22 Weeks Pregnant
Here's what's happening during Week 22 of your pregnancy:
Your Growing Baby
Your baby is about 7 1/2 inches from crown to rump and weighs between thirteen and sixteen ounces—about the size of a small grapefruit. She is entering her fifth month of existence. Her fingernails are almost fully grown, and her organ systems are becoming more functional and specialized. She has a distinct pair of lips, and her first canines and molars are developing below her gum line. She looks like a miniature newborn. Blood is traveling through the umbilical cord at four miles an hour, fueling her growth with oxygen and nutrients.Your Growing Belly
Your uterus is certainly growing, but you can probably still bend over, sit, drive, and function fairly comfortably. You may have increased vaginal discharge as your pregnancy progresses. Yeast infections during pregnancy are quite common. Symptoms include redness and itchiness around your vagina and a yeast-smelling discharge, but douching during pregnancy is not advised. This is a good time to have your iron levels checked and to make sure you're drinking enough water, given how much your blood volume has increased over the past few months. As many as 20 percent or pregnant women are anemic, and anemia can put you at serious risk if you hemorrhage during delivery.Tips & To-Do's
Take A StandLegs are the unheralded heroines of pregnancy. Not only do they carry the extra weight of the whole nine months with few complaints, but they'll pull their weight after pregnancy, too, as you spend many hours walking with and soothing your baby. Elizabeth Trindade, president of Strollercize, has created an easy, 3-move plan to stretch and strengthen your legs throughout your pregnancy—and beyond.
Here's how to get started now.
Things to think about this week: Think about whom you want present at your baby's birth, and begin discussing it with family.
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- Jessica Simpson's Best Quotes About Her Pregnancy
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New mom Hilary Duff shares the first photo of baby Luca.
