Inside Your Body

You are gaining weight and so is your baby, who is gaining about 170g per week.  Your baby is now about 21.5cmand 560g.  He/she is putting on a lot of fat, and continues to develop his/her organs, bones, and muscles.  Your baby has hair on the head but you can’t tell the colour yet as it is white.  His/her hair will get its colour in due course.  Your baby’s face is almost fully formed.  Who does he/she look like?  It’s difficult to tell as yet.  And you will also find that even after birth, your baby’s looks will change as he/she grows older.

Your baby is also developing white blood cells, which will help to fight diseases and infections.

Your Signs And Symptoms

Unfortunately the usual complaints of backache, constipation, heartburn, dizziness, leg cramps and swelling, and bleeding gums will persist.  Your uterus continues to grow and will reach the size of a watermelon soon.  Your belly button continues to pop out further.  You may have more and more trouble sleeping as your tummy grows.

What Tests To Expect

At 24-28 weeks, many doctors advise expectant mothers to take a Glucose Tolerance Test.  This test involves giving you a glucosedose and checking your blood sugar levels after 1 hour to test whether you have diabetes. During pregnancy, blood sugar levels have a tendency to rise in order to provide sufficient nutrition to baby.  Some expectant mothers may develop diabetes.

Babies that are born to diabetic mothers tend to be large in size and may be difficult to deliver vaginally.  There may be risks of shoulder dislocation if force is used.  Normally, an ultrasound scan closer to the delivery date will give you some idea of the approximate weight of the baby at birth and changes in the birth canal at the later stages of labor further gives you an idea as to whether a vaginal delivery should be attempted or a C-section is preferred.