Whats Going on With a Baby at 20 Weeks

What'due south happening in my body?

You lot may have your bibelot browse this week. The sonographer will be checking your baby's development and will besides examine your placenta (that's the pancake-shaped organ that feeds your baby and removes waste).

Yous might find yourself being woken up at nighttime past sudden abrupt pains in your calves. It'southward probably cramp, which is mutual in pregnancy and caused by muscular spasms. Rub the musculus hard or pull your toes upwards towards your ankle. Exercising more in the day could help you avoid this and you lot could effort these human foot exercises.

Whooping cough jab

Whooping cough is on the rise – but you can protect your babe from this dangerous condition by having a vaccination. The NHS recommends that all pregnant women should take the jab, ideally between 16 and 32 weeks. The immunity that you get will exist passed on to your infant through the placenta and and so offer protection until the routine jab that most babies take at 2 months. Notice out more about the whooping cough vaccination.

Your Maternity Document

Ask your doctor or midwife for a Maternity Certificate, likewise known as a MAT B1 course. It's issued from 20 weeks onwards, and you lot'll need it to claim maternity pay and benefits.

Second trimester pregnancy symptoms (at 20 weeks)

Your signs of pregnancy this week could include:

• tiredness and sleeping problems
• stretch marks
• swollen and haemorrhage gums
• pains on the side of your belly, acquired by your expanding womb (known as "round ligament pains")
• headaches
• nosebleeds
• bloating and constipation
• indigestion and heartburn
• sore breasts
• leg cramps
• feeling hot
• dizziness
• swollen easily and feet
• urine infections
• vaginal infections
• darkened skin on your face up or brownish patches – this is known as chloasma or the "mask of pregnancy"
• greasier, spotty skin
• thicker and shinier hair
• symptoms from earlier weeks, such as forenoon sickness, weird pregnancy cravings, a heightened sense of scent, mood swings, a white milky pregnancy discharge from your vagina and light spotting (seek medical advice for whatsoever bleeding)

Tommy's, the babe charity, has a further listing of mutual symptoms.

What does my babe wait like?

Your baby, or foetus, is effectually 25.6cm long, which is the size of a banana. Measurements are now taken from caput to heel. In earlier weeks, babies are measured from the head to the bottom because the legs are curled up and difficult to see. Your baby weighs around 300g. That'south approximately the weight of 3 apples.

Your babe is now covered in a white, greasy layer of "vernix". Information technology'due south thought that this protects their fragile pare from drying out in the amniotic fluid. This slippery layer also helps babies to make their mode down the birth canal.

Your infant will be getting more agile each day. Also every bit kicking, punching and turning around, your babe could be sucking their pollex – this develops their sucking reflex, which they'll demand to feed once they're built-in.

You may start to feel a bubbles or fluttering in your belly – this could exist your baby moving around.

Action stations

This week you could:

You don't have to tell your employer for several more weeks, only every bit soon as you do, you volition have motherhood rights and tin can attend antenatal appointments during paid work fourth dimension. Yous can as well ask for a take chances assessment of your work place. If yous want to wait, the latest you lot can get out it is 15 weeks before the baby is due, which is around week 25. Information technology will probably exist rather obvious by then anyway!

It's a good time to tone up those muscles "down under". Gentle exercises tin assistance to prevent leakage when you laugh, sneeze or cough. Get the muscles going by pretending that you're having a wee and stopping midflow. Visit Tommy'southward for more than ideas.

Ask your midwife or doctor about online antenatal classes – they may exist able to recommend one. The charity Tommy's has lots of useful data on antenatal classes and preparing you lot for nativity.

Ask your partner if they would similar to take part in the antenatal classes. Even if you've had children before, they're even so worth going to as you can run into other parentshoped-for. The NCT offers online antenatal classes with small groups of people that live locally to you.

We can unremarkably become enough vitamin D from sunlight, only between Oct and March it'southward best to take a vitamin D supplement every twenty-four hour period. Only 10 micrograms is all you demand (it's the aforementioned for grown-ups and kids). It'due south worth checking if you're entitled to costless vitamins.

It's recommended that pregnant women practise 150 minutes of exercise throughout the week. You could start off with merely x minutes of daily exercise - peradventure have a brisk walk outside. Cheque out Sport England'due south #StayInWorkOut online exercises (scroll to the pregnancy section). Listen to your body and practise what feels right for you.

Don't eat for two! Consume for y'all. You don't need any extra calories until the third trimester, which starts in calendar week 28. Try to eat healthily, with plenty of fresh fruit and veg, and avoid processed, fatty and salty foods. You may exist able to get free milk, fruit and veg through the Healthy Start scheme.

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Source: https://www.nhs.uk/start4life/pregnancy/week-by-week/2nd-trimester/week-20/

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