Inside you grows a little man, who weighs almost 150 grams. Its length is approximately 14 centimeters from the crown to the tailbone. He is busy with a constant stirring, which you probably already felt. Ears already took the final position and even protruded.
How the baby grows
If this is a girl, by the 18th week her fallopian tubes and uterus have already formed, and if this is a boy, his genitals are already noticeable.
The development of the cerebral cortex is not interrupted, the nerve cells are constantly divided, gyruses and furrows begin to appear. By the 18th week, all organs of the endocrine system are already functioning. It is from this period of pregnancy that the fetus begins, if necessary, to compensate the mother for all the missing hormones. All because the fruit in abundance begins to produce them.
The skin of the baby is still quite tender and transparent at this time, it forms small folds, and through it blood vessels are visible, which makes it seem bright red.
The gestation period is 18 weeks : how do you change
That's when you need to feel clothes for pregnant women. The uterus reaches the navel, and as a rule, by that time, you should add a little weight, about 4-6 kilograms.
A little tip: to sleep on your back during pregnancy is not worth it, the uterus can squeeze the lower vein and block the outflow of blood from the heart. It's already impossible to sleep on your stomach, so you'll have to resort to all sorts of tricks, such as a pillow under your leg or side and all that sort of thing. The pressure usually starts to drop a little, do not stand up sharply, just to not fall. And often I want to sit down, lie down. If you still go to work, then you need to choose the moments to sit down, and if there is a possibility, then lie down, finding convenient places for this. 10-15 minutes is enough.
Constant exercise at 18 weeks gestation
This is an important exercise that must be done throughout the pregnancy. The benefit of it is that it will make it possible to bring the uterus and bladder as quickly as possible after delivery. Also relaxing the muscles during exercise, you can learn how to give birth through the birth route during childbirth.
How to do the exercise? Sit on a chair, feel that the main burden is not on the sacrum, but on the pelvic bone. Then you need to squeeze the muscles of the perineum and pull them up. And so try to keep at least 10 seconds. After this, a slow relaxation. Perform the exercise should be about 5-10 times three times a day.
Important about the bladder
Often urination is one of the signs of pregnancy. Getting up at night several times in the toilet will be throughout the pregnancy. And inflammation of the urinary tract - cystitis, this is probably the most common disease of pregnant women. And it can appear at any time. Prevent the disease can be. This can not be tolerated, with the first urge to empty the bladder. And it is also good to drink cranberry juice, it perfectly prevents infection by its oxidizing action. If nevertheless it was not possible to protect yourself, then at the first signs it is necessary to seek help from a doctor, otherwise the disease threatens to turn into pyelonephritis, which is more dangerous. All this is not a joke and any failure in health can cause premature birth. Therefore, with such diseases, you need to take all the measures for a speedy recovery.
If the back hurts
Such pains are familiar to all women who were once pregnant. And the pain can begin already quite at week 18, but if you're lucky, you can feel them a little later, when the weight gain will be more significant.
The nature of pain is varied. It may just be an ache, but there may be a sharp pain. It happens that a woman can not get out of her chair. All this is caused by the fact that the uterus grows and shifts, you have to sag quite heavily, which in turn affects the sacrum. Also on the background of hormonal changes the joints become more mobile, which is also reflected by an ache in the back.
Relieve pain through heat, rest and safe analgesics. A special bandage, sold in pharmacies, can help, it supports the muscles of the back. If the pain is severe, then it's just necessary to see a doctor.
18 week of pregnancy: what can I do?
Of course, look for some courses, next to your work or home and sign up for them.
What to ask the doctor if the gestation period is 18 weeks?
You can ask about the risk of multiple pregnancies. The difference between such a pregnancy and singleton is significant, there are many more kinds of complications. It can be anemia and polyhydramnios, and premature birth, and bleeding, even diabetes can develop.
Complications from the fetus may be as follows: wrong fetus position, placental abruption, delay in fetal development and even mortality.
For information ... In single-pregnancy, the fetus is considered termless at 37 weeks, with double at 36, if triplets, then it is possible to give birth in 33.5 weeks, and when four babies are simultaneously, then 31 weeks.