes in the body functioning of mother and require proper care from relatives.

The woman body goes through many a change during pregnancy. All these changes are for ensuring a healthy baby and for making the mother prepared for delivery. Contrary to what many thinks, delivery of a baby is not a big task. Yes, it may definitely go into complications sometimes, but all of these have established medical cure. Pregnancy period is of 40 weeks but sometimes it can be two weeks ahead or after. If it is happening on the D-day, the mother is aware of it. However, premature babies are born when the mother has extreme and unbearable labor pain. That is an indication of the delivery time.

In case of some, the labor does not develop even at the time of giving birth. But it is necessary for normal deliveries where you need the mother to push the baby out. In such situations, the labor is artificially induced by the doctors. After delivery, it is important to relieve the mother of the pain. While sedatives are of great help, having the father by the side also matters a lot. The emotional support of the father and the joy of the newborn helps in soothing the labor pain to a large extent.

After giving birth, every parent is worried about the baby. While timely deliveries have babies with great skin, late deliveries may give the baby a drier skin with less amount of vernix or the white greasy protective substance. However, that is not a major problem as baby two weeks’ time; the baby develops a wrinkle free fresh skin.

Prenatal Care Through Regular Monitoring And Examination A Must

Pregnancy is a condition which requires very close medical follow up for the mother and baby’s health. The count of pregnancy starts not with the date of a missed period but the day of last period. From there on, you carry on counting the weeks. Since the growth of baby is to be monitored and care for health of both needs to be taken, it is very important to know about pregnancy week by week.

Pregnancy is divided into three trimesters. In the first one, the baby’s condition remains very critical and a lot of carefulness from the mother is expected. Folic acid should be consumed regularly in order to boost nerve growth of the baby. There can be chances of miscarriage which will show as blood. Any type of bleeding has to be reported immediately. A few food items are best avoided in these weeks like cheese, undercooked meat or eggs and oily fishes.

In the second trimester starting after 20 weeks, the mother becomes prone to gestational diabetes when the body fails to produce enough insulin. Some form of antenatal depression may also creep in during this period, which can be checked through medicines. The development of placenta is very important at this stage, and should be examined regularly. It determines proper growth of baby as it provides food supplements and air to the baby.

The last trimester is as sensitive as the first. This period is characterized by heavy weight gain due to higher fluid retention. Symptoms like excessive cramps and breathlessness along with feeling hot are common, but should be closely monitored. Care is to be taken that the newborn is not affected from the mother with Group B Streptococcus.

34 Weeks Pregnant - Ready to Welcome The Little One?

The baby is the most integral part of you life in these weeks. In fact he or she has become the main pivot in your life now. But with the rapidly growing baby, you now hardly have space for him to move about in your womb.

The baby still continues to kick you, but you will feel that the rolling has stopped or has ceased because now there are space constraints in the baby’s womb. She is approximately 47 cms now and weighs just 2.7 Kg. During delivery this weight will be doubled. Usually, boys are heavier than the girls. Most of the organs are still developing and hair and toenails have started appearing too in the baby. Kidneys have started functioning fully, but the liver is doing most of the work for removal of the waste products.

The mother on the other hand has a lot of problem controlling her urine. She will have to visit the toilet frequently. She may also be suffering from increased problems of heartburn and flatulence. Sometimes, she might also be confronted with constipation. It is a crucial time and the mother should be able to eat good food during this period. She will have many cravings but she should never forgo the healthy food. This is also a good time to formulate a birth plan and plan for which kind of birth she would prefer. She can also ask of the kind of pain management she would prefer during the childbirth.

32 weeks Pregnant - A Heavy Mom!

Just a few weeks left, and then you would be ready to welcome the little bundle of joy home. The entire journey has been wrought with problems and discomforts, but is a journey worth waiting for.

The baby has grown considerably. She fills as much as your uterus and is growing heavier day by day. She weighs around 2 kilograms now and along with the baby, you too are gaining weight rapidly. During the time of delivery, the baby will be twice the size the size of delivery. At 32 weeks Pregnant, the baby and mom are on a growth spurt now.

When the mother is 33 weeks pregnant, she will find it very difficult to sit on the same place for a long time. You will be dragging your feet and you might also be bumping into a lot of things on the way. The mother might also be experiencing a lot of heartburn and flatulence during this time. So as far as possible, the mother should eat smaller and frequent meals. Also, while sleeping, she should sleep in a position where she can have pillows propped below her. She will also be experiencing a lot of back pains during this time.

The mother might also develop a symptom known as carpal tunnel and a lot of fluid might be retained on the wrists. If this happens, the mother should try and wear a splint to stabilize the wrist. Also, she should prevent doing any kind of work which involves a lot of hand movement.

18 Weeks Pregnant - Tips For an Expectant Mother

Pregnancy is a very magical moment in a woman’s life. For a mother, even the biting pains in her lower back would not be a deterrent for this. At 19 weeks pregnant, the mom starts having a very achy back because of her growing baby. The centre of gravity of the uterus shifts and she suffers from more back pains now.

When the mother is 18 weeks pregnant, the baby has grown to five and a half inches. It now weighs as much as 141 grams and the mother can actually feel it kicking and moving around in the womb. This is a very crucial time for the mother as well as the baby, because some of the most important growth takes place during this duration.

The baby has now started hiccupping and sometimes those hiccups can even be felt by you! Yawning is another skill that he or she has started cultivating by now.

The mother faces a lot of difficulty during this time because of the various problems that have started surfacing in her body now. Here are a few of them and ways to curb them:
To prevent an Achy back: This is because the uterus has had a shift in gravity. You need to eat smaller meals and sit upright whenever possible. A mother at 18 weeks pregnant will also be suffering from flatulence and might need to stay away from beans and legume. You need to relax more and get rid of all the tension.

22 Weeks Pregnant: It’s That Time Again!

You and your spouse had been planning this for such a long time. Needless to say ushering a baby in the house is a task which will leave you not only euphoric and ecstatic but also overwhelmed to a large extent.

When you are 22 Weeks Pregnant, there will be a lot of changes taking place in the body. The baby is now a little larger than a banana at approximately 11 inches. Compared to when you are 21 weeks pregnant, the baby was then 10.5 inches. At 22 weeks pregnancy, you might or might not undergo problems. This is the time when most of the expectant mothers face a lot of problem due to discomfort and an increased incidence of nausea and morning sickness.

The baby is now much more identifiable because the facial features are gaining prominence and the lip has been fully formed. Little teeth like the canines and the incisors are forming too.

The mother on the other hand is going through a difficult phase when fine red lines better known as stretch marks have started appearing on her abdomen. It is advisable to keep the tummy moisturized at all times to prevent more stretch marks.