21 weeks pregnant

21 weeks of gestation: fetal size - 18 cm, weight - about 300 g. You can again become emotionally vulnerable. The baby develops taste buds and the composition of the blood is complicated. Half of the term for bearing the baby is behind. For you, there is a great danger of edema and varicose veins in the legs. However, overall health should be good.

What happens to the baby

When the 21st week of pregnancy “starts”, it means that from the moment of conception the 19th week has gone. If you have any questions about the timing, look for information here.

Now the main task of the fetus is to grow and gain weight. The kid looks like a little man. In proportions of the body, it already resembles a newborn child. If your baby is destined to be born with hair on his head, then around this time they appear. Tiny eyebrows and cilia are already there, but these are more likely not hairs, but a light fluff. Your child is constantly training. By the signals of the brain, the fetus literally fulfills the movements that it will need first.

1. Drinking amniotic fluid (up to 0.5 liters per day). So the baby trains sponges and swallowing reflexes. The digestive and urinary systems also work.
2. Limb movements. Coordination will come very soon, but a start has been made.
3. Raising and lowering the chest. Immediately after birth, the baby will have to urgently, in a split second, learn how to breathe easy.

This week, the fruit will grow to a length of 18 cm. Its weight will reach about three hundred grams. Do not forget: your baby already hears, so talk to him.

You probably already feel the fetal movements. Sometimes it seems to you - the baby under your heart only does what moves. Does he not sleep at all? This is not true. Remember that both children and adults are rarely completely motionless in a dream. And the fetus is exactly the same. Some experts believe that for such a time, children in the womb spend in a sleepy state up to twenty hours a day. According to other sources - 12-14 hours. And the arms and legs still continue to move. Stirring can be felt up to two hundred times a day.

What's new for the baby? The improvement of the blood composition continues. Red bodies have long been formed, and white ones are in the process. They will later, along with other systems, be responsible for the immunity of the child. And in a tiny language, taste buds continue to form. When an amniotic fluid enters the fetal mouth, it is already capable of distinguishing its taste.

How is the baby located in the uterus? As he wants. Now is not the time to talk about the right or wrong position of the fetus. There is enough space for the crumbs to spin in all directions for a few more weeks.

How's mom doing?

21st week - what month is it? Sixth moon. You have been approximately halfway through your pregnancy. Now you are characterized by some or even many of these signs:

• overall well-being;
• the tummy has grown noticeably, but still does not interfere;
• the gait has changed - you lean back a little and, perhaps, slightly roll over;
• you have excellent appetite (be careful not to overeat);
• in rare cases, you can see a tiny tubercle on your stomach at the moment the baby is moving, perhaps this is his fist or heel;
• you are often hot or stuffy;
• it is worth a little deviate from the diet - hello, heartburn or constipation;
• the nose is periodically blocked, although there is no real cold or a cold;
• you don’t just get tired - sometimes weakness literally falls on you, especially when you lower your blood pressure;
• sometimes you want to eat something "sort of", unusual;
• since the beginning of pregnancy, weight has increased by 4-8 kg.

Photo of the tummies (click to enlarge):

Possible troubles and complications

Stretch marks.Your body is changing: the tummy is getting rounder and bigger, the chest is poured, the hips are slightly apart. All this affects the skin of these parts of the body. If it is elastic enough, everything is in order. Stroke or weight problems may cause stretch marks. They spoil the look of the skin and your mood. Do not allow such a situation. Use special creams, lotions or just olive oil (here is a list of the best cream for stretch marks).

Mask of pregnant - a specific property of facial skin. These are age spots on the forehead, cheeks and chin. It is impossible to remove, bleach. The makeup layer might solve the situation, but would it harm you in general? It is better to protect your face from sunlight.

Legs swell and swell. In the evenings you may just “buzz” and swell your legs, the rings almost cut into your fingers, and your face seems puffy. What do we have to do:

• Do not eat something after which you may feel very thirsty: salty, spicy, too sweet.
• Wipe your face with a circle of cucumber or frozen cucumber juice. If you act in the second way, do not keep the ice for a long time near the sinuses.
• When sitting or lying, if possible, raise your legs higher. Lay them on a stool, pouf, pillow.
• Do not wear any tight clothing or accessories. It is impossible that straps, ribbons, belts and elastic bands pressed not only on the stomach, but generally anywhere.

If such edema quickly passes after simple measures, there is nothing to worry about. Persistent edema can talk about late toxicosis. What is this condition read the article on toxicosis.

On the legs, you may notice dilated vessels. The likelihood is more if your relatives on the female side - mother, grandmother and so on, suffer from varicose veins on the legs. To protect your feet from problems, you can buy compression socks, knee-high socks or tights - according to the season.

Leg cramps. Leg cramps cause a lot of trouble. They are easy to handle if this happens at home. And if at work, on the road or in the swimming pool? Remember clearly what to do. If possible, pull on the big toe of the affected leg. You can grind the shin, foot. Be sure to tell your doctor about seizures. Most likely, you do not have enough calcium and potassium (which means dried apricots and dairy products will help).

Headaches. Previously, this problem was solved easily: with a single pill. Now you can’t take any medications, so you have to deal with pain differently:

• lie down, it is better in the darkness and silence;
• take a little baby cream, add a drop of eucalyptus essential oil, rub this mixture of whiskey and hollows near the ear tragus;
• rub your feet, especially in the area of ​​the fingers and their bases.

Mild pain in the navel and lower back talk about the gradual stretching and movement of internal organs under the pressure of the uterus. This is the norm. But if the stomach hurts badly, there are real contractions, a threat of miscarriage is possible.

Discharge

Your breast prepares for future feedings and produces colostrum. It is impossible to express it. Insert a special pad in each cup of bra and change regularly.

White or clear mucus without a pungent odor may be released from the vagina. A yellow, greenish, brown or bloody discharge indicates various disorders, urgently to a doctor.

If your underwear seems to get wet, leakage of amniotic fluid is not ruled out. This is a dangerous process, tell your doctor and be examined.

Discharge of blood during bowel movements is a sign of starting hemorrhoids. This disease is often affected by women with constipation. Talk with your doctor about treatment and follow-up.

See a doctor

If you have not had an ultrasound in the second trimester, he will be appointed. A specialist doctor will check the main dimensions of the body and limbs of the fetus, the condition of the internal organs and a number of other indicators. The placenta will be no less thoroughly examined.

Ultrasound photo at 21 weeks (click to enlarge):

With a successful location of the fetus, you can find out the gender of the baby. But the future boy or girl can sometimes “hide” until the very birth.

You need to come to the doctor of the antenatal clinic according to the schedule that he has compiled for you. Everything is familiar here: measuring weight, blood pressure, uterus size and listening to your baby’s heartbeat.

Comments of future mothers from the forums:

Marina Ku: I also showed 426 grams and 24 cm for 21 weeks, I took a photo profile))))) the problem is the same pain in the lower spine, strength is gone even lying down does not always ease it, I have a fetus along the front wall of the uterus, I think this is the load to the spine, the stomach is big as in the month of 7-8, this is my third pregnancy, with the first two the fetus was on the back wall, and I ran up to 38 weeks no back pain, where there was nothing.

Inna Dragan: I have exactly 21 weeks today, a couple of days ago at the ultrasound they confirmed the correspondence of height and weight for this period and said that there would be a boy. But, to be honest, I knew this from the first minutes, there is a simple way to calculate: the age of the mother + the month of the conception and +1, if the pair comes out, then the girl, and vice versa, then the boy. For example: at the time of conception, I was 35 + 7 (July) + 1 = 43 boys. It works, checked on my friends and on my first son. Give it a try.

NLiberty:I have a term of 21 weeks. When our baby’s dad wants to listen to him, he gets a powerful kick in his ear ... A week later on the ultrasound. I really want a boy !!

Ksenia: hi girls! We are also 21 weeks old, I felt the shakes at 16 weeks, then active kicks started, now sometimes when I knock, I wake up at night. and my gynecologist says that it’s not shag, although I can’t compare it with anything else. she said that she began to move her hair for 20 weeks, I didn’t understand anything, but the child was clearly kicking his tummy, even daddy was feeling it. what do you think?

Malkina_Milka: I now have 21 weeks of birchiness))) The kid kicks with might and main)) So much fun !!!
I gained 4 kg. But everything goes only to the stomach. And the figure is almost NOT changing. They tell me that my stomach is now the same as some with such women walk)) And I remember how, at the beginning of pregnancy, I was looking forward to when the tummy begins to grow. And so, from the 16th week, he began to grow sharply))) In general, I want a big belly)))

Recommendations

Surely a lot of the list below is already familiar to you. Check yourself, see what to look for.

1. Your diet: fruits and vegetables, cereals and cereal bread, lean meat and fatty fish. No in-store drinks, soda, or fast food. Juices are freshly squeezed. Boil, bake or steam your food.
2. Eat a little and often. Do not overeat.
3. Avoid lack of sleep. If possible, sleep or just relax during the day.
4. Uncomfortable to sleep? Set up so that under your stomach and between your knees are small pillows. Well, if there is support under the back, for example, the wall of the room.
5. Wear shoes only on a small heel (or without it), on a low sole or wedge heel.
6. If there is a risk of hemorrhoids, wash the anus with warm water.
7. Contrast swelling of the legs to the knees in the evenings will help to cope with edema and dilated vessels on the legs.
8. Go in for sports: swimming in the pool or yoga. Go swimming in the river or the sea? Do not do it alone.
9. Sometimes it’s hard to deny yourself the pleasure of lying in a warm bath. Even if the doctor does not prohibit this, such a procedure should be short-lived - up to fifteen minutes.
10. If you are pregnant with twins, polyhydramnios or just a big tummy, you may need a prenatal bandage.
11. Little by little, start making a list of everything a baby needs. If you have many relatives, and they are already interested in what to give, a later list will help.
12. Walk every day, but don’t walk much. Settle down with a book on a bench in your favorite park or square.
13. There may be inconvenience in your sex life: the tummy is in the way. Choose such positions in which you and the partner will feel comfortable. Sex is forbidden if you have more than one fetus under your heart, lack of water, a low located placenta, or the threat of a miscarriage.
14. Do not make sudden movements. Even if it seems to you that you are full of strength, a sharp load can damage some ligaments.
15. If you now and then there is a desire to put your hand on your stomach, do not be shy about this gesture. Moreover - sometimes your relatives can repeat such a movement on themselves. It looks pretty funny, but actually speaks of a deep kinship between them and you. Empathize with you, and this is wonderful.

Take care of yourself and gain strength - there is still half of your pregnancy ahead.

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Video guide: 21 weeks of pregnancy what happens to the baby and mom, skin changes, swelling of the legs, emotions

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