Week 20 of Pregnancy

Your Baby and Changes…

When you are at week 20 of pregnancy, your baby measures about five and one half to six and one half inches on average and weighs about nine to ten ounces. While your baby is under a pound it is simply amazing what he can do in your womb at this size!  

Your baby can hear sounds now, and he will cover his ears with his hands if a loud sound is made near you. Your baby will also be moving a lot – turning over quite a bit, punching and kicking. You still may question whether these are baby movements or gas, but you can be pretty sure this is your little baby moving around inside of you.  

He's beginning to use his digestive system more and more, often working on his swallowing. He's also producing meconium, a black, sticky by-product of digestion. This substance will build up in his bowels, and you'll see it in his first soiled diaper.

Some other interesting developments that are going on with your baby are as follows:  If your baby is a girl, her uterus is starting to develop.  Your baby's skin is thickening and developing layers, including the dermis, epidermis, and subcutaneous layer.  And your baby’s nail growth begins around this stage.

Your Body and Changes…

It may be hard to believe but at the end of this week you will have hit the halfway mark in your pregnancy, congratulations.  Although your due date might not be exact so don’t get be upset if you go a little past your due date, especially if this is your first child. The top of your uterus is about level with your belly button, and you've likely gained around ten to fifteen pounds. You should expect to gain another pound or so each week from now on.   It’s important at this stage that you are getting enough iron, a mineral that's used primarily to make hemoglobin (the part of your red blood cells that carries oxygen).   During pregnancy, your body needs more iron to keep up with your expanding blood volume, as well as for your growing baby and the placenta.

You might be experience very painful leg cramps that seem to come out of nowhere; this is very common in week twenty.  On the positive side, you might start noticing your hair is beautiful in color and your nails are growing longer and thicker in a much faster fashion.  This is due to those hormones in your body and is one of the many positives of being pregnant.

Finally, you will find that your pre-natal appointments get a bit longer from now onwards as your doctor will want to measure from the top of your uterus to the pubic to the belly button, to check it is growing properly.