20 Weeks of pregnancy

You have been waiting for this moment for weeks, you are in the twentieth week of pregnancy and your gynecologist will perform another ultrasound in which, among other things, it will tell you, if you still do not know it, the sex of your baby. The fetus is getting bigger and in future scans you can

You have been waiting for this moment for weeks, you are in the twentieth week of pregnancy and your gynecologist will perform another ultrasound in which, among other things, it will tell you, if you still do not know it, the sex of your baby. The fetus is getting bigger and in future scans you can only see it in parts, take this moment to ask your doctor about everything that worries you or about what you are curious about.

What happens in the 20 weeks of pregnancy

In week 20 of pregnancy, the growth of the abdomen is one of the most significant and visible changes of pregnancy. In the twentieth week of pregnancy, your uterus has grown to the level of the navel. The uterus is a pear-shaped muscle that houses the baby throughout the entire pregnancy. It increases ten times its weight throughout the pregnancy, from 60 or 80 grams to 1000 or 1200 grams.

After childbirth, the uterus returns little by little to the pre-pregnancy state, it will take a few months to recover the figure, it has been many weeks of stretching and that your body returns to its being will not be immediate.

You may feel dizzy when getting out of a chair or bed quickly, it is due to drops in blood pressure and is called hypotension. It is normal to suffer from this dizziness in the second trimester of pregnancy and you could start to feel it now that you are in your 20th week of pregnancy.

You may not support the smell of certain perfumes or you may find the odors of some foods unpleasant. During pregnancy, olfactory hypersensitivity usually occurs. Do not worry, your smell will be the same when you give birth.

Development and evolution of the baby in pregnancy

Your baby is 18 weeks old, measures around 22 centimeters and weighs between 300 and 330 grams. Its skin, covered with a wax-like layer called vernix caseosa, becomes thicker. He is able to hear the sounds that come from the outside and those of your own body such as your heart or your breathing. Many moms choose to play tunes to their babies or classical music since there are studies that indicate that they are very receptive to certain sounds.

The lungs continue to evolve but still would not be able to function outside the mother's womb. This week you will have an ultrasound of week 20 of pregnancy. It is one of the most desired by pregnant women since they are discarded or diagnosed possible malformations and also, if you want you can know the sex of your baby. This ultrasound is usually done in 2D, however, some private centers opt for 3D and 4D. The doctor will tell you the size of your baby, your approximate weight and you will hear the beating of your heart.

Health and emotions during pregnancy

Most pregnancies are considered low risk and the pregnant woman lives this stage in good health and without major problems. However, there are pregnancies called high risk because there are complications for the mother or the baby: pre-eclampsia, gestational diabetes, placenta previa, rupture of membranes, obesity, history of birth with congenital defect.

In all these cases the pregnancy will be followed by the doctor more frequently in consultation and other additional tests could be recommended. Gynecologists often recommend high-risk pregnancies rest, diet follow-up or medication treatment.

All the changes you have experienced from the beginning until now, in the twentieth week of pregnancy, can increase your stress level. If you are stressed you may notice irritability, anxiety, heart palpitations or more predisposition to get colds.

It is important that you are calm, there are studies that say that the mother can transfer stress to the baby, so you should take a more calm rhythm of life, rest, perform breathing and expiration exercises to calm down, share your worries with family members and with the couple or doing physical exercise. You might feel a pain in the lower abdomen, specifically in the round ligament, is caused by the growth of the uterus as the ligaments lengthen and thin produce this discomfort. Try to rest or change position to relieve pain.

Diet and diet for the pregnant woman

Vitamins are very important throughout pregnancy

as they will help the baby's development and growth. If you have a balanced and varied diet including all the food groups, and you eat between 2 and 4 pieces of fruit a day, you cover the necessary supply of vitamins. You should know that the B vitamins are basic to the functioning of the brain. Your baby's building bones will also need you to get enough calcium throughout the 40 weeks of gestation. If you do not, the baby will absorb your calcium reserves and you could have health problems such as osteoporosis or your teeth could suffer from decalcification.

You should take about 1200 mg of calcium daily that you can get if you drink around

a liter of milk a day . If you find it difficult to drink so much milk a day, you can alternate it with yoghurts, cheeses and even other products such as hazelnuts, almonds or nuts.You may be suffering from the uncomfortable burnings of pregnancy, try not to make copious meals, do not go to bed immediately after dinner and chew food well.

Curiosities in week 20 of pregnancy

If you have a normal pregnancy and the doctor has not contraindicated you, you can have sex throughout the pregnancy. The baby is protected inside the uterus and surrounded by amniotic fluid and you can not cause any harm.

If in week 20 of pregnancy you notice that your nose or gums bleed more frequently than before pregnancy, do not worry. Your blood volume is much higher, however, if bleeding is abundant, check with your gynecologist.

Friends or family members always ask the same questions when they learn about pregnancy: what name will you put? Do you prefer boy or girl? Where will you give birth? You may prefer not to answer some of the questions, but do not feel overwhelmed, explain naturally that you prefer to keep that part for you and your partner.