18 Weeks Pregnant

18 weeks pregnant is how many months? Is the 5th month or the 2nd trimester

What to Expect at 18 Weeks Pregnant

Pregnancy is the most long-awaited moment in life of any woman. And the period in 18 weeks of pregnancy is insignificant, but during this period in womb of the woman the little human forms. It develops, very quickly aiming to enter our world quicker. And if to think about it, 18 weeks is almost a half of all term to meeting with your long-awaited miracle.

At the child joints and bone tissue already become stronger, therefore, fingers can be bent. During this period the child hears the mother, reacts already to sounds which it hears from the outside world, and sometimes it is even frightened.

If the child is frightened, you have to calm him, talk to him, tell him the fairy tale, stroke the tummy, and he will feel you and know that his mother is here, and you can defend him.

During this period nothing but the only thing that your uterus changes in your organism. And it will be inconvenient to you to sleep therefore try to pick up pose, convenient for you, on one side, or with pillow between feet. In this case be not afraid to experiment, for your personal convenience.

18th week of pregnancy is the beginning of the second trimester, on this term the woman feels a long-awaited kid, his pushing even more strongly, the woman perceives that as kiss which the kid gives to the mother. And the woman waits for this kid with great patience, and especially its first scream.

What Happens and What Does Baby Look Like

On this term the fetal has fast development, it has legs, hands, generative organs are created, even on fingers there are prints, such which are inherent only to him.

Fatty tissue and brain, immune system forms, all necessary components develop to fight against different viruses and infections which get to mother's organism.

The kid reacts to light which he gets through mother's stomach though his eyes are closed yet. Your kid well distinguishes sounds therefore it is the period is good to start talking, reading, singing songs, it is desirable that the child's father also carried out these procedures, even then, when mother already sleeps.

There is forming of rudiments of molars which are hidden under milk teeth. The kid learns how to swallow amniotic water which will pass further through kidneys of the kid and will leave in the form of urine. Amniotic liquid which gets to the food highway, influences development of the alimentary system of the kid.

Length of the kid makes 14 cm and he average weighs about 200 g. For the 18th week the kid freely moving legs and hands, nothing is disturbing to him, at the expense of it there is development of muscular system and development of brain of the kid. Your kid conducts active life at you in stomach, simply you do not feel it so far.

Feelings and Symptoms

18th week of pregnancy gives to the woman new feelings when the child very actively behaves in stomach. Often many women do not feel the kids, and worry about it. Simply time has not come yet, or you have not understood that it was the push.

Some confuse pushes to gases which go on the backbone. Generally pushes are felt badly by women with excess weight, and thin women and women at whom it is the second pregnancy perfectly feel everything. All women different and pregnancy at all proceeds differently too.

As soon as you began to feel pushes, pay attention to their frequency, the child has to give you signs 4-8 times an hour, and if the kid too active, that, most likely is not enough oxygen for him.

Don't worry, the main thing during this period is to spend in the fresh air more time, deeply and often breathe, you can even register in occupation of yoga for pregnant women where they will teach you how to breathe correctly. And at childbirth these occupations will be useful to you, there too it is necessary correctly to be able to breathe that the child has at the time of delivery received necessary amount of oxygen.

Tummy

On this term you cannot hide the tummy anymore, it has considerably grown up. The people surrounding you will already begin to notice your stomach is rounded. The woman thus gains strange gait, reminding the goose one. Therefore there is load of backbone, and to avoid that, it is necessary to select suitable clothes for pregnant women which will support stomach, and will not squeeze.

18 Weeks Pregnant Belly Pictures Showing

Images: big bellies at 18 weeks 1 days pregnant.

Uterus

But together with pleasure, that you feel the kid, the uterus falls 2.5 cm below navel by the 18th weeks of pregnancy, thus the woman can feel pressure upon navel. You can feel how the uterus very actively increases in size.

For a start lower palm below your navel on 2 fingers, it and is uterine fundus, and it has appearance of small melon. At first you will constantly feel it, the uterus will simply grow on hours.

18 Weeks Pregnant Signs of Miscarriage

The threat of miscarriage at week 18 is a vaginal bleeding that occurs within a few days or weeks. Blood loss can vary greatly. If the bleeding has started, it is important to consult with a doctor in a timely manner. Over time, when the pregnancy progresses in the body of the mother, increased blood production occurs for the child nutrition.

Sudden loss of a certain amount of this blood and sometimes getting severe pain may be the cause of the miscarriage. The threat of termination of pregnancy can lead to a miscarriage, though, if the symptoms are stopped in time and turn to the doctor, then the pregnancy can be successfully saved.

Also signs of miscarriage include pelvic cramps, abdominal pain, or back pain. With these symptoms, the woman should inform the doctor about them. Another sign of miscarriage is blood clot of grayish masses from the vagina. Conclusions: The miscarriage may be dangerous up to 22nd week of pregnancy. If there are any doubts you must see a doctor.

Ultrasonography

The second ultrasonography takes place during the period about 18-22 week of pregnancy. On this ultrasonography they check the child from heels to the top of the head, check for any defects in fetation, like Down syndrome and finishing with heart disease. Measure all bodies and parts of body of the child so further there were no problems with norms and deviations from them.

As if in time to find any, problems in most cases can be fixed. Well and, of course, you can know, at last, the gender of your long-awaited kid, receive the first photo for memory and hear knock of his heart. After this second ultrasonography the woman understand that she carries under heart the future small child.

18 Weeks Ultrasound Pictures

18 Weeks Pregnant Ultrasound Gender

18 Weeks Ultrasound Boy:

18 Weeks Ultrasound Girl:

18 Weeks Ultrasound Twins

Carrying Out Analyses

Generally they carry out the analysis of urine to learn about work of kidneys, and blood test, is hemoglobin level in blood as it is interconnected with the child. If level low hemoglobin, and fruit does enough not receive oxygen.

To the pregnant woman analyses which estimate the level of the human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) in organism can appoint, it more often call" triple dough" as here check of alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) and unconjugated estriol (NE) enters. Thanks to these analyses we can learn in advance, if aberrations, it not sentence, it only assumptions for more detailed analyses of the Down syndrome.

Emergence of Pains

Some women feel the first stir of the child very painfully, it is expressed in spin or in waist, and in unpleasant feelings in stomach. In organism all the same occur though small changes, but they completely change women and her usual mode of life, her clothes, her behavior and many other things. Now the woman has to carry special bandage for pregnant women, and watch the weight, the bandage will reduce load of backbone, but also will alleviate your pain.

The woman has to carry out gymnastics for pregnant women, for strengthening of muscles of back, but thus she has to have a rest. Cramping, cramps and Pains in the back can be caused by problems of urination, hit of infection in urinary tract during over cooling. Therefore it is very important to put on warm clothes and watch during this period over the health.

Any abdominal pains can be caused by different problems. Pain in lateral part testifies to strained muscles and linking of abdominal wall, it is influenced by uterus tachyauxesis. But there is pain dangerous at which there discharge of red color, and the pain reminding pains in this case it is urgently necessary to call the ambulance or to go to hospital as there can be abortion. With the timely help to the pregnant woman, it is possible to keep the fetus.

Excreta

The pregnant woman on this term has excreta which is not allocated, they are light and homogenous, without any pronounced smells. Hygiene of generative organs too nothing does not differ from hygiene of the ordinary woman. If the pregnant woman has no itch, burning, foreign smell, it is not necessary for you to worry. Yes, at you excreta can increase, but it is a norm which is inherent in many women in such a situation.

You should worry if excreta became purulent mass reminding cottage cheese with strange smell, it's necessary to visit the doctor, as at you, most likely infection or the thrush. It is better not to delay it, and to visit to the doctor. Believe that the thrush will leave, as well as it has come. If after sexual intercourse you have bloody excreta, you have erosion of the neck of the uterus or the placenta is low located.

Food of the Pregnant Woman

The concept of the food plays one of important details in human lives, and furthermore for the pregnant woman. In the period of all term and for the 18th weeks of pregnancy food has to be healthy, regular, various, vitamin and in a certain norm.

Many women begin to eat whatever they find, forgetting about healthy food, and about this norm, thus gain excess weight and can get diabetes. That it did not happen, it is necessary to exclude sugar, sweet and strongly fat products. It is obligatory to include fermented milk and milk products which are necessary for development and growth of the kid, and also for the woman. Reception of low-fat meat and fish is necessary for receiving certain amount of protein.

At pregnant women locks are often observed, for their elimination it is necessary to include reception in food of fresh fruit and vegetables. In fruit and vegetables there are a lot of vitamins which will be useful to mother and directly for the kid. Also a future mother has to try to accept dried fruits in food, desirable are prunes which too normalize digestion. The kid during this period has hemopoiesis process, it is necessary for its normal process reception of ferriferous products: apples, beef liver, tomato juice and buckwheat.

A lot of reception of water too can have pernicious effect, there will be strong hypostases standing. But also reduce amount of the consumed salt as it detains sodium in organism. There's nothing difficult in i, it is just necessary to adhere the rules, and their norms, and then your pregnancy will be painless.

18 Weeks Pregnant: What Does Every Woman Need to Understand

Normal Weight

Often at the beginning of pregnancy the woman have toxicosis, and she can't eat and drink anything. Sometimes women start throwing off even weight. Toxicosis can last at some women 1-2 days, and at others for months. But, since fifth month, toxicosis leaves and there is only good appetite, it is very dangerous period and for your weight as you can increase the weight by 4-6 kg.

It is necessary to watch the weight surely, strongly not to gain it too much because in further time it will be hard for you to get back. From excess weight the kid will be large that can lead to complications directly at childbirth. And even after the delivery you can have problems with loss of weight. A big percent of women suffers from excess weight after childbirth.

If you notice that weight has passed through border more than 6 kg, are you should go to your doctor who will appoint special diet for pregnant women. Independently it cannot be done, you can only do much harm to yourself and your kid. Your child should not suffer from your overeating, and he has to receive all necessary vitamins and proteins for development and growth.

Other category of women on the contrary are afraid to gain fat, and they undereat. Thus also the child suffers as at him the set of diseases can develop, being in mother's womb. And at childbirth, he will be born with very small weight, and in some cases can not survive before childbirth. And future mother suffers from it.

Sex at 18 Weeks

Intimate relations with the husband in the first trimester are absent because of constantly toxicosis at which you feel only sick, you feel bad, and you simply have no desire and there is no mood. The second trimester, the 18th week is a time when toxicosis is not present, you feel well, and desires about your husband come back. Many specialists on the contrary even advise sex.

For the 18th weeks sex can even seem to you some new, another, at you many new emotions and impressions which you will even more approach will be bright. There are no barriers to sex, the stomach still does not disturb you, you can be given completely to this process, but of course without fanaticism. If you have problems, such as the constant raised tone of uterus or infection, then will better refrain from sex.

It is possible to refuse proximity and for other reasons, dribbles of amniotic waters, low arrangement of placenta and polycarpous pregnancy.

Pregnancy Dying Down

The dying down of the fetus occurs for the unclear reasons, the fetus simply stops his development. The woman even not to suspect that something has occurred in the organism, after all the fetus remains in the uterus, most often they reveal death of the fetus when passing ultrasonography. But if passing of ultrasonography is far, excreta of brown color, back pain and if you already felt as is more often shown the fetus moves, you too pay attention to this sign.

From all three trimesters, the first is the most dangerous to fruit dying down, as it the most vulnerable. Pregnancy for 16-18 weeks too on statistics is dangerous, in some cases and the end of pregnancy can lead to the child's death. Why this process happens? Specialists claim that for the 18th weeks of pregnancy the fetus can stand still because of genetic disorder, bad and severe conditions of work, infections, addictions, smoking, alcohol, drugs.

If you after all have established that the fetus is dead, it needs to be got from cavity of the uterus as it can cause inflammatory processes in further time.

After this performed operation, some time is necessary to refrain from approach of pregnancy within year. The organism will have to have a rest and will be recovered, and of course the woman also has to have a rest psychologically from the done injury. Many women who have such injury, long time do not want to bring children as think that it can repeat. Everything depends on the woman, and all of them different and everything transfer differently.

Miscarriage at 18 Weeks

The main thing that can be considered to be a threat of miscarriage at the 18th week of pregnancy is vaginal bleeding that lasts for several days or weeks. The amount of blood loss can be different. If you notice that you have vaginal bleeding, it’s important to go to your doctor immediately. Do not put it off. During the course of pregnancy, there comes a moment when the organism of a future mother starts to produce more blood so that to supply her baby with necessary feeding.

The loss of certain amount of blood that occurs suddenly and, sometimes, strong pain may be the reasons for miscarriage. Threat of miscarriage can result in the actual miscarriage. However, if you get rid of all the symptoms and consult your doctor on time, it’s possible to save pregnancy.

Main Reasons for Miscarriage at 18 Weeks

• Diseases that you don’t keep under control. For example diabetes or hypothyroidism.
• Cervical incompetence.
• Chromosomal defects or pathologies.
• Direct traumas.
• Infections that may occur also serve as a threat of miscarriage on the 18th week of pregnancy.
• Pathologies that have to do with myoma.

Signs and Symptoms of Miscarriage at 18 Weeks

Not all women know what the signs and symptoms of miscarriage are. That’s why they may start taking actions when it’s too late. If you know the main symptoms of miscarriage, you’ll be able to take necessary actions on time. We’ve already talked about the reasons for miscarriage at the 18th week. Now, let’s get to the symptoms.

Bleeding from your genital tracts. It may be small or severe, regular or irregular. Bleeding is not only the main, but it’s also the first symptom of miscarriage. At the same time, it’s important to remember that bleeding may occur during the 1st trimester of pregnancy even if the course of pregnancy goes fine. A woman should pay more attention to how she feels. If bleeding is accompanied by painful sensations, it’s the sign of miscarriage that’s very likely to occur. The period starting from the beginning of pregnancy and up to the 22nd week is the time when a threat of miscarriage may occur.

Painful sensations. Pelvic spasms, painful sensations in belly or in your back are the symptoms of miscarriage. If you have any of the symptoms mentioned, you should tell your doctor about them. One more sign of miscarriage is the discharge from your vagina that looks either like clots of blood or greyish mass.

Let’s sum it up: There is a threat of miscarriage up until the 22nd week of pregnancy. If you have any concerns, you should consult your doctor.

Dangers

For the 18th weeks the increase in weight and the uterus pressure upon all organs is expressed, in back pain when walking and in dream, heartburn, and others digestive tract problems, and frequent desires to the toilet. In female organism everything is interconnected among themselves and if something is wrong, you simply will feel warning about the danger.

Recommendations for Women

1. Try to lead the correct life style and have a healthy nutrition, not to overeat, watch what you eat, it is obligatory to be weighed as it is possible often. That then after the delivery you had no problems.
2. Visit toilet, not to bear, as it too can get problems with bladder.
3. It is obligatory to do massage of feet to relieve pain and heaviness during pregnancy.
4. It is necessary to sleep and have a rest much, and it is desirable to sleep on one side, but not on back.
5. Carry out gymnastics, and strengthen basin muscles, these exercises will help you at delivery.
6. Spend much time in the fresh air, and it is desirable to go on your feet. Devote time to yourself, go to the theater, the museum, read an interesting book.

Video Guide: 18 weeks pregnancy

Pregnancy by Twins at 18 Weeks

Stirs of fetuses begin, as well as at monocarpic pregnancy and the woman perfectly feels them. At the first pregnancy, often, mummy starts feeling the first movements and bump much later. However, this commonplace also you should not be afraid of overdue feelings for the 18th weeks.

The tummy at such pregnancy grows at fast rates. Load of backbone becomes notable and pain in the back will start accompanying you. Get special bandage and footwear, it will facilitate incubation of kids. Try to have a rest more and pick up the gymnastics complex corresponding to your situation.

Quite often during this hard period the woman is placed on preservation. You should not despair, it becomes for safety of your babies. Have a rest during procedures, after all maternity leave it is not close yet.