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At last, you are 18 weeks pregnant! By now, you are probably anxious to feel your baby's first movements. This is called "quickening," and it is common for first-time moms to feel these movements between pregnancy 18 weeks and 22 weeks pregnant. Experienced moms may feel these flutters sooner.
Quickening might feel like you have little butterflies in your stomach, or someone is tapping on your uterus. You may mistake it for gas bubbles at first, but soon it will become obvious that it's your baby!
At pregnancy week 18, if you place your partner's hand on your belly, he will probably not feel your baby's movements. However, as you near the later weeks, this will change.
Listen to Your Baby's Heartbeat at Home
Near the end of your second trimester, you may want to bond with your partner and listen to your unborn baby's heartbeat. There are several prenatal heart listeners available on the market, such as Prenatal Heart Listener Gift Set by Bebe Sounds, which allow you to do this!
Pregnancy Weight Gain at 18 Weeks Pregnant
Have you noticed that you're gaining weight as your pregnancy week by week continues? Many expectant moms may have gained as much as ten pounds at this point in their pregnancy. Don't worry if you haven't gained this much. A five to ten pound pregnancy weight gain is common at 18 weeks pregnant.
During pregnancy at 18 weeks, your uterus (which is now the size of a cantaloupe) is just at your belly button. In the upcoming weeks, your belly button is likely to "pop" or stick out a bit. You actually look visible pregnant now.
Is it a Boy or a Girl?
Your doctor may be able to determine your baby's gender now. At pregnancy week 18, your baby's genitals are visible with an ultrasound, but if your baby is lying in a position where it is hard to see the genitals, you will have to wait to find out your baby's sex. Some women will have to weight until 20 or 22 weeks pregnant before they find out!
Modern ultrasounds are 99 percent accurate with predicting gender, however the only 100 percent way of knowing your baby's sex is with an amniocentesis (a diagnostic test that is commonly used in high-risk pregnancies to determine whether or not your baby has a birth defect). An amniocentesis is not recommended for the sole purpose of finding out your baby's gender.
Consider Taking a Prenatal Class
At 18 weeks pregnant, you may want to start thinking about signing up for prenatal classes. Prenatal classes are a wonderful source of education, and they're also great places to make new friends.
If you're anxious about the arrival of your baby, prenatal classes will help you prepare for labor and delivery. You will learn about breathing and relaxation techniques, pain relief options, medical interventions that may occur during delivery, and even basics on how to care for your newborn baby.
Although pregnant women often start taking these classes in their sixth or seventh month of pregnancy, classes fill up fast and you don't want to miss out! Doing some research about prenatal classes at 18 weeks is a good idea.
Almost all hospitals offer prenatal classes. Call the hospital where you plan to deliver and see what they offer. You may also want to check out Lamaze and the Bradley Method; they are the two most popular natural child birthing classes in the United States.
Can you believe that by pregnancy week 18, your baby may weigh as much as 6.7 ounces and may be as long as 5.6 inches long? What an incredible development, considering that only 4 weeks ago, your baby only weighed 1.5 ounces!
For the first time in your baby's development, he or she is larger than the placenta. As your pregnancy week by week continues, your little one will continue to outgrow it. The placenta continues to grow but not as fast as it did in the early weeks of pregnancy.
At 18 weeks pregnant, your baby starts to produce myelin (a protective covering around the nerves). Myelin continues to develop through your baby's first year of life.
Your baby's skin is still soft and smooth at this point. But in the next few weeks, your little one will develop his or her first fingerprint and toe print patterns! This is quite an exciting development, because no two individuals (not even identical twins) have fingerprints that are exactly the same.
Lung development continues during pregnancy week 18. Your baby's lungs are still rather immature and won't be fully developed until you are 35 or 36 weeks pregnant. However, by this point in your pregnancy week by week, the trachea (also called the windpipe; the main passageway into the lungs) has already developed and branched into two main bronchi (airways that lead from the trachea to the lungs). Between pregnancy week 18 and week 28, each bronchi will branch further into bronchioles.
With each week that passes, the umbilical cord is getting stronger and thicker than ever. It continues to grow to transport the blood and nutrients that your growing baby needs.
By 18 weeks pregnant, your baby's outer ear is already well developed. The inner ear continues to develop and won't be fully mature for another five weeks or so.
Ossification, or the hardening of your baby's bones, continues this week. Throughout your baby's body, calcium continues to strengthen the bones. Your little one's tooth buds continue to harden, and the jaw is continuing to grow.
In the second trimester, many women start gaining roughly one pound a week. If you follow your pregnancy week by week closely, you may find pregnancy weight gain varies 1/2 a pound or more. You may have gained as much as ten pounds or more by 18 weeks pregnant.
Where Does that Pregnancy Weight Gain Come From?
Keep in mind that not all your pregnancy weight gain is from your baby. The extra weight also comes from the weight of your placenta, amniotic fluid, increased blood volume, expanding uterus, fluid retention, larger-sized breasts, and fat stores for breastfeeding after delivery. Most women also gain roughly 7 pounds of extra fat during pregnancy to help insulate their baby and this extra fat helps provide them with the energy they need to breastfeed after delivery.
Weight gain during pregnancy is different for different women. You may gain more in the first pregnancy, and less in the next. You shouldn't worry too much about how much you do or do not gain, unless your doctor is concerned about your weight.
What is the Recommended Weight Gain in Pregnancy?
Your recommended pregnancy weight gain is calculated depending on your pre-pregnancy size. For an average weight woman, she should aim to gain between 25 to 35 pounds during pregnancy. If you're underweight, try to gain between 28 and 40 pounds. Overweight women only need to gain 15 to 25 pounds. You will need to gain more weight if you are pregnant with twins or multiples.
Women who are overweight or underweight face certain pregnancy complications, so it's important to try to gain the recommended amount of weight. Underweight women are at risk of delivering a premature baby, or a smaller than normal size baby. Overweight women are at higher risk for developing gestational diabetes and high blood pressure.
Nutrition and Pregnancy Weight Gain
To achieve the ideal pregnancy weight gain, you should eat a healthy and balanced diet. The American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) suggests that you should eat the following every day:
- 6 ounces of grains, such as bread, cereal, rice, and pasta.
- 2.5 cups of vegetables.
- 1 to 2 cups of fruit
- 5 to 5.5 ounces of meat and beans
- 3 cups of milk and milk products
Food Cravings at 18 Weeks Pregnant
Although an increased appetite is common at pregnancy week 18, especially since you're feeling better in the second trimester, don't go overboard and eat everything you crave. You only need to add an extra 300 calories to your diet.
Even if you are craving sweets big time, try to get your "sweet tooth" cravings with healthy fruit alternatives. Junk food will not give your baby the nutrients and vitamins that he or she needs to grow into a healthy full-term baby!
If you have concerns about your weight gain during pregnancy, discuss your worries with your doctor. He or she will keep a close eye on your pregnancy weight gain.
Read About Your Pregnancy Week by Week - 19 Weeks Pregnant
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