Pressure’s on! Have you found the perfect baby name yet? It seems like parents-to-be either come up with baby’s name quickly and easily, or agonize over it all the way up until the birth.
Your baby at 21 weeks
Your baby now weighs about three-quarters of a pound and is approximately 10 1/2 inches long – about the length of a carrot. You may soon feel like she’s practicing martial arts as her initial fluttering movements turn into full-fledged kicks and nudges. You may also discover a pattern to her activity as you get to know her better. In other developments, your baby’s eyebrows and lids are present now, and if you’re having a girl, her vagina has begun to form.
21 Weeks Pregnant Is How Many Months?
21 weeks pregnant is 4 months and about three weeks. Now that you’re more than halfway done with month five, you’re a majority of the way through your pregnancy!
21 WEEKS PREGNANT BELLY
This week, you may look in the mirror and wonder, “Where did I go?!” By the time you reach 21 weeks pregnant, you may have gained around 13 to 14 pounds, and around 21 pounds if you’re 21 weeks pregnant with twins.
21 WEEKS PREGNANT SYMPTOMS
Here’s what you might be feeling at week 21 of pregnancy:
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Heartburn and/or indigestion:
Avoid spicy and greasy foods and other triggers. If the source of your discomfort is a mystery, keeping a food diary could help you figure it out.
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Braxton Hicks contractions:
Your uterus might occasionally feel tight as it practices for labor. This is totally normal as long as the contractions go away when you switch positions. Let your doctor know about any pain or contractions that don’t stop.
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Bloating and wind:
An uncomfortable and sometimes embarrassing symptom of pregnancy, bloating and wind is caused by increased pressure on the oesophagus from your growing uterus. Your hormones also cause your digestion tract to slow down which causes the build-up of wind and bloating. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do about it because you don’t have the same control over your muscles in pregnancy. If you are suffering particularly badly from bloating and wind you can talk to your GP or midwife about what treatments you may be able to take to help to ease the symptoms.
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Leaky boobs:
Your milk ducts will be fully developed by the end of this trimester—just in case of an early arrival.
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Skin changes
Skin like everything else can be affected by your pregnancy, and there are a number of changes you may notice. You may notice more spots than usual and some can appear like acne. These are hormone related and should disappear once your baby is born. Some women can suffer with itchy or sensitive skin particularly around the bump where your skin is stretching. Stretch marks are a common skin change pregnant women notice and although they should fade somewhat after your baby is born. Other skin changes include the visibility of broken veins on the skin, changes in skin colour including brown patches of hyper-pigmentation or the brown line down your bump (Linea negra).
