Your belly is growing daily, and chances are you’re struggling to see your toes over that bump. By now your little champion has perfected the Karate Kid kick and you can feel him move around. You can probably also start getting a good sense of when they’re having a snooze and when they’re awake. Have you started counting your baby’s kicks? It’s important that you count them everyday. You should be experiencing 10 movements within an hour or two. If you don’t, have a light snack and wait for the sugar rush to kick in which should spike movement. However, if you feel that movement is less than it should be, do not hesitate to call your doctor. They may just be having a lazy day, but it’s much better to be safe than sorry.
Your Baby
Your bay is now weighing around 1.14kg, about the size of a broccoli (no wonder you can’t see your toes when standing.). Your baby stretches out about 39cm long from head to toe. At this stage, your little one is continuing to fatten up, and allowing their muscles and lungs to mature. Their head is also growing bigger to make way for their enquiring mind. The skeleton will also harden this trimester, which means 250 milligrams of calcium will be deposited into their bodies daily to help this process along, so be sure to drink your milk moms!
Your Body
Along with the usual aches and pains, you may also be developing varicose veins. They pop up because of the increased blood volume during pregnancy, coupled with your growing uterus putting pressure on your pelvic veins (and lets not forget relaxin which is causing your veins to chill out a bit). They’re fortunately not harmful to you or your baby, but we understand you may be feeling down about their appearance on your once gorgeous and perfectly smooth legs. They should fade once your little one is born.
Sensible Tips
- Make sure your bags are packed for the hospital and that the nursery is just about complete.
- You should be planning your baby shower over the next weekend or two (don’t leave it for too much longer).
