|
Pregnancy Week By Week
Week 17 and Week 18
What's Happening Inside You?
Hair is beginning to grow on your baby's head and lanugo, a soft fine hair, covers his or her shoulders, back, and temples. This hair protects your baby and is usually shed at the end of the baby's first week of life.
Your baby's skin is covered with a whitish coating called vernix caseosa. This "cheesy" substance, thought to protect baby's skin from long exposure to the amniotic fluid, is shed just before birth.
You may begin to feel your baby move, since he or she is developing muscles and exercising them. This first movement is called quickening.
By the end of the fifth month, your baby is about 10 inches long and weighs from 1/2 to 1 pound.
Week 17
Baby: Your baby, now about in its 15th week of development, measures about 4.4 to 4.8 inches from crown to rump and has doubled in weight in the last two weeks to about 3.5 ounces. Fat begins to form, helping your baby's heat production and metabolism. The lungs are beginning to exhale amniotic fluid, and the circulatory and urinary systems are working. Hair on head, eyebrows and eyelashes is filling in.
Mother: You're showing more now, with an obvious swelling in your lower abdomen. A five- to 10-pound weight gain is typical by now. You also may be noticing an increase in appetite.
Dad: We all know that having a kid is expensive, but how expensive? During the first year, parents spend between Rs 70,000 and Rs. 1,50,000. This sounds like a lot, but if you start planning now, you'll think of ways to cut costs. Start with the necessities, a whatever you have left can go to the extras.
Do's and Don'ts: Do munch on mini meals. Experts recommend eating six small meals throughout the day instead of three large ones to ease indigestion (caused by pregnancy hormones that slow down the digestion process). This way, you'll also avoid the nausea that kicks in when you go for hours without eating.
Exercise: Skip exercises that call for you to lie flat on your back. After the fourth or fifth month, the position puts you at risk for compressing a major blood vessel, called the vena cava, and decreasing blood flow to the baby.
Tips for this week: Change positions slowly, especially when you move from a lying down position to sitting or from a sitting position to standing to avoid feeling dizzy or faint. If you feel lightheaded, sit down and lower your head, or lie down for a moment.
Week 18
Baby: Your baby measures 5 to 5.6 inches from crown to rump and weighs about 5.25 ounces. The rapid growth spurt is tapering off, but reflexes are kicking in. It can yawn, stretch and make facial expressions, even frown. Taste buds are beginning to develop and can distinguish sweet from bitter tastes. The baby will suck if its lips are stroked and it can swallow, and even get the hiccups. The retinas have become sensitive to light, so if a bright light is shined on your abdomen, baby will probably move to shield its eyes.
Mother: Your uterus, about the size of a cantaloupe, can probably be felt just below your navel. You're most likely feeling the baby move by now. A mid-pregnancy ultrasound may be performed between now and 22 weeks to assess fetal growth and development and to verify the due date. If the baby is in the right position, the ultrasound may even be able to determine whether it's a boy or a girl (But you cannot know baby's gender in India). Your heart has to work 40 percent to 50 percent harder now to support your pregnancy.
Dad: We think it's a great time to start planning for life with baby outside of the womb. Doing small things now will free up some time before things get really close. Start by baby-proofing your house. Work on the nursery. You'll be grateful for any little thing done now when you're running all over the place in a few months!
Do's and Don'ts: Don't be alarmed if you feel sharp pains running from the top of your uterus down to your pubic bone. Ligaments are stretching to support the growing weight of your womb. The feeling will pass if you lie on your side with a pillow supporting your belly.
Exercise: If you aren't already working out, it isn't too late to start. Exercise will pep you up, curb stress, and tone your abdominal muscles. Check first with your doctor or midwife before you hit the gym, though. Low-impact activities that are easy on the joints, such as walking, swimming, and prenatal yoga, may be your best bet.
Tips for this week: Suggest that your partner go with you for the ultrasound. It's a chance to catch the first glimpse of your baby together, as well as provide a snapshot to show friends and family later. Sonograms still don't guarantee a healthy baby, but they can provide reassurance and spot some problems.
|
