16 Weeks Pregnant

One of the most extraordinary moments during your pregnancy will be those when you`ll start to feel your baby moving. This usually happens at most women between the 16<sup>th</sup> and 20<sup>th</sup> week. The baby`s movement is felt by the mother who senses a small agitation in the stomach. Some women may not feel anything yet, but this isn`t any reason for concern.

Mother`s Health

During this week of pregnancy it may be required to do a prenatal test to detect any possible issues with the baby, if there are any. Amniocentesis is a test recommended for women with ages over 35 years old, especially for those who have a history with issues when giving birth, but Lamaze.org doesn`t recommend this test because there are some risks that come with it. This test might show possible chromosomal defects that may appear. At this point, minor infections or colds are often encountered because the immune system of the mother is rather weakened. Although these minor ailments aren`t a cause for concern, other more severe ones, such as rubella or chickenpox might affect your pregnancy or the healthy development of your baby. Still, it`s also important the moment during the pregnancy when they appear.

Your doctor could recommend you some tests like an ultrasound, AFP, triple test or amniocentesis to verify the full development of the baby. It`s best to discuss with your doctor certain issues you may experience such as the round ligament signs or premature labor and its causes. Also, you could sign to a prenatal course to be better informed or to a course exclusively about giving birth to learn how to approach your pregnancy and the way you`ll give birth.

Your body produces a lot of blood and your blood circulation might make your face “shine.” This may also be related to the large production of hormones which makes as the specific glands to produce more fat leading to a specific glow of your skin. If is necessary, you could use products to clean your skin, especially if you may experience pimples.

16 Weeks Pregnant: The Development of Your Baby

The baby has around 17.5cm and 160g. The fetus has now enough space in the uterus and it he`ll take advantage of this plenty, starting to move around more and more. The little one will now also start to close his fists and kick with his feet.

During this stage of the pregnancy, the baby reacts at strong light be placing his hands in front of his eyes. The fetus starts to develop fat on his skin, this having an insulating role. – Click this link!

The baby and placenta has now just about the same size. This genital organs are now completely developed and an ultrasound will detect the child`s sex. His head and neck are now straight up and by using a special device you can hear his heartbeat. Regular chest movements indicate that now the baby is able to breathe under water, inhaling and exhaling small amounts of amniotic liquid.

The baby will now start to grow nails and his legs will become longer than his arms. His urinary and circulatory systems are also starting to function more efficiently at this point.

Changes in your Body during this Week

During this week is the ideal period of time to check if your baby is healthy. One of the tests you can do is AFP which determines if the fetus has Down syndrome or spina bifida. The test is harmless and is done by using a blood sample taken from the mother.

The mammary glands will start to produce and is possible for your breasts to become more sensitive than usual and maybe to swell. The veins on the beasts will become more visible along with the increase of blood flow towards them. The pains you may feel during pregnancy may be caused by the changes in body shape that you are suffering and of the extra weight. You may also experience back pain and is possible to sometimes feel worthless and more prone to falling. Is also possible for the skin around your breasts and stomach to stretch too fast due to rapid weight gain which could also lead to stretch marks. This is a great period of time to exercises sleeping on side because sleeping on your back will place the uterus above some important blood vessels which can lead to a decrease in blood flow towards the baby. It`s also recommended to use additional pillows for support.

What to Expect

Your face has started to shine and is possible to get a lot of compliments about it. However, this change is caused by the increase of blood flow in your organism. This is the period when you start feeling better now that your hormones have stabilized, and your dizziness and morning sickness has disappeared. Some women have already started to feel their baby kicking, but most of them will be able to enjoy this moment of happiness later. Is possible that most women who are about to become mothers for their first time to not realize their baby is moving until their 20^th week of pregnancy.

The way the baby is moving is different from one case to another. The risk for a miscarriage decreases drastically after the 14^th week of pregnancy when you begin feeling a lot better. If by any chance you started to gain more weight than you were suppose to, you could start a diet rich in fruits and vegetables and to do daily physical exercises.

On the other hand, if you don`t manage to gain sufficient weight to sustain your pregnancy, you could add to your diet some nutrients, dense foods, or healthy fats coming from dried fruits. You could also begin consuming a milkshake a day made from fresh fruits to increase the number of calories that you consume. More than that, to ensure a steady increase of your weight, you could get a small snack between your meals every now and then.

Regular visits to your doctor so he can check how your pregnancy is evolving are an absolutely necessary.