20th Week Of Pregnancy

Baby development: How is your baby growing when you are in 20 Week Pregnant?

At 20 weeks, your baby now has perfectly formed ears and is able to hear sounds from inside and outside your body. Studies have shown that she’ll learn to distinguish your voice from other people’s long before she’s born, and be soothed by it after the birth. All the major structures of your baby’s body are now formed, from her major organs right down to her fingers, toes and facial features. From now on, her main job is to pile on the pounds. She’s already roughly half the length she’ll be at birth. The next eight weeks will be your unborn baby’s most active time. She’s in full control of her movements, and has enough space inside you to move freely. She’s even developing her own daily routine, with periods of sleep, activity and quiet but alert wakefulness.

20 Weeks Pregnant: baby and body development

By week 20, your baby-to-be is gearing up for the next phase in his development—filling out. His organs are getting into their proper places. His kidneys are now in position with their familiar bean shape. His testes (or ovaries for girls) have reached their position. His brain continues to form and grow. His teeth are beginning to appear, and he can swallow. If you haven’t been able to feel him move, chances are you’ll be feeling him move more and more over the coming weeks.

Wow! Did you know…

At 20 weeks, your baby is growing hair. Many babies lose their first hair soon after birth, but the hairline she develops in the womb will be hers for life.

Body changes and symptoms during 20th week of pregnancy

You’re halfway through. You have around 11 ounces of amniotic fluid inside you and your heart is pumping an incredible 2 gallons of blood every minute. Hormones relax and dilate your blood vessels to cope with this increase in blood flow, without raising your blood pressure.

Your Body changes during 20th week pregnancy

Changes in your hormone levels and circulation mean you’re more prone to varicose veins in pregnancy. Try to sit with your legs uncrossed and your feet raised, keep mobile and, if you’re on your feet all day, consider wearing unsexy but oh-so-comfortable support tights. But sharp pain and swelling in one leg could, in rare cases, be a sign of deep vein thrombosis (DVT). Although this is uncommon, you are more at risk in pregnancy, so always get it checked out by your doctor or midwife.

What to do during 20th week of pregnancy.

Sex and more sex! Remember that unless you’ve been advised against it by your healthcare provider because of bleeding or risk of miscarriage, sex is fine, a good stress reliever and a great way to “touch bases” with your partner. Don’t feel up to it? That’s OK, too. Read Sex and Pregnancy and remember that cuddling is a good thing, too.

Kickin’ It You’re finally comfortable in your maternity clothes —your protruding baby bump proudly declaring you’re going to be a mom, soon. In fact, you’re halfway there! By now you’re feeling your unborn baby wiggle and kick—which may be caused by your baby experiencing hiccups. Along with your progressing pregnancy, you may also notice more aches and pains. Your lower back and abdomen may be sore from your growing belly. Heartburn, indigestion, and flatulence are frequent as your expanding uterus allows less space for your stomach. Swelling, called edema, may make your hands and feet uncomfortable, too.

The Big Ultrasound This week you’ll get a sneak peak at your unborn baby! At 20 weeks, most physicians request that you receive an ultrasound to determine that your baby-to-be is developing normally, that your due date is accurate, and—if you’re interested—whether there are pink or blue baby booties in your future.

Ultrasound Basics Ultrasound is a safe, relatively comfortable procedure that gives physicians more information about your developing baby. An ultrasound technician will apply a topical gel to your abdomen so that the high-frequency sound waves can travel easily through your belly. The technician then moves a transducer, a handheld device that looks something like a grocery store scanner, around your abdomen, sending sound waves as it goes. These waves, once translated through the ultrasound machine, generate a picture.

The ultrasound technician will take several measurements of different parts of your unborn baby’s body to make sure her development is on track. Don’t be surprised if you’re asked to arrive for your ultrasound with a full bladder. A full bladder constricts your baby-to-be’s wiggle room, making for easier imaging. But because things are so crowded in there, the ultrasound technician may have to prod your unborn baby into resituating so that all the measurements can be made. With a full bladder and pressure from the transducer on your abdomen, the ultrasound may be slightly unpleasant—but don’t worry, the pictures will be worth it!

The ultrasound usually lasts around 30 minutes. Depending on the office where you receive your ultrasound, you may be able to receive a recording of the session or at least several pictures to show off your baby-to-be. Not all lab offices offer recordings of the ultrasound for moms-to-be so call beforehand to check what the lab offers. You can also ask if you can take home a picture or two.

Your baby’s gender: In most cases, your ultrasound technician will be able to tell you if you’re having a girl or boy. If you don’t want to know, tell the technician before you begin so that you don’t inadvertently see or hear something you shouldn’t. (Try your hand at predicting Baby’s gender with any Gender Predictor!) For those women who do want to know the baby’s sex, the results are usually accurate. Usually. The accuracy rates for determining your unborn baby’s gender by ultrasound are about 80 to 90 percent.

Keep in mind, the ultrasound technician needs to get a clear picture of your unborn baby’s “parts” to be certain. For girls, the technician will be looking for three small lines between her legs indicating the female labia. For little boys, the technician will be looking for a developed penis and scrotum. Be forewarned—some babies do not cooperate for this look at their private parts and wiggle and squirm to the point that the technician may not be able to say with any degree of certainty whether you’re having a boy or a girl.

Is ultrasound necessary? While the 20 week ultrasound is traditional, it’s not necessary. “There’s no advantage to performing an ultrasound if a woman’s pregnancy is otherwise normal and healthy,” explains Dr. Joanne Motino Bailey, PhD, CNM. “While it has become standard practice, there’s no medical evidence that shows that performing standard ultrasounds improves a baby’s outcome.” That said, Dr. Bailey points out that most mothers find the ultrasound to be a comfort, getting a chance to finally see their unborn babies. In other countries, such as Japan, many women receive an ultrasound at every office visit, notes Dr. Bailey. This is also the case for many moms experiencing high-risk pregnancies, were trips to the ultrasound technician may occur once or twice each week.

At your ultrasound, you will be given a printed photo of your baby: your baby’s first photo! Now would be a good time to shop for a special baby book in which to keep those precious photos.  

Content provided on this site is for educational purposes only and should not be considered as medical advice, diagnosis or treatment.