The 18th week of pregnancy is 4.5 lunar months. The fetus grows to 12.5-14 cm, weighs about 150 g, he has the beginnings of molars. If the baby is still not pushing, then he is about to begin. An important question - will a boy or girl be born? - may also become clear in the coming days. It is time for the expectant mother to learn and master the Kegel exercises.
Medical standards
It is believed that with repeated birth at the end of this week, the baby can first begin to move significantly. Of course, these are all average indicators. Slender women feel the movements of their crumbs earlier, full - later.
If for some reason it is impossible to accurately determine the obstetric period of pregnancy, then doctors consider the first stirring of the fetus to be one of the guidelines. Learn more about this here..
What happens to the baby
The fruit is growing rapidly. Open the palm of your hand. Now your baby would just fit on it. And here is how your child is developing:
mineralization of the skeleton continues, all bones are strengthened;- muscles develop;
- a layer of subcutaneous fat is formed;
- tiny joints on the fingers and toes are developed;
- the fetus often “trains”, makes reflex movements (sucks a finger, turns, mimics breathing and swallows amniotic fluid);
- Above the small rudiments of milk teeth, indigenous embryos appear - more than a dozen years can pass before some of them erupt!
Moms often ask doctors - how many times a day should a child move? Now for the count of shocks so far there is no question. Many of the baby’s movements are still invisible to you, you feel only the strongest “kicks”. It will be possible and necessary to count the movements and conclusions later.
Mom's Feelings
If you are healthy, and your weight is normal, then you probably feel just awesome. The abdomen has not yet grown enough to completely slow down the gait. True, there may be unpleasant moments:
- heartburn - due to a weakening of the muscle between the stomach and esophagus;
- age spots on the face (this is the "playful" hormones);
- constipation and frequent urination (a grown uterus presses on the intestines and bladder);
- difficulty falling asleep (almost any pose seems uncomfortable);
- frequent increase in blood pressure;
- slight visual impairment;
- the feeling that the navel aches from the inside.
Some unpleasant sensations can be weakened or eliminated (read the recommendations below), you just need to endure something.
Tummy
What do the tummies look like in the eighteenth week? It’s different for everyone. Some mothers seemed to swallow a ball, while others belly seemed to stretch from top to bottom. It's all right. Sometimes they try to guess by the shape of the abdomen whether a girl or a boy will be born.And still, only an ultrasound specialist can tell you for sure if this week you are prescribed such a study and the child wants to share a secret.
Photo tummies
Ultrasound Photos
Discharge, pain, complications
- Your breast prepares to feed the baby in a few months and therefore produces colostrum. Do not express it, it can provoke uterine contractions.
- Now you can noticeably increase vaginal discharge. This is a variant of the norm, if only the mucus is white and without an unpleasant odor. Brown, bloody, yellow discharge speaks of various problems.
- When your belly pulls just a little or your lower back aches - know that everything is fine. So the “sprain” of the ligaments and muscles supporting your uterus “responds”. But if something really hurts, visit or call a doctor.
- Frozen pregnancy and miscarriage are possible at any time. In this case, various complications, disorders of well-being and health of a woman often arise. Be mindful of your feelings.
- Another complication, sometimes quite severe, is late toxicosis. Read about it and check yourself here..
See a doctor on time
If you have not yet passed the next scheduled examination, the doctor will prescribe several blood tests:
- on the level of hCG;
- the content of alpha-fetoprotein in the blood;
- on free estriol.
These specific tests will indicate the absence / presence of many fetal malformations, and therefore they are very important.
If the test results are not normal, do not be alarmed. One “bad” analysis does not mean anything. You could have prepared incorrectly; mistakes may be made in the laboratory. Even an incorrectly established gestational age can give results that are inappropriate for standard indicators. In any case, an unsatisfactory study should be repeated in order to exclude all possible errors.
Exercise!
The 18th week is the most suitable time for special gymnastics. It is also called Kegel exercises. To understand the essence, go to the toilet and during urination, tighten your muscles so that it stops. This is the main exercise. Do them right:
- empty the bladder first;
- do not hold your breath;
- take a comfortable position.
The last recommendation is relative - during exercises you can stand, sit or lie down, choose what is more convenient. This specific gymnastics strengthens the muscles of the pelvic floor, vagina and urethra.
Watch the video:
We train the muscles of the perineum. Recommendation from Kundalini Yoga - Use Kegel exercises every time you urinate 8 times. Recommendations from the maternity class on natural childbirth according to the Bradley method - from 100 to 200 Kegel exercises per day. How to make a habit? At any moment in time when you are waiting for something (a queue at the cash desk, on the subway, a red light on the road, call the telephone), practice Kegel exercises
Other recommendations
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- Follow your old diet.
- For heartburn, be sure to cook porridge and jelly.
- A few pieces of prunes per day will relieve you of constipation.
- Do not overeat.
- If your head hurts, try to lie in the dark and silence. Typically, such advice is given for migraines, but the headache of pregnant women in such an environment is faster.
- Do not be sad or upset - all the adverse hormones through your blood will get to the baby and disturb him. If an unpleasant incident has occurred in life, urgently think up something. Chat with family and friends, watch your favorite positive films, chat on forums for expectant mothers.
- If colostrum leaks - use special pads for the bra.
- Wear a prenatal bandage - it will support your growing tummy and reduce back pain.
- Want to go to the toilet? If possible, do not tolerate.
- Sexual life can be truly amazing and deliver an abyss of pleasure. Possible prohibitions: oligohydramnios, threatened miscarriage, pregnancy with twins or even triplets, leakage of amniotic fluid and low placenta.
- Walk as much as possible, but do not make tiring, long transitions.
- In addition to special gymnastics, do yoga for pregnant women and / or swim. A visit to the pool over time will help your baby take the right position in the uterus.
- Talk with your child and teach this future dad.
- Attend courses for pregnant women, communicate and gain useful experience.
- Beware of colds and any hypothermia. If your city has an infectious epidemic, feel free to wear a medical mask in public places.
Think good, take care of yourself, and then the eighteenth week will pass perfectly.
Video guide: 18 week of pregnancy what happens in the abdomen, movement, screening, appetite, exercise
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Of all these symptoms of how my mother feels, I had only constipation and frequent urination, difficulty falling asleep, and I just had a brutal appetite. I ate almost all the time.
For me, this was perhaps one of the most important periods of pregnancy, because it was then that the first tremors of our baby started)) I want to note that, not knowing the size of the pin exercise, I used it after delivery, performed it for about a month and a half and it gives really good results. It is a pity that I did not know about him before otherwise I would have done during pregnancy.
I had a miscarriage at this time, which was preceded by pulling whites in the lower abdomen and which, much to my regret, I ignored, thought it would hurt and pass. As a result, she lost her long-awaited baby. During pregnancy, you need to urgently respond to any changes that occur in your health, so that you do not bite your elbows later.