23 Weeks Pregnant

-Starting Period for Uncomfortable Sleep!

By the time you are 23 weeks pregnant, the issues like stretch marks or skin discoloration become more specific and are the causes of concern for most of the first time mothers.

Along with stretch marks, your body will experience various additional changes when preparing itself for the planned pregnancy.

Sleep issues

It is the time for the mommy-to-be to relax and consider the effect your activity has on the baby. Since your tummy feels like a wrestling ground with the little one moving extremely often, it is a bit difficult for you to rest especially if the activity periods of the little one coincide with the moments you want to sleep.

Week 23 pregnancy symptoms and physical changes that occur in your body

23 weeks pregnant pictures

Pregnancy pillow to help you rest

Now, in 23 weeks pregnancy, you will feel very difficult to find adequately comfortable sleeping positions.

Specially designed pregnancy pillows give you a better chance to sleep through the night.

There are various designs, but you need to buy one which supports your belly and also a body pillow to place between the legs and under the belly to relieve from the discomfort that you experience throughout the night.

Weight gain and need for hydration

By week 23 of pregnancy, your gained weight is large enough to put pressure on your kidneys. The kidneys grow in volume due to the increase of blood flow and their activity is also increased in order to eliminate the excess water from your body.

In order to prevent edemas and help the process, you must hydrate yourself and be very careful to consume the right type of food

You, your body and your relationship

Your belly acquires the clear round shape and still you’ll experience wild mood swings. If so far you experienced headaches, they will disappear during this week. Try to include your husband in everything that is happening with you and your baby, as this will help your husband connect to the pregnancy as well as your baby better.

Baby movements

You can feel a squeezing sensation in your abdomen. Not to worry, your baby may be able to feel the contractions as the uterus squeezes.

Now that you are 23 weeks pregnant, you will be able to observe the ripples in your abdomen whenever your baby moves. If you find the contraction more painful, more intense or frequent, then you need to contact your health care provider. All these are the signs of preterm labor.

Fetal Development in 23 Weeks Pregnant

Care you need to take when you are in 23rd week of pregnancy

Preventing edemas

There will be some swelling in your feet and ankles because of the pressure due to the over-sized uterus on your pelvic veins. This swelling is usually called as pregnancy edema or ankle and foot edema during pregnancy. This slows the circulation of fluid to the lower half of your body.

From pregnancy week 23, don’t sit for longer hours in order to prevent the pregnancy cankles. Also, staying active is very much important.

Sit with your feet slightly elevated when you can. Edema is severe at the end of the day, particularly if you are standing throughout the day. Do not sit with your legs crossed for the position will aggravate the edemas.

More self care tips

  • Drinking lots of fluids is very important as dehydration can result in premature birthing.
  • Drink a glass of milk before going to bed so that you can get some relief from heartburn.
  • Avoid getting overheated because itchiness increases with overheating.
  • Make sure you keep a balance between the moments of activity and the moments of rest.

Changes that occur in the fetus when you are 23 weeks pregnant

By 23rd week of pregnancy, your baby is more than a foot length and weighs more than a pound. By now, your baby’s body proportions are pretty similar to a newborn but sans the body fat.

Skin and bones evolution

Your baby’s tiny taste buds start to develop and their bones continue to ossify. With 23 weeks pregnant ultrasound, you can observe complete formation of baby’s fingernails.

The tiny veins of your child are now visible through their translucent and wrinkly skin. The baby skin is red and wrinkled but this will be fixed after the baby will secrete fat.

Internal organs changes

Your baby’s lungs start to develop surfactant. This is the substance that helps your baby’s lungs to expand following birth. The pancreas which produces hormones is developing and the baby’s body has also started producing insulin.

The baby is sensing you

Now, your baby can hear very clearly as his/her hearing is well developed. The baby can hear your heart beating, your digestive noises and also your voice. The bones located in the baby’s ear begin to form by this time.

What happens in case of a premature birth now?

Your baby will start gaining weight and appear more and more proportional. If born prematurely the survival chances of your baby is roughly around 15%, therefore it is better that your baby completes its full term in your womb’s security.

There are fewer chances for the 23 week fetus to survive if he/she is born during 23-26 weeks of pregnancy. After 26 weeks, the survival rate increases to 80-90%. Various factors affect your baby’s chances of survival if he/she is born prematurely.

Safety tips for pregnancy week 23

Most of the women will get a doubt whether home birth is safe or not. If you don’t have any complications throughout your pregnancy and you have gone through excellent prenatal care, then you can safely consider home birth option. But, once talk with other parents and your health care provider.

If you have any of the below complications, do NOT consider the home birth option:

  • Multiple pregnancies
  • Placenta previa
  • Gestational diabetes
  • Active herpes simplex virus
  • Hypertension
  • Pre eclampsia or eclampsia
  • Premature labor
  • Any complications in your previous pregnancy
  • Abnormal positioning such as breech positioning

Get more information on what to expect when you are 24 weeks pregnant.

Image source: askamum

pregnancy week by week

23 Weeks Pregnant Symptoms

2 COMMENTS

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here