20 weeks pregnant

20th week! How great! She arrived in the middle of her pregnancy. It’s been 140 days since you discovered that a baby was forming inside your belly. What an incredible feeling, isn’t it ?!

Inside you, everything works at full steam, to use a familiar expression. Your body works hard to meet the needs of the baby, which grows more each week and develops.

It is likely that you have discovered the sex of the baby, mainly because it is the week to do the ultrasound. If not, from that week on, the chances increase. Of course it depends a lot on the baby’s position, even so, the probability is very high.

To get an idea of ​​how your baby is doing, what happens to your body, the care you need and more curiosities, read on.

Remember that each pregnancy is unique. Some babies tend to be bigger and weigh more than others, just as the symptoms of pregnancy vary from one woman to the next. Don’t compare yourself to other women, take good care of yourself and enjoy your moment a lot.

 

Baby development

At the 20th week, your baby is between 16 to 18 cm, and weighs between 260 g to 300 g. With the body practically all formed, the trend now is to continue growing and developing the functions.

The lungs are still forming and will continue until the end of pregnancy, but the chest muscles already train breathing. The digestive system works by swallowing amniotic fluid and producing meconium, which will be expelled after birth in the first stool.

The neurological system works very well. The brain has specific parts that will control the five senses, touch, smell, hearing and vision. Inside the womb, he already uses some of them, but will develop better with external experiences.

In the coming weeks, he begins to interact with external stimuli, but he hears the sounds inside the womb and a little muffled those outside. Keep pampering your belly, cuddle, sing, tell stories.

In addition to vernix, body fat that increases, and lanugo, a thin layer of hair, both serve to protect the baby’s skin that is submerged in amniotic fluid, hair will also appear on the head, and may have a lot or almost nothing.

The immature diaphragm causes hiccups and you will feel these movements. His heart beats faster and his heartbeat can be heard differently than yours with a stethoscope.

 

What happens to mom

The breasts, which have grown, have darker and larger nipples and a white liquid starts to come out, colostrum is starting to be produced, later this will be the baby’s first food. There is a difference between each woman, with some having a large amount of fluid and others without occurrence, which is normal.

The navel is more sensitive to touch, because the uterus has grown 3 times the original size and is at exactly the same height. Gradually the navel will become more exposed, even coming out of the belly, which returns after delivery, along with the size of the uterus.

The growth of the uterus causes a compression of the bladder, making trips to the bathroom more frequent.

Another fluid most noticed in pregnancy, this time in the genital region, is leukorrhea. The discharge is normal when transparent, colorless and odorless. If it has an unpleasant smell and a dark, greenish or yellowish color, talk to your doctor to start treatment quickly.

 

Care that should be taken at this stage

The week is between the second trimester, the most suitable period to set up the baby’s room and layette, exactly because the belly is not so big and heavy and the body is a little more willing compared to the other two quarters.

As the blood flow is increased, the body feels more heat, more dizziness and demands more from you, so plan your shopping trip and avoid excessive heat. Always have a bottle of water and apply sunscreen.

With the desire to go to the bigger bathroom, pay attention to the bathrooms where you go, with the risk of getting a urinary tract infection, among other problems. Always take care to protect toilets and wash your hands.

Iron deficiency in the body is a strong cause of anemia. Try to eat foods rich in iron. If you experience weakness and excessive tiredness, talk to your doctor about the need for a supplement.

Continue to eat properly to have a more peaceful pregnancy. Certain foods when eaten help against the unpleasant symptoms of pregnancy such as bloating, constipation, among others.

 

 

Second quarter morphological ultrasound

Between the 20th and 24th weeks, the doctor must order the fetal morphological ultrasound exam in the second trimester. In this exam, the baby’s development and morphology are checked, the expected date of delivery, if there are changes in the fetus’ formation, and the most awaited, the possibility of knowing the baby’s sex.

During and sham are measured and evaluated:

– the size of the head, to identify problems such as hydrocephalus or microcephaly

– face formation and positioning, evaluating malformation as cleft lip

– measurement of bones, especially the femur.

– the formation of the upper and lower limbs, including the fingers.

– cervical spine, examines the alignment of the vertebrae

– internal organs, including heartbeat and formation of kidneys, bladder, stomach and intestines.

In certain exams, the baby’s position ends up making it difficult to observe the genitals, if the legs are closed, for example, especially if it is a girl. A tip from many pregnant women is to eat a piece of chocolate before the ultrasound, which makes the baby a little agitated.