Fetuses are only human. Just like us, they have “up” days, when they feel like kicking up their heels (and elbows and knees), and “down” days, when they’d rather lie back and take it easy. Most often, their activity is related to what you’ve been doing. Like babies out of the womb, fetuses are lulled [...]
Between midnight bathroom runs, a racing mind, cramping legs, heartburn that’s keeping you upright, a hopped-up metabolism that’s keeping the heat on even when it’s off, and the impossibility of getting comfortable when you’re sporting a basketball in your midsection, it’s no wonder that you can’t settle in for a good night’s sleep. While this [...]
Join the club, Pregnant bellies are itchy bellies, and they can become progressively itchier as the months pass. That’s because as your belly grows, the skin stretches rapidly, becoming increasingly moisture-deprived—leaving it itchy and uncomfortable. Try not to scratch, which will only make you itchier and could cause irritation. Moisturizer can temporarily curb the itching; [...]
Between your overloaded mind and your bulging belly, you probably have enough trouble catching those z’s without leg cramps cramping your sleeping style. Unfortunately, these painful spasms that radiate up and down your calves and occur most often at night are very common among the expectant set in the second and third trimesters. No one’s quite sure [...]
It will probably be business pretty much as usual at this month’s checkup. As you end your second trimester, you can expect your practitioner to check the following, though there may be variations, depending on your particular needs and on your practitioner’s style of practice: Weight and blood pressure Urine, for sugar and protein Fetal [...]
As always, remember that every pregnancy and every woman is different. You may experience all of these symptoms at one time or another, or only a few of them. Some may have continued from last month, others may be new. Still others may be hardly noticed because you’ve become so used to them. You may also have [...]
Your Baby This Month Week 23 . A window into your womb would reveal that your baby’s skin is a bit saggy, hanging, loosely from his or her little body. That’s because skin grows faster than fat develops, and there’s not much fat to fill that skin out yet. But don’t worry – the fat [...]