23 Weeks Pregnant

Baby’s Development

As your baby matures and starts to get a bit plumper, it starts to resemble the appearance of a newborn baby.
 Your baby’s skin is beginning to thicken and turn more opaque. It will also begin to get pinker as capillaries form. With her/his sense of movement well developed by now, all of your baby’s muscles are working and beginning to coordinate so you might even notice more definite movements rather than the fluttering feeling.
Blood vessels in her/his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing and a special substance is starting to be produced in the lungs in preparation for breathing air after birth.
Even though your baby’s ears aren’t fully functional until around 24 weeks, your baby hears your heartbeat, the gurgling sounds of your tummy and the sounds coming from the outside of the womb.
In the womb, the eyelids of your baby remain closed until about the 26th week. However, your baby is sensitive to light, responding with heart rate accelerations to projections of light on your abdomen.

What’s Happening For You

• You may notice now that you are gaining weight steadily each week, which is to be expected as your baby is growing and developing rapidly. You may still be feeling very energetic, or you may have started to feel your energy wane a bit lately. You may notice that your ankles and feet start to swell a bit in the coming weeks or months, especially at the end of the day or during the heat of summer.
• Sluggish circulation in your legs – coupled with changes in your blood chemistry that may cause some water retention – may result in swelling. You may be tempted to skimp on liquids to combat swelling, but you need to drink plenty of water because staying hydrated actually helps prevent fluid retention. While a certain amount of edema in your lower extremities is normal during pregnancy, excessive swelling may be a sign of a serious condition. Be sure to call your midwife or doctor if you have severe or sudden swelling of your feet, ankles or hands, swelling in your face, or puffiness around your eyes.
• As your uterus grows, it will put more and more pressure on your bladder. You may leak small amounts of urine from time to time. Urinary tract infections are also more common during pregnancy.
• Indigestion and heartburn might play a significant parts of your life when you’re 23 weeks pregnant. Your uterus is above your belly button now and pushing up against your stomach and your oesophagus. By the end of your pregnancy, you may have lost as much as 5cms of space in these areas.
• In addition, your progesterone levels are very high. High levels of progesterone cause the stomach to empty into the small intestine more slowly and delay the closing of the activity between the stomach and the oesophagus. This causes acids to build up in the stomach and back up into the oesophagus. In order to manage your symptoms, talk to your care provider.
• Around this time, you may notice the start of a dark line down the centre of your belly, called a linea nigra. It’s actually always been there, but pregnancy is causing hyper pigmentation that makes it noticeable. It will fade after baby is born.

Things To Consider

• Sticking to a balanced diet and moderate exercise will help you stay in a healthy weight range throughout the rest of your pregnancy. Avoid sugars and grains to help prevent extra weight gain and a diagnosis of gestational diabetes.
• Moderate exercise, like a walk for 20-30 minutes or swimming, will help you to have more energy throughout your pregnancy. It can also ease some of your aches and pains, while having the added benefit of helping you stay in a healthy weight gain range. Regular exercise keeps your upper leg and pelvic muscles strong and improves circulation, which helps prevent constipation, haemorrhoids, varicose veins, leg cramps, and swelling of the ankles. In the meantime, lie on your left side or put your feet up when you can, stretch out your legs when you sit, and avoid sitting – or standing – in one place for long periods. Also try to wear roomy and comfortable shoes.
• If you are experiencing indigestion, avoid eating right before bed, as lying down might make the symptoms worse.Spend some time bonding with your baby this week and communicate to your baby what’s in your heart – your hopes, dreams, and wishes for him/her. Keeping a diary during your pregnancy, might be something you could share later with your child. Take some time to listen to and relax to some piece of music, if you do this repeatedly, you might notice that your baby once born will recognize this piece of music and will be soothed by it.

Read more about what to expect next week.