Following on from our previous post, looking at the first trimester of pregnancy, our follow up post looks at the second trimester.
Week 14
The 14th week of your pregnancy heralds the start of your second trimester. At this stage, you baby is starting to straighten out and is roughly the size of your fist. During this week your baby will begin to sprout some hair, although the color is not determined until they have been born. In fact, babies grow downy hair all over the body, called lanugo, which is meant to keep your little one warm. This is likely to disappear before birth!
Week 15
At this stage of your pregnancy, your little one is the same of a navel orange, and grower bigger by the day! The face is becoming more defined, with the ears reaching their proper positions on the side of the head and the eyes are moving to the front of the face. Although you won’t feel it just yet, your little one is moving around resting out their little arms and legs, as well as practising vital activities such as swallowing, breathing and sucking.
Week 16
At the 16th week of your pregnancy, your little one will weigh 3 to 4 ounces and be 4 to 5 inches in length. The muscles in the head are developing and becoming stronger, meaning that they are now capable of making a few facial expressions, as well as making small side-to-side eye movements, although the eyelids are still sealed shut. At this stage, the tiny bones in your little one’s ears are now in place meaning that it is likely that they can hear your voice, so make sure to talk or sing to your bump as often as possible from this week on!
Week 17
Your baby is now the size of your palm and weighs approximately 5 or more ounces. Your little one’s heart is now regulated by the brain and is singing to the tune of 140 to 150 beats per minute. Also in this week, your baby will begin to develop their own unique set of fingerprints!
Week 18
Around this week, your baby will have grown large enough to be able to feel them move around in the womb. The fetus will be roughly 5 ½ inches long and weigh about 5 to 6 ½ ounces! At this stage, your little one will master the art of yawning and hiccuping, which you may feel in the womb! Your baby is also developing its nervous system, creating nerves and even the connections in the brain which serve the 5 senses.
Week 19
At week 19, your little one is roughly the size of a large mango. At this stage of your pregnancy, your baby is developing a waxy substance on the outside of their skin called Vernix Caseosa. This protects your little one’s skin from the amniotic fluid in the womb, helping to prevent you giving birth to a wrinkly baby!
Week 20
Well done, you’re at the halfway point and this means that it’s time for your 20 week scan, and this is where you can find out if your little one is a girl or a boy! If you are having a boy then at the moment his testicles are beginning their descent, although they are still in the abdomen as the scrotum has yet to develop fully to accommodate them. If you are having a girl, then her uterus is fully formed and the vaginal canal is being to develop.
Week 21
In the 21st week, your baby’s tastebuds begin to develop. They begin to swallow a bit of the amniotic fluid on a daily basis not only for hydration and nutrition, but also to practice swallowing and digesting. What you eat during this time, affects the taste of the amniotic fluid, and research has found that babies who were exposed to certain tastes in utero, were more eager to eat foods with that taste once born. So, if you want your little one to eat their veggies, get eating yours now!You will also start to feel more movement from your baby from this week on, as they are becoming more coordinated and their muscles are getting stronger.
Week 22
At week 22, your baby will be the size of a small doll and is roughly the one pound in weight! During this week, your little one’s grip, vision and hearing are getting much stronger. They can hear your heartbeat and your voice, as well as being able to perceive light and dark.
Week 23
From week 23, baby begins to double their weight – a process which takes about 4 weeks. Also, at this time it is possible to hear your little one’s heartbeat with a stethoscope!
Week 24
At this point, your little one’s face is nearly fully formed, complete with eyelashes, eyebrows and a head of hair. Your baby’s hearing is also developing and becoming more acute as they can hear air exhaling from your lungs, they can recognize yours and your partners voices, and even dogs barking and other very loud noises.
Week 25
During this week, your baby’s lungs are developing and getting ready to take their first breath. The nose and nostrils are also developing and starting to work during this week. Although, they are just taking practice breaths at the moment, they are getting ready to take their first breath. Their sense of smell is also developing, so your little one may be able to smell various scents in utero this week.
Week 26
At the 26th week, your little one will open their eyes for the very first time. If you shine a flashlight onto your bump, your baby will kick in response! Also this week, your baby’s brain-wave activity is developing, meaning that not only can your baby hear noises, they can also respond to them!
Week 27
At this week, your baby’s hearing is developing even more, so take the opportunity to read, sing or talk to your baby. Also this week, your partner may be able to hear your little one’s heartbeat if they press their ear to your stomach!