18 Weeks Pregnant

What is happenning now?

You are now 18 weeks pregnant, which is beginning of week 19.

Your baby is now 7.9 inches from head to toe and weighs approximately 11 ounces.

Your baby has a fine layer of hair covering their body called lanugo. This helps protect their skin and is only shed a few weeks before they are due to be born. A few babies are born with lanugo, which falls out during the early weeks of life.

You may be booked to have a routine ultrasound soon. This test aims to detect obvious physical abnormalities in an unborn baby and is usually timed for around 19 weeks. Unborn babies need to be at least 18 to 20 weeks gestation for the ultrasonographer to clearly see the normal physical structures of their body, including their heart, lungs, kidneys, brain and spine. An experienced ultrasonographer may even be able to tell if your baby is a girl or a boy, although this is not always 100% accurate!

Ultrasound in one week -- October 13th! :)

Physical Changes

Baby kicking? A few women sense their unborn baby's movements quite early in their pregnancy (12 to 16 weeks). <--- I have! :) Others don't feel anything distinctive until 23 to 25 weeks. The timing of when you feel your baby first move is very individual, but it usually happens between 18 to 22 weeks.

The sense of your baby's first movements may be difficult to distinguish, especially if this is your first pregnancy. A question commonly asked is, "Is that my baby moving or just wind?" Many women describe their first sensations as a faint, fluttering feeling (like butterflies) or like small bubbles popping in their belly. <--- Exactly! Others describe a scratching internal feeling (especially if it is felt very early in the pregnancy). One woman described hers as a similar feeling to when your muscles involuntarily twitch, but coming from inside her belly! Generally, after 2 or 3 weeks of infrequent and sporadic sensations, the feelings become stronger and resemble more definite kicks. Before long it becomes very obvious they could be nothing else but your little one wriggling around!

Weight gain. Many women put on most of their weight during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy, or only gain a few kilograms up until 12 to 16 weeks of pregnancy, then experience a growth spurt during the middle of their pregnancy. You can read more about weight gain during pregnancy here.