All About IVF18 Weeks Pregnant
Speak to your children as if they are the wisest, kindest, most beautiful and magical humans on earth, for what they believe is what they will become.
– Brooke Hampton
Your baby is now about 14 cm in height and about 0.14-0.18 kg. Around this week your baby is developing tiny fingerprints, nerve protection i.e., Myelin which is protective insulation that forms around the nerves of the baby. During this week your baby will finally develop its genitals and it will be visible in your next ultrasound.
During this week your body will be experiencing a lot of changes, your belly will be getting bigger and there will be a lot of emotions and feelings working up in your mind. But hold tight and do not let your emotions put a negative impact on your head. You will be doing great and your baby will be in great condition as well if you keep yourself safe.
Make sure you are following every little step recommended by your doctor at this point and also relaxing your body. surround yourself with your loved ones and do things that keep your mind occupied with good thoughts and all will be alright in the end when you will get to hold your child.
How big is your baby in the 18th week?
Your baby is 6.7 ounces at this stage and can be considered the size of a Bell Pepper. your belly will not feel the pressure that much at this point but soon you will be experiencing the discomfort of growth of your belly. so enjoy these days when your baby is still small and you don’t have to take all the weight.
How many months are 18 weeks in your pregnancy?
At your 18th week, you will be in the 4th month of your pregnancy. the entire journey is for nine months or more so you are just halfway there.
Symptoms to experience in the 18th week of your pregnancy.
All these developments for your baby also signify that your body will go through a number of changes
- Fetal Movement: If you are suddenly feeling the baby’s movements in the womb, relax it’s normal. This starts happening during this week. It may take some time to get felt with the first kicks.
- Bloating and Gas: You may feel difficult to contain the gas bubbles. Now, this is common, and try relaxing as tension can cause you to swallow air which can make the problem severe.
- Leg Cramps: It is really quite painful and uncomfortable and you should start certain calf stretches before it becomes a problem. You can also have certain magnesium supplements so as to reduce such occurrences. However, make sure you talk to your doctor before having it.
- Bleeding Gums: The pregnancy hormones cause mucous membranes into your body which can induce your mouth to be swelled, irritated, and bleeding gums. It is very important that you continue flossing and brushing regularly so as to prevent any major disease.
- Swollen feet and ankles: Since during pregnancy your body accumulates an excessive amount of fluid and since your body requires extra fluid to support you, you may find your feet and ankles to swell. Now, this happens because the fluid tends to pool there. Try and keep your legs elevated when you can so as to avoid such pooling.
- Stretch Marks: Stretch marks are quite common during this period, try and rub moisturizing lotion over your belly or ask your partner to give you a massage.
Changes in your body in the 18th week.
By the 18th week of pregnancy, your baby bump is quite noticeable. However, don’t try to compare your baby bump with the others, as each one is unique. Since your uterus is growing and the lower back is pulled forward so that your abdomen can thrust out. Since there is a secretion of your pregnancy hormone, relaxin, this leads to relaxing your ligaments and affecting loose joints.
All this contributes to quite some sessions of back pains. Heartburns are also quite common during this period, in order to reduce this, try and eat your lunch or dinner slowly and take small meals in between rather than having a heavy meal at a time.
Ultrasound of the 18th week of your pregnancy.
During this week your maternal serum screening or the quad screening blood test will be done. Now, this happens between week 15 to 22. So, if you didn’t have one this would be the right time.
In case of any genetic history, you would also have amniocentesis this week.
You would also have your second-trimester ultrasound during this week. Now, this is a big mid-pregnancy ultrasound that takes place between weeks 18 and 22. During this ultrasound, the doctor will provide you with detailed information of the baby’s body parts that includes head, face, neck, brain, heart, bladder, spine, arms, legs, etc. Also, in this ultrasound, you may learn about the sex of your baby.
Tips to follow in the 18th week of your pregnancy.
- Get enough sleep.
Make sure you are sleeping enough because you need to relax a lot. If your body is relaxed your mind will also be free from multiple other negative thoughts and that is extremely necessary to keep your baby healthy as well. You can invest in a body pillow to sleep properly if you are not comfortable with your sleeping position.
- Do stretching.
At this time you will definitely feel a lot lethargic but you need to keep your body moving. In order to let that happen make sure you stretch a lot. Keep some spare time when you will just do basic stretching as a part of your workout.
- Soak your feet in saltwater.
Swollen feet are going to bother you in this pregnancy journey so to stop that from happening you can soak your feet in hot saltwater. This will reduce the swelling and will comfort your nerves as well.
To-do List this Week
- Prepare yourself for the mid-pregnancy ultrasound.
- Talk to your doctor about new symptoms like leg cramps and swelling of feet and ankles.
- Try and research about pediatricians so that if there is a problem you can switch to an alternative,
Week By Week Pregnancy
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