23 Weeks Pregnant

You are just starting your week 23 of your pregnancy and your tummy is moving all over the place. You baby’s movements continue to increase and as the baby grows, so does the intensity of how you feel when this happens. You will still have, pretty much the same symptoms that you had in the week prior such as: Itchy skin, stretch marks, and vaginal discharge as well. Lets take a closer look at what you can expect this week in your pregnancy.

Well, you pretty much know how you feel but what is going on with that little one that is inside of you? By the time you reach this point in your pregnancy, your baby’s teeth are starting to form just beneath the gum line and his or her body is becoming more proportionate. At the 23rd week of your pregnancy, your baby is approximately 8 inches in length from top (crown) to bottom (rump), and weighs just about 1 pound.

Your baby is moving muscles more freely such as the muscles in the fingers and toes and because of this, you will likely feel more intense movement in your uterus. You can most likely see the movement if you look down at your stomach when your little one is kicking and moving. Your baby’s features are starting to come together as the eyebrows continue to form, the lips become more distinct and the eyes develop more but are still without color. You baby will start to gain approximately 6 ounces each week.

One of the changes that you may see in yourself at this time in your pregnancy may be difficultly in sleeping. You will also have frequent urination as the baby continues to grow and put pressure on your bladder. You may notice that you now have more heartburn and indigestion, some people believe that this is do to the hair forming. Call it an old wives tale if you will, but women have sworn by the fact that the more heart burn and indigestion you have, the more hair your baby will be born with. With all of these symptoms, it is still important that you rest as much as you can.  You may notice that you are more irritable and have more anxiety and mood swings so rest can help to alleviate some of this.

If you are carrying twins or multiple babies, be sure to be familiar with what the signs are for premature labor. You want to also watch out for your water breaking (ruptured membrane) and a watery, yellow or bloody discharge. Be sure to contact your doctor if you are in doubt of what to look for and if anything seems out of the ordinary. It is important to keep your doctor up to date with your progress and symptoms.