How big is your baby?
Your baby will be weighing in at around 3.75 pounds (1.702kg) and measuring
16.69 inches (42.4cm).
How big are you?
Your uterus now sits about 4.72 inches (12cm) above your bellybutton and about
12.59 inches (32cm) above your pubic symphysis.
How is your baby developing and growing You may begin to experience back pain now. Back pain is generally caused by weak stomach muscles, as this will force you to push your shoulders back in order to support your growing uterus.
This week your baby will :
Be able to register on all five of his/her senses. Your baby's iris, which is the colored part of the eye, will open in darker light and close in brighter light. Your baby's toe nails should be completely formed by now.
Changes In You
By now I am sure that you would have already started to experience
Braxton Hicks
- which are the early practice contractions your body uses to start preparing
for labor. It is important that you understand the difference between real labor
contractions and Braxton hicks, as this will mean you are able to tell the
difference between the real
lobor signs
and pre-term
labor signs.
Braxton hicks can be extremely uncomfortable at times, and there are a number of
ways in which you can help relieve them:
Drink lots of water Avoid Caffeine Use this time to practice breathing techniques Try and maintain an empty bladder
Your Nutrition
Should you be expecting twins or multiples,
then you should be paying special attention to your
nutrition and weight gain. Food will always be your best source of nutrition, but it will be even more important for you to take your prenatal vitamins.
Should your weight gain in the early
stages of your pregnancy not be sufficient, then you will stand a higher chance of developing pre-eclampsia or your baby being born a little too small.
Your health care provider will keep tabs on your weight gain and he/she will
inform you if your weight gain is too low or too high.
Your target weight gain, if you are carrying more than one baby, will be about 45 pounds, so don't be alarmed when your health care provider tells you what he wants your total weight gain to be.
Getting Prepared
If you have not already done so, now would be a good time to start packing your
hospital bag
- if you are having a
hospital birth
- or at least thinking about what you are going to need. Now is a good time to
gather what you require, because anything could start happening in the next few
weeks, and there is nothing worse than arriving at the hospital and realizing
that you have forgotten most of what you need.
Remember that you can tell us about your baby and you can receive a week by week update as to how your baby is growing and developing
post pregnancy. This includes information and articles on:
Sign up now, and recieve Weekly updates on how your pregnancy & your baby are developing. Including pictures, nutritional advice, info on symptoms and complications and so much more!
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It is not at all uncommon for some women to experience a very severe itching in the last trimester of their pregnancy. In some cases, where the itchiness is....
How big is your baby?
Be able to register on all five of his/her senses.
Drink lots of water
