4 months and 2 weeks
2nd Trimester
22 more weeks to go
Relaxin is on the job! Unfortunately, we don't mean "relaxing”, though that is what mum must be craving for now. During the second trimester, your body releases relaxin, a hormone that (true to its name) loosens the ligaments that grip the bones. Of course, this is all in preparation for the delivery, and especially useful for pushing out the baby's head. But, at the moment it can cause an achy pelvis and hips — and maybe even bigger feet! The baby’s face and head are taking shape. The facial features and ears are moving into place. At this 18-week mark, the baby has a working digestive system, as well as a light coating of hair all over their body that’s called lanugo.
चतुर्थे मासि स्थिरत्वं आपद्यते गर्भः, तस्मात्तदा गर्भिणी गुरुगात्रत्वं अधिकं आपद्यते विशेषेण। (चरक शारीरस्थान)
Ayurveda says the mother starts feeling heavier in this month due to initiation of the fat deposition process and foetus attains stability.
This week, the baby is developing a unique characteristic: fingerprints. Pads of fat accumulating on the fingertips and toes will turn into those characteristic whorling lines.
The tiny digestive system has been developing over the past few weeks and now, the baby swallows amniotic fluid, which makes its way through the stomach and intestines. That fluid will combine with dead cells and secretions in the intestines to form meconium — a black, tarry substance that will pass as the baby's first stool. Your baby will need bile to digest nutrients, and at 18 weeks, the gallbladder may begin to work.
Around this week, your baby’s ears will begin to stand out from both the sides of the head and are likely to hear sounds, too. He might hear your heartbeat or your tummy gurgle. He might hear loud sounds outside the womb.
At this point, your baby's nervous system is maturing rapidly. A network of nerves, now covered with a substance called myelin that helps speed messages from nerve cell to nerve cell, are forming more complex connections. The connections in the brain are further developing into the ones that serve the senses of touch, taste, smell, sight and hearing.
Your baby’s skeleton continues to harden during the 18th week of your pregnancy. His leg bones and inner ear bones are the first to ossify (harden).
Your heart has to work harder: about 40 to 50 percent harder than it did before you were pregnant. In addition, there is the growing pressure of the expanding uterus on blood vessels. These can make you feel dizzy occasionally, particularly when you get up quickly. Be sure to rest frequently. Lie down on your side when you feel faint or dizzy. Low blood sugar can also lead to dizziness. Resting, lying down on your side, or eating a piece of fruit will help boost blood sugar levels and settle dizzy spells.
Pregnancy hormones affect gums,ligaments, bones in your mouth. Loosening of teeth is common, so don’t panic, just plan a dental check-up.
An increase in a group of hormones called androgens can cause the glands in your skin to grow and produce more sebum which is an oily , waxy substance. This oil can clog pores and lead to bacteria, inflammation, and breakouts leaving spots on the face.
You feel dizzy due to the pressure of growing uterus on veins in the back of your abdomen which reduce the amount of blood going to your heart.
Most women first feel their little one's movements around 18 weeks. Your baby is still tiny so don’t expect a big kick! It will feel like a butterfly fluttering.
.png)
This is the month when the baby starts developing taste-buds. Eating a wide variety not only adds the needed nutrition, it also helps the baby to get accustomed to different tastes. If you eat bitter gourd now, you will be making the baby fond of it, too! Well, with some luck!
Iodine, calcium and iron-rich foods, and foods high in folic acid, such as leafy greens and citrus fruits. If you crave sweets, eat fresh fruit instead of cakes or processed sweets. Avoid high-calorie and fried foods. Overweight women with a BMI of 30 or above run a higher risk of developing gestational diabetes.
Fermented foods (like idlis) are good for your gut microbiome.
Unless you are allergic to nuts, do eat them so that they build your baby’s immunity.
iMumz provides micro nutrients week by week for your daily dose of nutrition. Diet charts and recipes are made by mothers to give your daily dose of health for your baby and you.
Most women first feel their little one's movements between 16 and 20 weeks. Your baby is still small, so at around 18 weeks pregnant, it'll be more of a gentle flutter than a forceful kick in your belly.
iMumz has a team of doctors working round the clock to prepare a rich repository of such tips.
Craving for salty foods means you’re having a boy. Craving for sweet foods indicates a girl is expected.
Research shows that cravings have nothing to do with determining the sex of a baby. Cravings can be a sign of things your body needs, for example wanting to chew ice can mean a low-iron level. But they aren’t a gender predictor.
Anxiety episodes are common in pregnancy and are experienced by more than 50% of pregnant women. But, if it is chronic, and ongoing anxiety, it poses risks to both mother and foetus and increases the risk of postpartum depression.
It exposes the foetus to excess glucocorticoids, which can lead to preterm labor, low birth weight, and lower Apgar scores. In the long run, the baby can have stress-related behavior, emotional instability, and hampered cognitive abilities in adult life.
Meditation provides you a peaceful environment in which you and your baby can bond before it's born. There are various meditative practices that you can adopt:
Bond with the Baby by making your body calm and relaxed so that it sends across good hormones.
.jpg)
The award-winning iMumz App is helping 350,000 + women make their pregnancies healthier and happier.
The rich text element allows you to create and format headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, images, and video all in one place instead of having to add and format them individually. Just double-click and easily create content.
A rich text element can be used with static or dynamic content. For static content, just drop it into any page and begin editing. For dynamic content, add a rich text field to any collection and then connect a rich text element to that field in the settings panel. Voila!
Headings, paragraphs, blockquotes, figures, images, and figure captions can all be styled after a class is added to the rich text element using the "When inside of" nested selector system.
