Pregnancy calendar: 20th week of pregnancy
Pregnancy calendar by week. An experienced doctor tells how a child develops in the womb and what changes occur in the pregnant woman’s body. All the most important things about the 20th week of pregnancy
Changes in your body:
By the twentieth week, you should gain an additional 4.5 – 5.5 kg, again, you should remember the body mass index. If you “lacked” weight before pregnancy, then you should not deny yourself a good caloric diet. If, on the contrary, your weight was excessive – I advise you to eat fewer calories with boiled, stewed food, instead, to taste more fresh fruits, vegetables, greens and berries. Excess weight is an additional risk of developing gestational diabetes. Also, with excess weight, childbirth itself is more difficult. However, the main rule is balance in everything.
The bottom of the uterus has reached the level of your navel, so the prominent belly begins to create additional problems, such as: a feeling of distension, pain when stretching the ligaments of the abdomen, a feeling of excessive sensitivity of the skin, the desire to scratch. To help the muscles and ligaments that hold the baby’s tummy, you should buy a special belt for pregnant women at the pharmacy. A belt for pregnant women should have a device for different sizes of the abdomen – a system of straps and rubber bands that can be adjusted to the required size. When measuring the belt, try to walk and sit in it. Remember that the belt must simultaneously securely hold the tummy and not press anywhere. A belt for pregnant women should prevent or reduce stretching caused by the large belly of a pregnant woman. This belt will come in handy even after giving birth.
When your tummy is big, your belly button may turn out. Being outside, the belly button rubs and starts to itch. An ordinary cotton pad with baby cream, glued to cover the sensitive navel, can help prevent such a nuisance.
You may have noticed that your nipples have become darker, the circles (areolas) around the nipples have increased. Pigment spots and old scars have also darkened. A black line of pregnancy appeared along the abdomen. This increased pigmentation (darkening of skin areas) is temporary, it will disappear after childbirth, consider it a sign of pregnancy.
If your nipples have become very sensitive, you should buy special cotton pads for the breasts, you can also use a natural baby cream without additives.
A big belly makes it difficult to sleep. It is not good on the back, because by squeezing the vessels in the pelvic cavity, you disrupt the blood flow from the legs and the organs of the pelvic cavity themselves. It is best to sleep on your side. Recommended on the right side, so as not to press the heart and main vessels. However, most likely, during the night you will change sides, transfer from one to the other.
In order to get a good night’s sleep, you can buy a special pillow for pregnant women, by the way, it will also come in handy during breastfeeding.
Or take:
- 2 towels.
- 4-6 medium pillows.
- veil.
You’ll need help with all those pillows, but it’s a good opportunity for your husband to take care of you and the baby.
So, your task is to find a comfortable position and get comfortable. The man should fold one towel in half and place it under your tummy. Now twist the second towel with a roller and put it under your neck, your head should be comfortably placed on the pillow. The next stage is to put your feet on the pillows, choose the best position for your feet by feeling, they should be slightly raised, at least one. The rest of the pillows should support your back so that it is comfortable to lean on. Now that you are comfortable lying down, ask to be covered with a blanket.
And good and sweet dreams!
How does the baby grow?
You probably already know when your baby moves, digs, or straightens his legs. When the baby is already actively digging, I advise you to gently talk to him, pat his tummy, a slow walk helps a lot. Walks are very useful, because you and your child get fresh air. Also, while walking slowly, you seem to lull the baby.
This week, the child’s gastrointestinal tract learns to work. The baby swallows the amniotic fluid, it passes through the esophagus, stomach into the intestine, is partially absorbed, and what remains is the first feces of the child – meconium. Meconium is this thick, black, resinous substance. After the first defecation of a newborn baby, you will see him in a diaper.
After the 20th week of pregnancy, the baby’s length is measured from head to toe on ultrasound. In the previous period, the length of the child was considered to be the distance from the head to the buttocks, this is due to the fact that before that the child had his legs bent under him, and it was technically impossible to determine the length of the legs well.
So on in the twentieth week, the length of the child from the head to the buttocks is 16.5 cm, and from the head to the heels – 25 cm. The weight of the child is approximately 290 grams.
Author: Olga Letnyanchyk, doctor
Read also:
– Pregnancy calendar: from 1 to 40 weeks
