Pregnancy Week 18 - Increased Belly, Increased Appetite And Complex Balancing Act

The pregnancy week 18 ensures that the most apparent of pregnancy symptoms become real.

You love to eat a lot and your appetite goes beyond your control and sooner you will observe an enlarged belly.

Don’t worry about this, all these pregnancy side effects will disappear after 40th week of pregnancy. At present, eat and enjoy the life.

By this time, it is better to sleep on your side; otherwise it puts unnecessary pressure on your pelvic veins. Here are the changes that take place in you and your baby during pregnancy week 18:

What are the physical changes that occur in your body during pregnancy week 18?

Still you can enjoy a lot with your little one’s kicks inside your belly. If you have strong abdominal muscles, you are obese or your fetus is hiding, then you may fall on the late end of scale. If this is the first pregnancy for you, then you cannot observe the fetal movements as early as in successive pregnancies.

You will feel that now your uterus is just below your bellybutton. Definitely, you should be showing a bit by now. Most of the pregnant women will gain the weights anywhere between 10-15 pounds. By this week, your uterus is about the size of a small melon.

From this week onwards, you may feel uncomfortable while sleeping, because of the increased size of your belly. So, it is better to lie on your left side, especially during the third trimester of your pregnancy. With this, you can prevent the compression of a vein in your body called as inferior vena cava. This is the vein which is needed to return your blood back to your heart.

The capillaries under your skin on your face will increase thus causing you to look flushed. Also, your hair may look little thicker, may gain a curl, or may become thin. You will find that whatever the type of hair, it usually becomes worse i.e., dry hair becomes even drier.

The production of more melanin during this period causes to appear dark patches of skin on random parts of your body. They can be treated soon after the birth.

Remember one thing that as your weight increases, there is also an increased production of blood for both you and your baby. Finally, this condition leads to decreased blood pressure.

When you stand up quickly or when you step fast movements, you can feel slight dizziness or lightheadedness. This condition is completely normal during your pregnancy, but it doesn’t mean that quick jumping is also acceptable during the pregnancy.

What are the changes that occur in the fetus during pregnancy week 18?

• By this week, your baby is about the size of 6 inches in length and weighs about 7 ounces.
• This is a big week for your baby’s skin development. Now there are two skin layers in your baby’s skin: one is epidermis and the other is dermis.
• At present, the baby’s skin is totally covered with a waxy, greasy or cheese like substance known as vernix caseosa. This substance can greatly protect your baby’s skin from head to toe from abrasions, chapping and bruising due to the exposure to amniotic fluid. Also, it will be very difficult for the baby to come out from the birthing canal at the time of delivery without vernix caseosa.
• By the end of this week, if the baby is a girl, she will have a developed uterus and vagina.
• If the baby is a boy, his prostate gland develops.
• Most of the baby bones become harden or ossify into the form of a bone instead of rubbery cartilage. The bones in the clavicles and the legs are the first to ossify.

Fact for pregnancy week 18:

Earlier, there was one out of 100 women who had experienced multiple gestation. But now, the number becomes one in 50 because of the greater use of fertility drugs and also the procedures like in vitro fertilization.

Maternal age at the time of pregnancy is also a cause for multiple gestations. But, there is no need to worry. Twin pregnancies are also safe and there are no major complications. But, twins can arrive few weeks earlier than normal pregnancies.