21 Weeks - Pregnancy

Baby

By the end of this week, your little one will measure 10 ½ inches long and weigh about ¾ pound. His skin has changed from being translucent to opaque as the skin cells grow and stretch in preparation for the fat deposits, which will soon form under baby’s skin. If your baby is a girl, her womb and vagina are formed. She will have 6 million eggs in her ovaries decreasing down to one million, before she is even out of her own mother’s womb.

Your baby’s tongue is now fully formed and he is strengthening his muscles with movement. His bones are hardening nicely and his movements are much more coordinated now. He may be doing some gymnastics inside you at this very minute. Back flips and somersaults are entirely possible, and they are great practice for his leg and arm muscles.

Swallowing is becoming a steady activity with baby. After he takes in amniotic fluid, his body absorbs the water in the liquid, with the waste moving on into his large bowel. The digestive system is already at work!

As your baby grows, his wake and sleep cycles begin to form. Your activity level and eating patterns are normally what rules his, as he can now hear all that goes on around him. And when you eat and drink, he eats and drinks. It is now that you start to find out if you have a night owl or an early bird.

Mom

You can finally feel your baby’s movements this month. Starting out like a butterfly’s wings or a tickle from within, those kicks will soon feel like a soccer player, and your uterus will feel like a soccer ball. This week, you may feel some achiness along your lower abdomen and sides from stretching ligaments. With all that extra blood coursing through your veins, you may feel a faster heartbeat as well. Some pregnant women can feel their heartbeat without even trying, if they sit still.

Soon, the second trimester will be coming to an end, and you will feel your baby regularly. It is an exciting time, as you may want to start thinking about planning your nursery and making your shopping list for all the things you’ll need for baby.

MOM TIP: Although it’s tempting to start to buy the little baby clothes, especially if you find out the sex of your baby, hold off. Maybe pick out one outfit that you really love. Even if you register for certain things for your baby shower, everybody loves buying baby clothes. You will get tons of outfits for your baby. He probably won’t even get to wear a few. A wiser investment is to buy for him further on down the road. Many people don’t even think to get clothes for six months and up at a baby shower, except maybe another mom.

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PLEASE NOTE

This should be used as a general guideline and is for general information and educational purposes only. Please remember that all pregnancies develop at different rates. If you have questions about your baby's development, please contact your doctor or midwife.