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At 22 weeks pregnant, everything is expanding on your body - from your belly to
your breasts to your thighs and even your butt! In fact, your pregnancy weight
gain at 22 weeks pregnant may be as high as 15 pounds for an average weight
woman.
Now that you are a couple of weeks past the halfway mark of your pregnancy,
you will probably only gain between 10 and 15 additional pounds by the time you
hit pregnancy week 40. (Remember that the recommended pregnancy weight
gain for the average sized woman is between 25 and 35 pounds. Aim for this
weight gain if you can.)
Requests for Belly Rubs Begin
In the next few weeks, don’t be surprised if strangers start to come up to you and
want to touch your belly. You might even get people asking you how far along
you are.
Depending on the kind of person you are, you may welcome this attention or you
may feel uncomfortable. If you don’t want anyone to touch you, simply tell people
how you feel, or take a step backward and place your hand up. You may even
want to purchase a shirt that says, “Step away from the belly.”
Pregnancy Brain at 22 Weeks Pregnant
How is your mind these days? In the second trimester, possibly around
pregnancy week 22, some pregnant women find themselves feeling more
forgetful than before. Called “pregnancy brain,” forgetfulness during pregnancy is
quite common.
You may find yourself easily distracted at 22 weeks pregnant. You may be in
the middle of an important conversation, and you suddenly forget what you were
talking about. Or you’re on the way to the kitchen to grab something to eat, and
when you get there, you forget why you’re there.
Doctors aren’t sure what causes “pregnancy brain,” though pregnancy hormones
may play a role. In addition, you are going through a major life event – having
a baby is a huge change! It’s possible that your inability to concentrate or pay
attention may be due to you paying less attention to the things around you and
more attention to what’s happening to your body.
Although pregnancy brain is frustrating at pregnancy week 22, it is just a
pregnancy symptom that will pass. Once you have your baby and are settled into
your new role as mother, pregnancy brain will go away.
At 22 weeks pregnant, your baby is bigger than ever! He or she may be as long
as 10.9 inches and weighs around 15 ounces or more. Your little one continues
to pack on the pounds and fat as your pregnancy week by week continues!
This week, your baby is laying down layers of fat underneath his or her skin. Fats
are important for his or her nerve and brain development, since every nerve cell
in your baby’s body is covered in a layer of fat, which insulates it from nearby
nerves and improves the connection between the different nerve cells.
As your baby gaining more fat layers at 22 weeks pregnant, the skin becomes
less transparent than it was in earlier weeks of your pregnancy week by week.
Your little one’s veins are still visible beneath the skin, but this will slowly change
in the weeks to come.
Your baby’s nose continues to develop this week. Your little one’s nasal bridge
has not completely developed, so he or she has a “button nose” that many
pregnant parents find so irresistible.
During pregnancy week 22, your baby has plenty of room in the womb to move
around freely. As you continue to feel your baby’s kicks and movements, he or
she may be doing somersaults, flips and flops.
At 22 weeks pregnant, your baby is exploring his or her amniotic-filled world with
his or her hands. Your baby is constantly moving his or her hands, touching his
or her face and even grabbing the umbilical cord.
This week of your pregnancy week by week, your baby continues to swallow and
digest amniotic fluid. He or she stores the waste as meconium (or your baby’s
first poop!) Meconium stays in your baby’s intestines until birth. In some cases,
your baby may pass meconium while in utero, and this is often a sign of fetal
distress and it can cause breathing difficulties after birth.
By 22 weeks pregnant, every bone in your baby’s body has bone marrow,
which are capable of producing red blood cells. Did you know that your baby
produces essential red and white blood cells at a more rapid rate than your
own? Red blood cells are removed from an unborn baby’s circulation after
80 days. In a normal adult, your red blood cells are removed after 120 days.
During this week of your pregnancy week by week, the ridges in your baby’s skin
continue to mature. These ridges will eventually make up your baby’s first finger
and toe prints!
From pregnancy week 22 until your baby is born, your baby’s cells
continue to expand, divide, and mature in every part of his or her body.
At pregnancy week 22, you may notice that you’re staring to develop stretch
marks! Some women will develop stretch marks as early as pregnancy week
22, though they are more common in the third trimester, when you start to gain
weight very rapidly.
At 22 weeks pregnant, your stretch marks may start out as pinkish or purplish
lines on your skin. They will progress to become indented streaks with fine
wrinkles. Pregnancy stretch marks are common on your belly, breasts, and
thighs. But in some cases, you may even get them on your lower back, buttocks,
hips, and upper arms.
What Causes Stretch Marks?
Pregnancy stretch marks are caused by changes in the elastic tissues that lie
underneath your skin, due to the hormonal changes that occur during pregnancy.
As your unborn baby grows, your skin must stretch to accommodate. Stretch
marks occur when your skin “over stretches” and starts to tear.
Between 50 and 70 percent of all pregnant women will develop stretch
marks during pregnancy, most often in the second and third trimesters.
Risk Factors for Pregnancy Stretch Marks
If you do not yet have stretch marks during pregnancy week 22, there is no way
to tell whether or not you will develop them later in pregnancy. However, you
may be at risk for stretch marks if:
- There is a genetic history of stretch marks in your family. If your mother
had stretch marks during her pregnancy, the likelihood is that you will too.
- You gain a large amount of weight rapidly
- You are pregnant with twin or multiples
- You are pregnant with a big baby
How to Prevent Stretch Marks
At 22 weeks pregnant, you may want to prevent stretch marks. Unfortunately,
there is no 100 percent surefire way to do this. But you can minimize your risk of
getting stretch marks during pregnancy by gaining the recommended amount of
weight for your size and keeping well hydrated. Gaining weight more slowly will
also reduce your risk of pregnancy stretch marks.
You may also want to try rubbing lotions and creams in a circular motion on your
belly, breasts, and thighs. Massaging in a circulation motion will ease the tension
that’s placed on the elastic layer of your skin, and it may also increase blood flow
to your belly. As a result, you can help keep your skin more “stretchy” and reduce
the appearance of stretch marks.
A wonderful pregnancy stretch mark cream is Elasticity Belly Oil by Belli Skin
Care. This stretch mark cream uses Vitamin E, Gotu Kola extract, Collagen
Hydrolysates, and Cocoa butter to keep your skin moisturized, build collagen,
and prevent stretch marks from forming.
Stretch marks at pregnancy week 22 are often nothing to worry about. They
will eventually fade after you deliver your baby. Most women see a noticeable
difference in the look of their stretch marks between six months and twelve
months after their baby is born.
Other Skin Changes at Pregnancy Week 22
Along with stretch marks at 22 weeks pregnant, you may notice that your skin is
itchy, especially around your expanding belly and growing breasts. This itchiness
occurs because your skin is stretching to adapt to your body’s growth. It is very
common in pregnancy and shouldn’t worry you.
Some women also experience itchy palms and itching on the soles of their feet.
This itchiness is often due to the increased levels of estrogen in your body, and it
will disappear after your baby is born.
If you’re suffering from itchy skin at 22 weeks pregnant, you may want to try
to moisturize the itchy areas. You may want to choose a moisturizer or lotion
that is unscented. Some scents can cause skin irritation. Check out All Day
Moisture Body Lotion from Belli Skin Care, which is made with oil of lemon and
chamomile. It is specially formulated for pregnant women.
In rare cases, extreme itchiness may be a sign of more serious problems. Talk to
your doctor or healthcare provider if you have any concerns.
Read About Your Pregnancy Week by Week - 23 Weeks Pregnant
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