Pregnancy Week 21
 How big is your baby?
From this week on we can measure the baby from
head to heel. It will now be around 10.51 inches (26.7cm ) and will weigh 12.70
ounces (360g).
How big are you?
Your uterus should now be about 1cm above your bellybutton this week. By this week your waist line would have completely disappeared and friends, family and even strangers will know that you are pregnant.
How is your baby developing and growing
Your baby's digestive system is already functioning in a simple way. At this stage your baby can swallow amniotic fluid, absorb much of the water in it and then pass the unabsorbed matter as far as the large bowel.
As mentioned above, your baby is already swallowing fluids, it is believed that swallowing of amniotic fluid may actually help with growth, development and will condition the digestive system to function normally after birth.
The amniotic fluid which surrounds your baby, and your baby is using to practice
swallowing and digestion is actually replaced every 3-4 hours.
Over the first three days of this week your babys legs will reach their final
proportions. You may notice that when your baby is born that their arms and legs
look "short". This is normal, and their proportions will begin to change when
they move to start crawling and walking.
Your babys heart has continued to develop and is now beating strong enough that
it could easily be heard with a stethoscope. So, at your next visit to your
health care provider be sure to ask if you can have a listen.
Your Nutrition
Many women experience food cravings during their pregnancy and some don't experience any cravings at all. This, of course, can be both good and bad, obviously it is be good if you crave nutritious foods and bad if you crave non-nutritious foods like sweets and chocolates.
No one really can say for sure why a woman craves specific foods during pregnancy, but is more than likely brought about by all the hormonal and
emotional changes she undergoes during pregnancy.
If you do find yourself
craving foods that are not of any nutritional value, be very careful not to overindulge!
Rather look for healthy
alternatives to
junk foods that will benefit your baby and you - as well as satisfy your
cravings.
Drinking Fluids
It is important that you continue to drink fluids over the course of your
pregnancy, as this will also help replace the amniotic fluid which you baby is
using. Juices are good sources of fluid, as they contain additional nutritional
value. Try and aim for a fruit juice which is 50% juice if you cannot find a
good 100% fruit juice.
Visit our Media Center for pictures of your growing baby
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