Friday, August 6, 2010

Pregnancy at 18 Weeks

Pregnancy at week 18 develops all the body parts in the baby completely. However, these body parts are still not mature enough to enable its survival outside your womb. However, you start feeling the movements of your baby at 18 weeks very often from now on. You can feel it even more, when you are not moving. Babies, from pregnancy week 18, love to feel the movements of their mother. It makes them feel comfortable. Go for an ultrasound test. It may detect the anatomical problems in your baby if it has any.

Development of your baby during pregnancy at week 18:

  • Little air sacks are now forming. However, lungs will not form right now.
  • Its muscles are getting stronger each day, and that is why you can feel the force of its kick better.
  • Its kidneys are now functioning properly
  • It urinates and drinks amniotic fluid
  • You baby is now producing myelin, which is a protective shield that covers its nerves.
  • Its genitals are somewhat detectable now; however, it will be more apparent in the next two weeks.
  • Its heart now pumps faster and releases about 25 to 30 quarts of blood in a day.

Appearance of your baby when you are 18 weeks pregnant:

  • Its head has become more proportionate to its body
  • It weighs about 200 grams and roughly 7.5 ounces.
  • It may be about 5.5 to 6 inches long.
  • Its body is very thin due to lack of fat.
  • Its skin is red and transparent
  • Its facial features are very apparent. It may even show similarity to you and your husband.

Changes in you during pregnancy at week 18:

  • You can feel your uterus, slightly protruded above or below your belly buttons.
  • You may have gained about 14 to 18 pounds of weight by now.
  • You waist expands a little more than before
  • You feel more uncomfortable while sleeping because your pre-pregnancy sleeping posture may compress your uterus.
  • You may feel dizzy and fainting sensations, because of the slight slow functioning of the cardiovascular systems.
    In order to avoid these general pregnancy problems always make very slow movements to avoid fainting and dizziness. Use pregnancy pillow from now on to support your growing tummy and try doing stomach tilt exercises to have a good comfortable sleep.

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

Pregnancy at 17 weeks

Pregnancy at 17 weeks can now determine the sex of the baby with the help of ultrasound scan. An ultrasound can scan also determine the gender of your baby by monitoring the brain. In a way, now your baby has all the typical preliminary traits of its gender.

Development of the baby during pregnancy at 17 weeks:

  • You baby can now lay down
  • The placenta is now developing even faster, that can feed him better and remove its waste more efficiently.
  • It can hear with its ears now. It responds to music by moving and dancing in your spacious womb.
  • All the body structures have appeared already. Therefore, no new body parts are appearing anymore. However, all the body parts are now on the process of getting more complex and developed.
  • Your baby at 17 weeks loves staying in a playful mood and keeps moving its joints and limbs. This determines its health and well being.
  • The bones, which where so far simple soft cartilage, are now becoming stronger bones.
  • Now during pregnancy at 17 weeks, you can mildly feel the movements of your baby.
  • It can even feel the sensation of your touch, and even react to that if it is in a good mood and not acting pricey to you. Try to move your hands on your tummy in a soft motion and wait for its reaction from inside.
  • This may seem fun to you, but it actually boosts the maternal bond, and makes the baby feel secured.


Appearance of your baby when you are 17 weeks pregnant:

  • The baby is about five or six inches long
  • It weighs about 100 grams or 5 ounces
  • Its skin is still very transparent and delicate due to lack of fat in its body.


Changes in you when you are 17 weeks pregnant:

You might have increased vaginal discharge by now, due to increased secretion of estrogen and more blood flow to the vaginal area. But contact the doctor if it contains blood. Or if it is too much, then wear absorbers. Pregnancy week 17 otherwise brings no new changes in you. However, the old problems continue to prevail. You too keep taking the same preventive measures.

Pregnancy at 16 Weeks

Now your baby is fully formed. The only thing left is to grow in size. Pregnancy at week 16 makes incorporates many familial genetic features in him. For e.g. if you see your baby through ultrasound image, you may realize that it has got your chin or his father’s nose.

Development in your baby at 16 weeks:

  • Your baby is now developing nails on her fingers and toes.
  • Its bones are quite developed by now
  • She can now make breathing movements
  • It can hold its head quite straight
  • Its heart is so developed that it can now pump 25 quarts of blood in a day.
  • It now grows tiny hair in its head. Some lucky ones will grow too many of them
  • Your baby, while you are 16 weeks pregnant, urinates in every 40 minutes.

Appearance of the baby during pregnancy at week 16:

  • Your baby now looks like a human
  • Its size is somewhat 5 inches long
  • It weighs about 85 srams.
  • Its body looks more proportionate than the last week.
  • Tiny tinges of hair cover its head and skin.
  • Your baby can now suck its thumbs and yawn

Chances in you when you are 16 weeks pregnant:

  • During pregnancy at week 16, you may feel the movement of your baby for the first time.
  • You feel a lot of sensation as your baby moves, swims and navigates its spacious abode, your uterus.
  • The other physical changes are very similar to that of pregnancy week 15.
  • All the problems of pregnancy week 15, retains, and at times increases.
  • Your tummy slowly grows, which you can understand, even if others do not.

Your skirts and jeans fit no more. (Time to shop!)

During pregnancy at 16 week you need to undergo a few tests. The most important one is AFP test, to test the amount of protein coming from your baby’s urine. The less the measurement of protein, the healthier your baby will be. Another test you should go through is amniocentesis test, that diagnoses the possible genetic problems and genetic birth defects in your baby. It is time that you now go and shop some maternity clothes, as you will need them from the next few weeks.

Pregnancy at 15 Weeks

Your baby at 15 weeks can actually interact with you, hear your voice, feel your heart beat and get the rumbling sound of your stomach. That is the reason why he gets so familiar to you just in a few minutes after its birth. You can now talk to him, and he can hear. Occasionally, he may react by throwing its hands and limbs (though you cannot understand that). It can even react by making facial expression, though it is really doubtful whether the tiny kid actually understood a single part of what you said.

Your baby’s development during pregnancy at week 15:

  • He is more sensitive to external stimuli like light and sound
  • His pigments start developing
  • He keeps swallowing the amniotic fluid it is surrounded with.
  • Its blood vessels are now a little more developed and they can be seen through the transparent skin.
  • It has started growing fine hair like substances on its body called lanugo.
  • Its mouth becomes more sensitive now, and it may suck its fingers.

Appearance of your baby at pregnancy week 15:

1. Your baby in 15 weeks is more proportionate now.
2. Legs are now long.
3. Its body now seems more proportional to its head.
4. It is now slightly bigger than a peach.

Changes in you during pregnancy at 15 weeks:

  • You have gained about 10 pounds now
  • Your hip bones have started to grow
  • You suffer from nose blocks, swelling in the mucous membrane of your nose.
  • You may suffer from certain ordinary illness as your immunity system detoriates during pregnancy. Although it is normal, it is advisable to avoid them by staying healthy.
  • You may now get more prone to urinary track infection due to the constant contraction and relaxation of your uterus.

From now on, be very careful while using public toilets. Be sure that you minimize its use. Wash your hands regularly so you stay away from infection and germs. Stay clean and hygienic. Take enough precautions so that you do not contract flu and other viral diseases. It may have some effect on your child.

For more details information about 15 week pregnancy just visit Pregnancy at 15th Week

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

Pregnancy at 14 Weeks

Pregnancy week 14 does not increase the baby in size, but you can say, it further adds pedigree to its shape and form. Pregnancy week by week makes your baby more and more proportional.

Developments in your baby at pregnancy week 14:

  • Your baby at pregnancy week 14, can make various kind of facial expressions
  • It has made its body more defined than before.
  • Its thyroid glands have started producing hormones.
  • Its bones have become stronger and harder.
  • Its external genitals have started developing and therefore, occasionally they can be detected
  • The size of its body is slowly getting proportional to the size of its head
  • Its reflexes have started growing
  • Its eyes, though they are closed, are getting closer
  • Its chin is moving upwards
  • It now gets its food from the placenta

Appearance of your baby at Pregnancy week 14:

  • The baby is still like a big peach.
  • It is about 3.4 inches long and weighs about 1.5 ounces
  • The nose is more prominent
  • Its eyes are closer
  • Its ears are on each sides of the head
  • Very mild tinges of eyebrows appear above the eyelids.

Changes in you at pregnancy week 14:

  • You may start suffering from constipation
  • Your body starts producing a hormone called relaxin that facilitates labor. But this hormone also makes you very vulnerable to injuries
  • You may occasionally suffer from shortness of breathe.

Drink a lot of water and fibrous food to avoid constipation. However, too much fiber can also be a problem. As you baby gets more responsive from pregnancy week 14, you have to stop the use of any such external harsh materials, and that it cannot bear. Things like sprays, harsh detergents, and home cleaners will not be too good, as its components penetrate into your skin and your baby gets a part of it too. So use environmental friendly and healthy things.

Know more about pregnancy at 14th week, visit here

Pregnancy at 13 Weeks

Pregnancy at 13 weeks begins the second trimester of your pregnancy. You can feel the curve of your uterus in your lower abdomen. Your uterus is now expanding. It has grown a little more in size than last one week and will grow more rapidly in the rest of the days.

Development in your baby at 13 weeks:

  • He can now pass messages from the spinal cord to the muscles
  • Therefore, he can move his hands and legs more often and faster
  • His joints and bones have just got harder
  • The growth of the body is now catching up with the large disproportionate head.
  • He is now growing fine hair all over its body
  • His pancreas is now producing insulin

Appearance of the baby at pregnancy week 13:

  • Your baby at pregnancy week 13 is like a peach about 2.9 inches long.
  • But, now he looks absolutely like a tinier version of a human baby.
  • His head is still large in comparison to its body
  • His neck is more defined now.
  • His hands and legs are still very small and somewhat coiled.

Changes in you at pregnancy week 13:

  • You feel a lot of discomfort in your abdomen, as your uterus grows.
  • You will have ligament pain.
  • You may go through a hitting or stabbing pain in your lower abdomen when you change your position in the bed.
  • Amidst the occasional pain in your tummy, you will realize that the tiredness and weakness are overpowered by a sense of joy and zeal.
  • Pregnancy week by week, changes the shape of your breasts.
  • When you are 13 weeks pregnant, the veins look more prominent on the breasts.

Precautions during pregnancy week 13:

  • If you bleed or vomit, visit the doctor
  • Relaxing with the correct posture can relieve ligament pain.
  • Stop carrying heavy things and save your stomach from any harsh injury.

    At pregnancy week 13, you are free from the danger of miscarriage. However in order to sustain it, you should stay and eat healthy.
  • Pregnancy at week 12

    Pregnancy at week 12 brings an end to the first trimester or the first three months of your pregnancy. The chances of miscarriage are reduced by now. Congratulations for keeping your baby protected and warm during its riskiest and the most vital period of gestation.

    Development in your baby at weeks 12:
    Pregnancy at week 12, its body parts have developed. From this week onwards, the emphasis will be on its growth.

    • Its ears have taken its position
    • So has its jaws and tooth
    • Chin and nose are more prominent
    • Eyelids have developed
    • Blood circulation is a lot better now
    • Bones are now stronger and harder
    • Kidneys are working
    • Peristalsis has started.
    • It can move her hands and feet
    • It has started developing hormones
    • The nerve cells have started multiplying rapidly


    Appearance of the baby during pregnancy at week 12:

    • It is still like a lime in size
    • Its skin is still at its nascent stage and is transparent
    • External genitals are forming slowly, though its yet too tiny to determine its gender
    • Tiny nails have formed.
    • Her hands and legs are now bigger and more proportionate to the body

    Changes in you when you are 12 weeks pregnant:
    1.You will expand more rapidly from now on
    2.Your uterus will start appearing right above the pelvic bone
    3.You may grow a vertical dark line around your tummy called nigra
    4.You may now grow "pregnancy mask" on your face.

    Pregnancy at 11 weeks

    Pregnancy at 11 weeks retains the size of the baby, which is somewhat similar to that of a lemon. Although it has not grown in size, pregnancy at 11 weeks has made all its tiny body parts functioning normal. This means that your baby is strong enough to resist all the risks of miscarriage with its own strength. However, it only depends on how strong you could make him physically by abstaining yourself from bad habits like smoking and drinking during your pregnancy.

    Development in your baby at 11 weeks:

    • The heart is pumping hard now.
    • It is now circulating blood to other parts of the body like the placenta and umbilical cord
    • His ears are now in its nascent stage and are visible
    • His inner ears are completely formed
    • Testicles and ovaries have developed inside the body.
    • Its sex cannot be detected now as its genitals are not formed
    • He can now open and close his mouth
    • His skin is now be visible, though it is still very transparent

    Appearance of the baby during pregnancy at 11 weeks:

    • It is now a coiled fetus with its face downwards and knees folded upwards.
    • His face is now more or less rounded
    • Head is still bigger as compared to the rest of his body
    • His legs and hands are still very small and it cannot move his limbs
    • He has now become a very active baby with a lot of physical activities

    Changes in you when you are 11 weeks pregnant:

    • Your tummy is now a little bit protruded and you may look pregnant.
    • But you feel your pregnancy quite a lot
    • Your hair and nails are growing faster than normal
    • Your may start having regular bad hair days from now on.
    • You start gaining about a pound per week
    • You still continue with your mood swings
    • You may feel like crying at times.

    You can continue with your regular exercises to feel good and at the same time reduce back pains. However, do that under the supervision and instructions of a well-trained guide. You should buy a pregnancy pillow now and take rest as often as possible.