Changes During Pregnancy - Week 20

Mother

Congratulations! You are at the mid-level point of your pregnancy. Your doctor will start measuring your baby's size more regularly now. The fundal height is commonly used to measure your baby growth. A larger than expected size could indicate that you are carrying twins, that you have a larger than normal baby or that your due date needs to be recalculated. A smaller than expected baby could be an indicator of intrauterine-growth restriction(IUGR) or due date miscalculation. An ultrasound is usually used to clarify things when there is a mismatch between the expected and actual size.

You will definitely feel your baby's movements at this stage. Your womb increases in size along with the baby and repositions the other organs to make place for itself. This and the effect of pregnancy hormones can induce heartburns. You can avoid them by avoiding rich and spicy food in your diet. Eat smaller quantities in frequent intervals. You can also go to sleep keeping your head raised on a pillow. If these tips do not help you, you can contact your doctor. She may suggest some antacid tablets to ease your problem.

You may start getting stretch marks during this week. The belly button appears to protrude. Your hands, feet and ankles begin to swell slightly as the fluid retention in your body increases.

Baby

Your baby has grown remarkably well during the past 18 weeks. All of the organs that it will need to survive as an independent entity in the outside world are in development. Baby now has regular periods of sleeping and wakefulness. If the baby is a girl, the uterus has completed development by now and the ovaries with their lifetime supply of eggs are in development.

Your baby continues to grow and gain weight. She keeps practicing how to breathe and swallow. The thin layer of skin covering the baby starts growing and separates into different layers. Hair and nails continue to grow. The vernix coating continues to form on your baby's skin. This appears to be very greasy and disappears before birth. In case of premature babies, some of the vernix remains on them when they are born. Your baby starts reacting to loud noises outside the womb.