You have crossed the first half of your journey by reaching week 21! As your baby looks bigger and stronger at this stage, you can now definitely feel the kicks and nudges from your little one.
The size of the baby
The size of the baby at this stage resembles a banana.
Weight/height of the baby
The height of your baby at this stage is around 26.6cm when measured from head to toe. The weight of your baby during this stage is around 400 grams.
About your baby
Your baby is rapidly growing and developing in order to stay healthy in the outer environment. The liver and spleen of your baby are working effectively in order to produce enough blood cells for the fetus. The fetal movements are very rapid, now can identify all the changing positions of your baby during this stage. The limb movements of your baby become coordinated during this stage because the cartilage tissue becomes hard over the bones and neurons to control the movements of the limbs. The grasp and sucking reflex of the fetus have developed properly. The taste buds of your baby are well-developed and your little one can now ingest the amniotic fluid.
About your body
You’ll start feeling discomfort and clumsiness during this stage so consider wearing loose clothes thorough pregnancy especially after 20 weeks. You might feel anxious and excited at the same time and that’s because you are four months away from delivering the baby! You might see stretch marks and rashes over the stomach to keep your skin moist and hydrated with oils and emollients in order to keep the skin moisturized.
The symptoms which you might experience during week 21 include:
Increased appetite, bloating, increased flatulence, back pain, acne, varicose veins, UTI’s, Braxton hick’s contractions along with others.
Do & Don’ts / Advice / Checklist / Tips
• Start the consumption of fibrous foods if you experience constipation.
• Consume fresh fruits and vegetables in order to stay healthy.
• Keep yourself hydrated at all times by consumption of an increased amount of water.
• Avoid eating for two as it’s just a myth, you need only 300 extra calories each day for providing nutrition to the baby.
• Get enough calcium in your diet
• Evaluate your weight in order to avoid excessive weight gain
• Stay safe by avoiding excessive physical activities
• Visit the dentist in order to take care of the dental health