We continue with our Pregnancy Review week by week entering the week 21 of pregnancy, seeing the changes that occur in the baby and the mother in this week, which in turn marks the beginning of the second half of pregnancy.
You are in the fifth month, in the second trimester of pregnancy. The typical inconveniences of the first months have been left behind, since your belly is notorious, but it is not too heavy yet, which allows you to move freely. The size of the uterus is above your belly button and your baby is already very active.
Changes in the baby in the 21st week of pregnancy
In the week 21 of pregnancy (i.e. 19 from conception) the baby measures about 25 centimeters from head to toe and weighs around 350 grams.
It already moves vigorously inside your gut making you notice with kicks, stretches and turns It does inside the uterus, where it still has room to move comfortably.
It moves around 50 times per hour, but the moment you notice more movements is when you lie down to rest, especially if you have eaten before, the baby is activated. During the day, when you are also on the move you cannot feel them so much.
Just as he has moments of intense activity, the baby also takes long naps. If you could see him through an ultrasound you would observe that he adopts very peculiar positions, with his hands on his chin, sucking his finger, with his chin on his chest ...
Even if you are awake, you still stay with your eyelids closed all the time. It will be a little later when you finally open your eyes for the first time.
As a curiosity, you can keep track of your baby's movements making a weekly table, there are even mobile applications to do so. But you don't have to become obsessed either.
Changes in the mother in the 21st week of pregnancy
Although most of the pregnant women have already lagged the typical discomforts of the first months related to the initial hormonal revolution such as nausea, vomiting and tiredness, in the second trimester other types of discomfort such as back pain, constipation, hemorrhoids, cramps appear and palpitations.
As its size grows, the uterus displaces other organs such as intestine, heart and lungs causing its functioning to be affected in slower digestion, heartburn, palpitations and breathing agitation.
The woman's spine also undergoes changes in pregnancy. It moves slightly, causing back pain, vertebral or cervical and sciatica, which occurs when the sciatic nerve becomes inflamed due to weight overload.
To combat pain, take care of your posture, practice moderate exercise, wear appropriate shoes, rest, walk and avoid sitting for a long time.
Another thing that is affected in pregnancy is sleep. You may have strange dreams that seem so real that they get to distress you. It is normal that as childbirth approaches you feel concerns about caring for the baby, the responsibility of being a mother, and that is also reflected in your dreams.
This is, in general, what happens in the baby and in the mother in the week 21 of pregnancy. In the following posts we will continue with our journey through Pregnancy Week by Week.
Next week: week 22 of pregnancy
Photos | Raelene Gutierrez and Graham and Sheila on Flickr
