Last 26th of July, I reached my 23rd weeks! My little girl and I are both getting bigger every day. :) Lately, she's been so active inside my tummy. I always feel her move especially after I eat and when I lay down in bed. At times, she's having some hiccups, too! Really just one of those wonderful moments of being pregnant. It's always like the first time! I love the feeling, it's priceless! 💖
Let's take a peek on what's happening this week:
Inside the Womb at 23 Weeks
Photo courtesy of Babycenter
Photo courtesy of The Bump
Photo courtesy of The Parent
Photo courtesy of Your Baby Library
Child length: approximately 11.4 inches (about the size of a grapefruit)
Child weight: 1.1 pounds
At this stage:
At 23 weeks, premature babies have a chance to survive. Your baby is almost a foot long, and is finally able to be weighed in pounds! This week marks the beginning of some serious weight gain. Your baby should double his weight over the next four weeks alone (and you may feel as though you do, too). And baby's not just getting bigger, he or she's getting even cuter and starting to look more like a baby.
Your cute little 23-week fetus’s face is fully formed. His skin is a bit saggy since it grows a lot faster than fat, but soon he’ll start to fit his frame as fat deposits fill things out. By the time your baby is born, he will be pleasantly plump and filled out, from chubby cheeks to chubby toes. Your baby's lips are more distinct, and her eyes may flutter open occasionally, though she won't really open them fully until the 7th month. Also, baby's forming little nipples (yeah, really!) at this stage.
Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.
Her other organs are almost in full gear. Her pancreas can now produce insulin and makes more if she's exposed to high levels of blood sugar in your body. Her brain is still growing rapidly inside her skull, which has four plates that aren't completely closed to allow for that brain growth. Even after birth, these skull plates won't be completely joined, because the human brain triples in size during the first year of life.
Billions of brain cells will develop in your baby's brain over the next couple of weeks. These will control all of your baby's movements and sensory, and basic life functions like breathing. Also around this time, some major changes are happening with your baby's lungs. Surfactant is being produced, a substance that enables the air sacs to inflate and the lungs to fully expand. Right now he's still breathing amniotic fluid, but when he's born he'll be ready for air.
This week your baby is so busy that it feels like she's walking around in your belly. And guess what? That's exactly what she's doing, pushing her feet against the uterine wall in preparation for taking those first steps alone. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. You may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes.
At 23 weeks pregnant, baby movement probably feels pretty cool and it’s always a comfort knowing baby’s in there wiggling around. If you pay attention, you’ll get to know your 23-week fetus’s routine: baby’s less active when he or she is sleeping and a kung fu master when he or she’s awake. Some parents even swear their newborns kept similar routines after birth as they did in utero. So, if your kicker is keeping you up at night, consider this a warning!
Your Body
23 WEEKS PREGNANT BELLY
23 weeks pregnant is five months. Can you believe you and your 23-week baby are starting on month six?!
A typical 23 weeks pregnant belly measures about 21 to 25 centimeters from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus. (That’s the fundal height.) At 23 weeks pregnant, you’ve probably gained about 12 to 15 pounds.
That baby of yours sure needs a lot of nutrients. As she uses more and more of the vitamins and minerals passing through your body, you might need an extra dose. That's why doctors sometimes prescribe iron supplements, in addition to your prenatal vitamin, during the second half of pregnancy. The extra boost may help reduce your risk of anemia, a condition in which your body doesn't get the 30 milligrams of iron it needs every day to produce enough red blood cells; this can trigger symptoms like serious fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, and dizziness.
While you’ve kissed first trimester nausea and fatigue good-bye, you’re dealing with the discomfort that 23 weeks pregnant symptoms can bring. This can include:
At 23 weeks, premature babies have a chance to survive. Your baby is almost a foot long, and is finally able to be weighed in pounds! This week marks the beginning of some serious weight gain. Your baby should double his weight over the next four weeks alone (and you may feel as though you do, too). And baby's not just getting bigger, he or she's getting even cuter and starting to look more like a baby.
Your cute little 23-week fetus’s face is fully formed. His skin is a bit saggy since it grows a lot faster than fat, but soon he’ll start to fit his frame as fat deposits fill things out. By the time your baby is born, he will be pleasantly plump and filled out, from chubby cheeks to chubby toes. Your baby's lips are more distinct, and her eyes may flutter open occasionally, though she won't really open them fully until the 7th month. Also, baby's forming little nipples (yeah, really!) at this stage.
Blood vessels in her lungs are developing to prepare for breathing, and the sounds that your baby's increasingly keen ears pick up are preparing her for entry into the outside world. Loud noises that become familiar now such as your dog barking or the roar of the vacuum cleaner probably won't faze her when she hears them outside the womb.
Her other organs are almost in full gear. Her pancreas can now produce insulin and makes more if she's exposed to high levels of blood sugar in your body. Her brain is still growing rapidly inside her skull, which has four plates that aren't completely closed to allow for that brain growth. Even after birth, these skull plates won't be completely joined, because the human brain triples in size during the first year of life.
Billions of brain cells will develop in your baby's brain over the next couple of weeks. These will control all of your baby's movements and sensory, and basic life functions like breathing. Also around this time, some major changes are happening with your baby's lungs. Surfactant is being produced, a substance that enables the air sacs to inflate and the lungs to fully expand. Right now he's still breathing amniotic fluid, but when he's born he'll be ready for air.
This week your baby is so busy that it feels like she's walking around in your belly. And guess what? That's exactly what she's doing, pushing her feet against the uterine wall in preparation for taking those first steps alone. With her sense of movement well developed by now, your baby can feel you dance. You may be able to see her squirm underneath your clothes.
At 23 weeks pregnant, baby movement probably feels pretty cool and it’s always a comfort knowing baby’s in there wiggling around. If you pay attention, you’ll get to know your 23-week fetus’s routine: baby’s less active when he or she is sleeping and a kung fu master when he or she’s awake. Some parents even swear their newborns kept similar routines after birth as they did in utero. So, if your kicker is keeping you up at night, consider this a warning!
Your Body
23 WEEKS PREGNANT BELLY
23 weeks pregnant is five months. Can you believe you and your 23-week baby are starting on month six?!
A typical 23 weeks pregnant belly measures about 21 to 25 centimeters from the pubic bone to the top of the uterus. (That’s the fundal height.) At 23 weeks pregnant, you’ve probably gained about 12 to 15 pounds.
That baby of yours sure needs a lot of nutrients. As she uses more and more of the vitamins and minerals passing through your body, you might need an extra dose. That's why doctors sometimes prescribe iron supplements, in addition to your prenatal vitamin, during the second half of pregnancy. The extra boost may help reduce your risk of anemia, a condition in which your body doesn't get the 30 milligrams of iron it needs every day to produce enough red blood cells; this can trigger symptoms like serious fatigue, weakness, shortness of breath, and dizziness.
While you’ve kissed first trimester nausea and fatigue good-bye, you’re dealing with the discomfort that 23 weeks pregnant symptoms can bring. This can include:
2. Braxton Hicks contractions
3. Backaches
4. Bleeding and/or swollen gums
Thanks be to God, so far at this point I am just experiencing the third one listed above. Ever since this pregnancy started, I have been experiencing lower back aches which is situated just at the lower left part of my tailbone. I feel it when I get out of bed. Overall, I'm feeling good at this stage! 😍
Days left to birth: 121 days left (57% of your pregnancy is completed)
Due date: 23 November 2017
Data Sources: Babycenter, The Bump, What To Expect, Parents.com, Due Date Calculator (YourDueDate.com)
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