Half way there! A 20 week baby should be between 9 and 10 ounces and well over 6 inches long. Now is the time to fill up on red meat, poultry, fish, lentils, spinach, and iron-fortified cereals. At this point Iron is very important for the development of your baby’s red blood cells. You will probably be feeling your baby now, they are big enough now to make an impact that you definitely cant miss. A good thump now and then is a great comfort because its a good sign that all is well in there with baby.
You may have noticed you are getting less graceful as you continue on in your pregnancy, this is only going to get worse! If you were less than graceful prior to pregnancy be sure you wear good shoes that wont trip you up, just say no to platforms, high heels and flip flops. Personally I can (and have) tripped myself barefoot so good shoes can only go so far.
Vernix is developing to protect baby’s skin now, its a greasy white coating, if your baby is born early they will be born with this still covering them. My youngest son was born just two weeks early and had a lot of his vernix still on him. Since the baby is living in water this coating works as a sort of sealant to keep their skin soft and healthy.
Meconium has also begun to accumulate inside your baby’s bowels. Its made up of digestive secretions and amniotic fluid, when your baby has their first dirty diapers that is what you will be seeing. Those first diapers are very unusual, they meconium is tar like and very sticky and is almost black! These pass within the first couple of days and will be replaced with more normal dirty diapers.

Posted by Shelley in Baby development on August 30th, 2007 |