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23rd week of pregnancy: what happens to the baby, to the mother, development, belly
The 23rd week of pregnancy has begun. There is not much time left before the birth of the child, you need to have time to prepare the nursery, enroll in the school for expectant mothers and learn breathing exercises. You can do all this more thoroughly in 2 months, when at work they give you the leave for pregnant women, but for now it is worth listening to your feelings and new life inside.
What happens to a woman’s body?
Despite the fact that the woman is already in the second half of her pregnancy, she can continue to play sports. Physical activity should be moderate, and some exercises that were previously performed with ease will have to be abandoned.
At the 23rd week of pregnancy, it is useful to continue with therapeutic exercises.
It is important to know that physical activity during pregnancy is very beneficial. This can be therapeutic exercises, swimming, walking or yoga classes.
Exercise accelerates the movement of blood through the body and prevents edema. During pregnancy, edema is a fairly common occurrence; if you experience unwanted symptoms, you should contact your doctor.
Sleeping on your back during pregnancy becomes uncomfortable; it is much more convenient to fall asleep on your side. This can be explained very simply – the enlarging uterus compresses the vessels in the pelvic region, for example, the inferior vena cava. When a woman is supine, the outflow of blood to the heart and upper body is disturbed, dizziness, weakness and headache begin. Therefore, it is useful to sleep on your side for your well-being during pregnancy, using additional pillows for convenience.
Scheduled doctor’s appointment at 23 weeks pregnant
If the woman has not yet undergone a second scheduled ultrasound, the doctor will prescribe it. This examination is done between the 20th and 24th weeks. During this period, it is easy to determine the degree of development of the child, to notice deviations, if any, and to correct the further course of pregnancy. In most cases, the doctor will be able to see and tell the parents the gender of the unborn baby.
To monitor the course of pregnancy, an ultrasound test will be prescribed. If swelling appears and protein is found in the urine, the doctor will recommend going to the hospital or a more in-depth examination of the kidneys and urinary system. These symptoms cannot be ignored as they cannot go away on their own.
If a woman notices that she is gaining more weight than before, and the swelling has increased, she needs to undergo an examination. To prevent the appearance of edema, it is recommended to follow a few simple rules:
- observe the drinking regime – normally it is necessary to drink about 1,5 liters of clean drinking water per day;
- exclude the use of salted, fatty and fried foods;
- replace the usual sweets with sweet fruits and dried fruits.
Early treatment of “dropsy of pregnant women”, this is the name of excessive swelling, will make the course of pregnancy comfortable and safe.
23rd week of pregnancy – how the fetus develops
At this stage of pregnancy, the fetus weighs more than 450 g, it has approached or overcame the milestone of 0,5 kg. This is a great achievement. Children’s skin is no longer transparent, the subcutaneous fatty tissue is sufficiently developed, and the child becomes more and more plump and prettier.
What happens to the fetus at the 23rd week can be seen in the photo, he already knows how to suck his thumb
The heart of the crumbs reaches a sufficient size, the doctor can listen to the heartbeat not only during ultrasound examination, but also with the help of an obstetric statoscope.
The proportions of the fetus at the 23rd week are almost the same as for a newborn baby. His senses and the respiratory system are intensively developing. The woman sometimes feels rhythmic tremors inside the abdomen, this is the hiccup of a crumb that has swallowed amniotic fluid.
Interestingly, the child is already dreaming. He becomes curious, probes himself, explores his little world, hears his mother’s voice, the lullabies that she hums. He may be frightened by harsh noise or too bright light.
A pregnant woman at the 23rd week does not suffer from toxicosis, she has a good appetite. Proper nutrition is now important for her and the baby. It is advisable to distribute meals evenly throughout the day, taking breaks between them no more than 3 hours.
A pregnant woman has an increased need for vitamins, proteins and some mineral components, which must be taken into account when drawing up a menu. The diet should include dairy products, vegetables, fruits, lean meat and fish.
It is advisable to limit the intake of salt, because it retains water in the body. Regular salt can be replaced with quality soy sauce
In order for the child to develop normally and not experience oxygen starvation, the hemoglobin levels in his mother’s blood must be normal. Therefore, a woman needs to include in the menu products containing mineral iron salts – meat, buckwheat porridge, beef liver, this will help prevent anemia. Vitamin C improves the absorption of iron, it is useful to eat fresh vegetables and fruits that contain it.
To form the bones of a child, a lot of calcium is needed, with a lack of it, mom’s teeth begin to decay. Mineral calcium salts are found in large quantities in dairy products, sunflower seeds, parsley, and egg yolks. Two or three times a week, be sure to eat cottage cheese, eggs, cheese. You can drink milk, yogurt or kefir daily. To get half the daily intake of calcium, it is enough to drink 0,4 liters of milk, eat 100 g of sunflower seeds or 50 g of hard cheese.
The 23rd week is a favorable time when there is no toxicosis, and the stomach is not very big yet. It is useful for a woman to do therapeutic exercises, swimming. Proper nutrition, rest and work schedule, good mood will help to avoid complications during the remaining prenatal period.
What happens when you get pregnant with twins?
This period corresponds to 5 months and three weeks according to the obstetric schedule. Normally, twins weigh 555 grams, their height is 28-29 cm. In a singleton pregnancy, the weight of the fetus is 608 grams, and the height is 29 cm. The faces of babies are fully formed. The torso and head become more proportional. The pancreas begins to work and insulin is produced.
Babies can already hear noises inside, the mother’s heartbeat. They are very active, they still have enough room for somersaults. The movement can be felt around the clock. Women during this period are full of strength and energy, but unpleasant phenomena can already begin: heartburn, constipation.