22 Weeks Pregnant

When being 22 weeks pregnant, you`ll feel relatively comfortable and you`ll found yourself at around half of your pregnancy. You probably already started to like the idea of being pregnant and you might began making yourself plans regarding your future birth and your baby`s development. You started to gain weight and you passed over your morning sickness and all those other symptoms from the beginning of your pregnancy.

Keeping a Health Pregnancy

A future mother needs to take certain measures of precaution during pregnancy. First, she must avoid smoking and drinking during her entire pregnancy. The child is developing very rapidly during the first trimester. This period is essential for a healthy development of the pregnancy and child. That`s why the mother needs to be very careful. A woman needs to prepare both physically and mentally for her pregnancy and needs to adopt a healthy lifestyle. There are a lot of physical and emotional changes that take place in the body of a woman during pregnancy.

She needs to take care of these problems by advising herself with the family, friends or medical experts. A well balanced diet, a good set of physical exercises and an optimistic attitude will help the future mother to maintain a positive state during the entire pregnancy that will ensure the health of her baby.

22 Weeks Fetus

During this period, the baby gains weight which is around 430g to 450g, and has a length of 27cm. The baby is now similar to a newborn, with one small difference – for the moment the fetus is a lot “thinner” because he doesn`t have all the layers of fat fully developed. Although the little one gains weight constantly, his skin is still wrinkled and his body is in constant development.

All the baby`s organs are also in constant development. His liver has started to produce various enzymes which are needed to break down the bilirubin. This is produced as a result of the red cells being broken down. The fetal red cells have a shorter life and the fetal production of bilirubin is automatically larger. The bilirubin from the fetal blood reaches the placenta, then passes into the mother`s blood, and then the mother`s liver eliminates the bilirubin. Also, the baby is developing constantly.

At 22 weeks of pregnancy, the baby has lips and eyes completely shaped. The iris, which is the colored part of the eye, exists but it doesn`t have any color. The eyelids and eyebrows are also well formed. His teeth have started to form and they are able to be seen under the gum line. The baby`s brain is also developing very fast during this period, as his sensory system. The brain has already developed a large network of neurons and the baby`s starting to discover the sense of touch. The baby is now able to explore his body by touching his face and moving his arms and legs to feel what`s around him.

If the baby is a girl, the ovaries and future eggs are already developed by now, and the uterus is already formed.

22 Weeks Pregnant: Symptoms

You`ll start noticing a few physical changes! The initial pregnancy symptoms include increases in the hormone levels of the body, accentuated sensitivity of breasts, bleeding, abdominal cramps, pain, pelvic discomfort, morning sickness, vomiting, irritability, fainting, constipation, nausea, headache, food cravings, etc. All pregnancies are unique in their own way, so every woman will feel these symptoms differently. Some of them will have accentuated symptoms, while others may not feel any pregnancy sign.

The initial symptoms of nausea and vomiting can decrease in the future stages of pregnancy, although in some cases they might continue until the end of the pregnancy. During this period, the most obvious changes are the weight gain and increase of breasts and belly.

The volume of blood increases significantly in the organism, and this phenomenon is visible especially in the inferior part of the body, which can lead to vaginal bleeding. Some women will experience hemorrhoids and rectal and anal bleeding. Also, from now you`ll start feeling the baby more easily.

What to Expect?

There`ll be lots of physical and emotional changes during pregnancy and you need to start learning how to deal with them correctly. It`s best if you also start adopting a healthy lifestyle to be sure you`ll experience a pregnancy without problems and give birth to a healthy child.

The diet also needs to be carefully chosen – it needs to include nutrients, vitamins, iron and calcium. But it also needs to be combined with breathing exercises and walking. Last but not least, you need to remember that during your entire pregnancy you must have a positive attitude.

In other words, talking with your family, friends, life partner or doctor is very important. This way you`ll be able to found out more about the stuff that`s worrying you. It`s also essential to visit your doctor regularly for medical examinations, including tests related to anemia. Because you already started to gain weight, it`s very important to check if the development is healthy.

The 22 weeks pregnant belly will continue to grow, so it`s best if you are using creams to prevent stretch marks. Also, be very careful with your personal hygiene. It`s better to pay attention to what you are eating and avoid constipation, and if you are experiencing hemorrhoids, take measures of precaution in advance.

A pregnancy is a unique experience, so keep a positive attitude and take care of both you and your child.