20 Weeks Pregnant

Read about...

• Your Baby
• You
• 5th Month of Pregnancy Video
• Diary of a Daughter

Your Baby

Half way through! Congratulations!

At approximately 6.5 inches, your baby now weighs in at 10 ounces and will begin to gain weight rapidly and grow continuously without you even seeing it.

Other changes include the development of vernix caseosa, which is the protective, waxy skin covering which helps protect the baby's skin from being in the amniotic fluid all of this time and will serve an important purpose during the birthing process to help pass through the birth canal easily.

If you could peek inside of your belly you may even see the delicate eyebrows forming on your little one's face or the hair that is growing on the scalp.

Your baby is swallowing more this week as well as breathing in the amniotic fluid. This helps prepare your little one for the time outside the womb and helps the digestive system practice functioning.

Now that the ears are fully functional, your baby is now enjoying all of the uterine sounds that it hears each day, from your own heart beating to louder sounds from outside the womb.

If you want to test a baby training system, designed for babies-to-be, this is a perfect time to get started. Check out the most popular program here.

All of the other organs and structures are developed and ready so now is the time for your baby to grow and gain weight.

Some waiting parents will want to hear the heartbeat of their little one every day, and this can easily be done now with a regular stethoscope. This is a great way to get Dad involved in the growing process so that he can feel and hear the baby as well.

You

Simple breathing can become complicated now for some women, since the lungs are becoming more crowded as all of the internal organs are shifting to make more room for your baby to grow.

You may notice that taking deep breaths or becoming short of breath will only be a temporary problem until your baby drops into your pelvis before you give birth and will relieve the pressure on your organs considerably. "Temporary" is however quite a while - until week 36 or so... But you'll get used to it (promise)! Iron rich foods are extremely important during this time of your pregnancy since your baby needs the extra iron to make red blood cells along with many other developments. Lean red meat, poultry, fish, spinach and lentils as well as iron-fortified cereals can help add to your already healthy diet.

Eating a balanced diet will also help avoid anemia that can lead to low birth weight in your baby or premature delivery.

In addition, anemia makes you extremely tired. It can be a challenge even to walk up the stairs. If you do feel weak and tired, make sure you test your iron blood levels at your next check-up. Some degree of anemia is very common at this stage and the weeks to come and iron supplements may be needed.

You may have already gained anywhere from 8-10 pounds now, and can expect to gain anywhere from � to a full pound of weight per week now as your baby continues to flourish inside.

Other common pregnancy ailments during this time include frequent urination, heartburn, constipation or indigestion. These may be only slight right now and will increase as your pregnancy progresses, so be sure to get enough fluids daily to help prevent some of these annoyances.

Some women will talk to their health care provider about natural treatments available to them during this time to help alleviate constipation or heartburn, as well as other problems that arise such as dry, itchy skin.

For your skin, if it itches or is dry, try Bella B Tummy Honey Butter It helps!

5th Month of Pregnancy Video

If seeing is believing for you; watch this video explaining the fifth month of pregnancy in pictures and words.

Instructions: When watching the video clips, start the videos by clicking the small arrow down to the left, not the large one in the middle of the screen. If you're using Internet Explorer as your browser and the video doesn't start, try clicking twice on the small arrow.

Diary of a Daughter