Pregnancy Week 16
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Inside Pregnancy Week 16
Week 16 fetal development image showing the fetal growth of your baby to date. Medical Illustration Copyright © 2008 Nucleus Medical Art, All rights reserved
Development has reached a unique milestone, as the baby and the placenta are now roughly the same size. Every day, the baby is looking more like an adorable newborn, with fat deposits building up under the skin, and the neck and head straightening more, also the eyes and ears have moved into their final position. The eyes can perceive light although the eyelids remain sealed shut. The heart pumps 25 quarts of blood per day, which may sound like a lot until you consider that by week 40, that number will rise to 1900 quarts a day! Baby’s heart rate is twice yours. The activity level continues to increase as baby may be contending with hiccups, and is breathing underwater. The baby is now around 3 ounces, perhaps up to 3 ½ ounces, and is 4 ½ to 5 inches in length.
Pregnancy Symptoms You May Feel During Week 16
Mom might be starting to feel…well pregnant right now, with good reason. Besides the growing baby, you are also accommodating a uterus that now weighs in around 8 ½ ounces, a growing placenta, and the amniotic fluid weighs about 7 ½ ounces. The 50% increase in blood circulation gives mom that pregnant “glow” you hear so much about. Also, the hormones influence the oil glands, and thus you might slide right past glow into downright shiny. Try using oil-free cleansers and make up products to diminish the problem.
Visit With the Obstetrician
The doctor might ask this week if you’ve been feeling any movement yet from baby. This exciting moment of pregnancy occurs anywhere from week 16 to week 20, depending on mom’s build, position, and if this is first pregnancy. The way the movement has been described ranges from butterfly fluttering sensation, a bubbling, to a tickling feeling.
Another pregnancy side effect you might be dealing with now is congestion. Be sure to ask your doctor for some comfort tips for this annoying symptom. Most likely things like saline nose spray, nasal strips, using a humidifier, and placing petroleum jelly under nose, will be among the suggestions.
Preparing for Baby
The baby has now reached the point of development where gender may be able to be detected on a sonogram. Of course, a lot of this is luck, that the timing is just right for the baby to be in the right position so that the genital area can be clearly seen. Have you decided if you want to know the sex ahead of time? It’s time to decide now if you haven’t! While it might be fun and exciting for some couple to find out at the birth, many others feel it helps them to prepare for the child better if they know ahead of time. They can plan the nursery, buy gender specific clothing, and narrow in on name choices. Some even say they feel more closely bonded with the baby when they know their child’s gender before the birth.
Pregnancy Lifestyle
If the glow of pregnancy seems more of a joke to you, perhaps you’re feeling more shiny than glowing, or at the other end of the spectrum, feeling rather tired and faded, consider a mini-make-over day. Head out to the mall, to the department store cosmetic counters or one of the dedicated cosmetic stores and let them give you a free make over and some tips. It might just perk up your day, and should perk up your skin and make up routine. Best of all, it’s free, as long as you don’t indulge in buying every recommended product!