Fetal development 18 weeks of pregnancy • hello healthy

Has your pregnancy reached 18-22 weeks? This means that you are 5 months pregnant and have entered the 2nd trimester of pregnancy. Nausea and morning sickness it is very rare in this phase. You could say, pregnant women feel comfortable with the presence of a prospective baby in the womb. The following is a complete explanation about 5 months of pregnancy.

5 months pregnant

A lot happens in this phase, from fetal development to changes in the mother's body with an increasingly enlarged stomach. For more details, this is a complete review of 18-22 weeks or 5 months of pregnancy.

18 weeks pregnant: fetal retina begins to develop

At 18 weeks of pregnancy, the fetus is almost the size of a paprika, weighing about 200 grams and a length of 14 cm from head to toe.

The baby's ears are also fully formed. Pregnant women are able to play lullabies for him.

This is because in the coming weeks, the baby's hearing ability will develop.

The bones of the middle ear and nerve endings from the brain began to grow, so they could hear the sound of the heartbeat and the movement of blood through the umbilical cord.

Even when the mother is 18 weeks pregnant, the fetus can also be shocked when it hears loud sounds. In addition, your little one's eyes are also getting better and better.

The retina of the prospective baby can detect light if the pregnant woman shines a flashlight right in front of the stomach.

In addition, the baby's bones begin to develop, but they are still soft. This week, your baby's clavicle (collarbone) and feet will start to harden.

This allows the mother to feel the kick even though it still feels slow.

19 weeks pregnant: contouring fetal face and hair

At 19 weeks of pregnancy, the fetus is bigger than a lemon, weighing about 240 grams and about 15 centimeters long from head to toe.

Fine hairs have started to grow and form during this pregnancy.

The fine hair that forms facial contours, such as eyebrows and eyelashes, also begins to grow. The baby's kidneys are also able to function properly to produce urine.

The development of fetal nerves reaches a peak at 5 months of pregnancy, 19 weeks to be exact. Several nerves such as smell, taste, hearing, touch, and sight have developed in the fetal brain.

A protective waxy layer called vernix caseosa also begins to form on the baby's skin to protect his skin from amniotic fluid.

20 weeks of gestation: gender can be seen on ultrasound

At 20 weeks of pregnancy, the fetus is likely to be the size of a banana with a length of about 25 cm from head to heel and weighing about 315 grams.

Since the fetus is getting bigger, it will take up a lot of space in the uterus. This puts pressure on the lungs, stomach, bladder, and kidneys of the pregnant woman.

The sex of the baby also begins to appear at this gestational age. Usually sex begins to be clearly seen at 18-22 weeks of gestation. You can find out the gender of the baby through an ultrasound examination.

If the baby is a girl, she already has small ovaries. However, if you are pregnant with a boy, the testicles will begin to fall even though the scrotum has not yet grown completely.

However, it is clear that he is a boy at this 5 months pregnant phase.

21 weeks of gestation: fetal liver and spleen production of blood cells

At this gestational age, the baby is likely to be about the size of a carrot. The fetus is about 26.7 cm long from head to heel and weighs about 340 grams.

When entering the 21st week of pregnancy, your little one's intestines can absorb a small amount of liquid sugar and enter through the digestive system.

Even so, most of the nutrients and food that the fetus can enter through the placenta.

At 5 months pregnant, the baby's liver and spleen are responsible for the production of blood cells. The bone marrow is also sufficiently capable of forming blood cells.

Later, the fetal pancreas organ stops producing blood cells at the 30th week of pregnancy and the liver stops producing blood cells a few weeks before birth.

22 weeks fetal development: the fetus can hear the mother's heartbeat

At 22 weeks of pregnancy, the fetus is about 27.9 cm from head to heel and weighs 453 grams or the size of a pumpkin.

The baby's face has also begun to appear, such as the lips, eyelids, and eyebrows of the fetus, which is clearer when doing an ultrasound examination.

The fetus's sense of taste, namely the tongue, has begun to grow. In addition, the development of the fetal brain and nerves has begun to form completely. Thus, he can begin to feel the stimulation of his own touch.

Babies can feel touch by stroking their face or sucking their thumbs. In addition, the fetus also begins to feel other parts of their body.

Baby's hearing is also well developed at 5 months pregnant. The fetus can already hear the mother's voice, heartbeat, and blood flow throughout the body.

At 22 weeks of pregnancy, the development of the baby's reproductive organs continues.

In boys, the testicles begin to move down from the stomach. In girls, the uterus and ovaries are in place, the vagina has also started to form.

What you feel when you are 5 months pregnant

In the 18-22 weeks pregnant phase, the prospective baby is increasingly active. Of course there are many things that pregnant women feel during their development. Here are some of them:

Leg cramps during 5 months of pregnancy

Launching from Kids Health, things that are starting to feel pregnant women 5 months or more precisely 19 weeks are leg cramps, especially at night.

This condition is often painful and occurs in the calf area, sometimes to the point of being unable to move. Leg cramps are a common condition during the second and third trimesters of pregnancy.

Leg cramps are caused because the body is tired of carrying extra weight in the stomach.

To overcome this, pregnant women can store pillows under their feet so that the position of the feet is higher than the body.

Swollen feet when 5 months pregnant

Reporting from the Raising Children page, pregnant women will experience leg swelling when their pregnancy enters 19 weeks or mid-5 months pregnant.

Swelling of the legs is caused by a lot of fluid in the body and stretched ligaments.

In this phase, pregnant women will begin to feel their favorite shoes feel tighter than usual. If it still feels comfortable, you can still wear it.

However, if these shoes make your feet hurt, it's better to wear sandals that are more comfortable.

Faster hair and nail growth

Pregnant women nails and hair will grow faster than before. Not only that, hair feels thicker and fuller.

This condition is caused by pregnancy hormones carrying additional nutrients to the hair and nail cells.

Even so, the condition of the nails can also become dry and brittle. Drink lots of water and drink milk for pregnant women to strengthen nail conditions.

The fetal kicks are starting to feel stronger

In the middle of 5 months or 19 weeks of pregnancy, your little one's movements are getting more active. Maybe some movement will go fast and not be aware of it.

However, several other movements such as kicks and punches can be felt. The intensity and frequency of fetal movements will vary.

If you feel your little one's movements are decreasing every day, immediately consult a doctor to make sure the fetus is in good condition.

Feeling false contractions

At the end of 5 months pregnant or around 22 weeks, you will probably experience contractions without the pain of false contractions or Braxton Hicks.

Usually, pregnant women will feel heartburn when these contractions occur, but the pain is quite mild.

Indeed, these contractions are not dangerous for the fetus, but if they are more intense or they are more frequent, contact your doctor.

On a more severe level, false contractions can be a sign of preterm labor.

Blurred vision at 5 months pregnant

Another problem that may occur in the 5 months pregnant phase is blurred vision due to hormonal changes. This occurs when dry eyes stimulate the production of tear hormone in the body.

When the fluid in the eye increases, it changes the iris of the eye and causes farsightedness or farsightedness. But don't worry, your vision will be clear and normal again after giving birth.

If you think you see freckles floating (floaters) or blurred vision for more than two or three hours, call your doctor right away. This is important so as not to interfere with the development of the fetus in the womb.

In addition, other things that are felt by pregnant women at 18-22 weeks of gestation, namely:

Feel comfortable with a stomach that is not too big
Hunger more easily
Experiencing cravings
Back pain
Some pregnant women experience facial acne
Susceptible to varicose veins (worsens when pregnant at 30-40 years)
have spider veins (visible blood vessels on the surface of the skin)

Though maybe a little unsightly but spider veins it doesn't cause pain or anything and usually goes away after delivery.

Things that need to be considered when consulting a doctor

When you are 5 months pregnant, you don't need to panic if you find red spots on your underwear or spots during pregnancy.

This can occur due to a bruised cervix from just having a doctor's examination or having sex.

However, if the vagina produces a lot of blood, tell the doctor immediately. This could be a sign of a more serious pregnancy danger, especially for fetal development.

Your doctor will do an ultrasound to determine if there are certain problems or not.

Test at 5 months pregnant

Actually this test depends on the needs and the workings of the doctor. But usually, the doctor will perform several tests such as:

Measure weight and blood pressure of pregnant women
Check for sugar and protein in the urine
Check fetal heart rate
Check the size of the uterus by external palpation
Measure the height from the bottom of the uterus
Check if your hands and feet have swollen veins or varicose veins or not

Tell your doctor about any symptoms you are experiencing, especially any unusual symptoms. If there are questions or problems that you want to discuss.

We recommend that you make a list of questions before the examination so that nothing is missed.

Tips for maintaining health during 5 months of pregnancy

As the fetus develops, there are several things that need to be considered so that the pregnancy continues. The following include:

Limit eating seafood

When you are 5 months pregnant, you can eat fish and other types of seafood as long as you don't overdo it.

The ocean is a great source of nutrients, but these foods can also contain toxic substances including dioxins and methyl mercury as well as PCBs and pesticides at low doses.

When seafood is in large quantities with high levels of toxins in it, the development of the fetus can be affected. There is no reason to prohibit or not eat seafood.

However, you should also avoid eating large fish which tend to contain mercury, especially shark, mackerel, swordfish and tilefish.

Fatigue

If you have problems with breathing or are tired at the moment jogging or work, stop this activity immediately.

Working until exhaustion is a bad idea because it can interfere with fetal development.

For exercise, instead of running a marathon, give it a try jogging slow gradually. Exercising a little followed by rest is the best way so that fetal development is not disturbed.

In this way, you can still get the benefits of exercise without feeling too tired.

Do not sit and stand for too long

Avoid sitting and standing for too long for more than an hour without walking or without resting joints and muscles.

Ideally pregnant women need to move a lot after sitting still for about half an hour to avoid back pain.

If you have to stand in the kitchen to wash dishes or cook, stand on a thick, soft carpet to reduce pressure from your body to the back.

Not lifting heavy weights

If you have to lift heavy objects, do it slowly. You have to stand on two feet for excellent balance, so get on your knees instead of bending over to pick up heavy objects.

You should use the source of strength in your arms and legs, not your back. If you are carrying a heavy shopping bag, divide it in half on either side of your body.

Light exercise

When you are in the office and you spend long hours sitting, your body will be stiff and there will be pain in some parts.

You can do light stretches for 10 minutes to loosen the ligaments. Walking in the office corridor or stretching out your arms while standing at your desk can also be done occasionally.

Move your fingers and toes while taking a deep breath. Don't forget to flex your neck left and right every now and then.