Fifth Month

Only 4/5 more months to go!

9 months, 40weeks, 280 days….and we are just flying through!

Week 18

Hopefully most have now reached the point that nausea/morning sickness has subsided. For me I am definitely feeling much better and not so nauseous everyday. You might be feeling a bit more lightheaded when standing up or if you make sudden movements. With baby’s movements a growing you might get some pressure up into your ribcage. All of your organs are being pushed up, because of this you might get shortness of breath or a winded feeling. Take things slow and definitely talk to your midwife or OB if it becomes and issue.

Week 19

My favorite week only because baby is now the size of a Pygmy Hedgehog. With my first two we had a pet Hedgehog named Lagertha, at this point on my pregnancies I took a belly photo with her. This time around, unfortunately we don’t have her anymore.

Photo from Ovia Pregnancy App

This week you might notice your belly bump is starting to actually look like a baby belly instead of just the bloated look. If this is your first, you still might not look pregnant until later depending on your body type and those who have children already you might already look very pregnant. Every bump develops differently. Some pregnant people also can develop dark spots on their face called Chloasma. It’s commonly known as a pregnancy mask. This does fade away after delivery but it’s good to make sure you protect your face by moisturizing and using sunscreen. Other parts you might notice change are the colour and size of your nipples. This is to help baby find and latch onto your nipple for breastfeeding. Many also can start feeling soreness or tingling around their breasts or nipples. Again this is all about milk development and the start of colostrum coming into production.

What is baby working on this week? Well, some of you might start to have heartburn and that can be due to little hair growing all over the baby’s body. This is to help protect baby’s body and help a waxy white substance called Vernix Caseosa to stay on babys body. It does fall off mostly before birth and some have little bit of this hair on their back or face when born which will eventually fall off. Vernix helps keep baby’s skin moisturized, protecting it from the amniotic fluid and it also helps when baby is ready to descend down the birth canal.

Week 20

Woah, we’re halfway there!

This week we went in for our second ultrasound. This is when they do a detailed scan of the baby. Making sure everything looks like it’s going well and checking all the boxes. At this point you can also find out the anatomy gender of baby. Many choose to find out as a way to narrow down names, start getting the nursery ready or like us give your partner a way to be more apart of your pregnancy.

Elder Baby #3

For baby this is the week that finishes most of the growing of human features. Eyelashes, eyebrows, hair and if you are having a boy then his testicles will be become part of his scrotum. From this point on most will be concentrating on getting bigger and working on movements. All those kicks and pushes you will be feeling is all part of development.

Week 21

My favorite movement that I started noticing is hiccups. Baby is drinking and peeing as well as working on producing meconium. That’s right baby’s first poop takes almost 20 weeks (give or take) to produce! For those who don’t know what meconium is, well your in for a surprise. It is a tar like substance which is your newborns very first poop.

I found this week I am much more snappy with my older children, I believe it is due to being very tired and wanting to nap. Unfortunately my oldest doesn’t nap anymore so that makes things harder for mom this time round.

I had my third midwife appointment this week and it was mainly talking about the last ultrasound and getting ready for the next set of tests. More blood work to see iron levels, test for Gestational Diabetes, blood type, and a bunch of other little things to help make sure everything is going well. Since I am planning a home birth this time we also discussed plans and what we will need. I am RH negative and my husband is RH positive so I have to make sure I receive the RhoGAM shot. This is first given at 28 weeks gestational and then again after the birth of baby.

Week 22

Kicking up a storm for me! I love this part of pregnancy and also hate it at times. Having those little moments of reinsurance that baby is growing and doing well plus some bonding moments for myself and my older children with our baby. Downside is some of those kicks definitely hurt. Depending on the baby’s position you might feel down in your abdominal area or up closer to your ribs. Lucky this week baby is still nice and small so it’s not as bad. All the movements are due to your little one working on those motor skills when they are awake. They like to touch anything and everything they can possibly get their hands on. If you get an ultrasound done during this time you can catch them touching the umbilical cord, their face, feet, other hand and if your having a boy their penis. Baby also likes to sleep about 13hours a day so at least you get a break for awhile. Eye colour is also starting to be determined in these next week’s. Babies are born usually with dark or bluish eyes but then show their true colour after a week or so depending on the actual shade. We have a 99% chance for blue eyes as we both have blue and our other two children have been born with blue eyes. I actually have my fingers crossed for green, but that’s only a .5% chance.

What’s happening to you this week? Well if your like me the horrible swelling fingers and feet might be starting. I am lucky that it isn’t a large amount for me but I don’t always get to wear my wedding rings or favorite pair of boots. If you do get a lot of swelling please talk with your healthcare provider. It can be a sign of a few problems but it can also just be the way your body reacts. Some tips to help or at least what helped me:

Some tips to help or at least what helped me:

• Enjoy warm baths with Epsom salts

• Soak feet in warm water and Epsom salts after being on them for long hours

• When you sit try and elevate your legs even just a bit can help.

• Get your partner or a professional to massage your feet, legs and hands

Some tips that also can work:

• Use compression socks

• Get regular prenatal massage

• Avoid heat

• Avoid high levels of caffeine

• Avoid high levels of sodium