MONTH FOUR

Week Fourteen

Your Baby
Your baby is now around 8.9 centimetres long and their musculoskeletal system has matured. Their neck is now lengthening and is no longer resting on their chest. The nervous system now begins to exercise some control over the body and your baby's hands are becoming functional as they begin to learn to use them. You may now be able to determine your baby's gender through an ultrasound if you want to.

You
Your uterus is now around the size of a grapefruit and should increase about 20 times in weight and 14 times in size by the end of your pregnancy. You may have noticed a dark line or 'linea nigra' forming down the centre of your belly - this line should fade shortly after the birth. Your pregnancy hormones are now levelling off, however this may also result in a relaxation of the bowel muscles. This, combined with your uterus pressing on your bowel may result in constipation in some women. Make sure you are getting plenty of fibre in your diet and drinking at least 6-8 glasses of water a day.

Week Fifteen

Your Baby
Your baby's bones are now strengthening (so it is important to make sure that you are getting the RDI for calcium for pregnant woman at this time). There will be a fine hair (lanugo) coving your baby and their blood vessels will be visible through their fine skin. If you have an ultrasound at this stage, you may see your unborn child sucking their thumb or grasping their umbilical cord.

You
At this stage in their pregnancy, some women will begin to feel extraordinarily well. Your uterus will begin to rise past your hipbones around this time. At around week fifteen you may be offered an amniocentesis test to check for chromosomal problems such as Downs Syndrome.

Week Sixteen

Your Baby
Your baby may be moving around quite a lot at this stage as their bones continue to harden. Their legs are now longer than their arms and they begin practicing some coordinated movements! The nails on both their fingers and toes are now well formed.

You
Some women will begin to feel their baby move around this time. For some mothers this can take a little longer - up until about week 20 - so don't worry if it doesn't happen to you just yet. An increase in blood flow (an additional two litres by week 28) may result in changes to your skin and hair, as well as stuffy noses or even nose bleeds - but don't be alarmed as this is quite common.

Week Seventeen

Your Baby
Your baby is now growing rapidly and their fat layers have begun to develop underneath their skin. The baby and the placenta are around the same size now and your baby is capable of sucking, swallowing and blinking.

You
You may notice a little extra weight gain around this time as your baby experiences this intense growth period. The veins in your breasts may become more visible due to the increase in blood flow, and your nipples will enlarge and may darken in colour

Week Eighteen

Your Baby
At around 14 centimetres in length, your baby's bones are now forming rapidly. Your baby's first bowel movement (meconium) is now accumulating within their tiny bowel.

You
You may need to start to take things a little easier now as you may notice some dizziness or light-headedness when getting up or moving around. This is quite normal (as long as it is not happening frequently or severely). This is known as Postural hypotension or low blood pressure and is due to the slower reaction time of your cardiovascular system.

EXERCISE

Many women don't start to exercise until after they start to recover from morning sickness, however exercise can often relieve the feelings of nausea. Activities that can be continued right up until the birth may include walking, swimming, yoga, aqua aerobics and even belly dancing. However, other activities like running, high impact aerobics, bicycling, contact and competitive sports, weights or martial arts may need to be modified or stopped as your pregnancy progresses. You may, for example, choose to go from your regular aerobics class into a specific 'Pregnastics' class. Many of these classes are available through your hospital and include fitball exercises, pilates, yoga, cardiovascular work, and stretching and relaxation. The benefits of exercise during pregnancy are many and include:

• Reducing haemorrhoids and varicose veins
• Reducing restless legs, fluid retention and leg cramps
• Strengthening your lower back and abdominals to help reduce and relieve back pain
• Helping alleviate constipation
• Helping you sleep better and suffer less from insomnia
• Strengthening your legs and back for an upright active labour.

RELAXATION TECHNIQUES

Many women have appreciated the ability to relax, calm and centre themselves during labour. It is much easier to go into labour if you are calm and focussed. If you are stressed your body will release stress hormones that act to slow or interrupt the progress of your labour and can even make it more painful!

During pregnancy, some women will use relaxation, meditation and visualisation techniques as a way to relax and unwind, and to help prepare them for their labour and birth. There are many relaxation/visualisation/meditation classes available, or you may choose to purchase them on CD or DVD so you can do them when you like. Some women are choosing to do 'Hypnobirthing' classes in order to learn to deeply relax. These women claim to have a better ability to cope with labour pain when practiced in hypnobirthing.

Visualisation and relaxation exercises can also help breastfeeding women to relax and allow their milk to flow.

Month Five