Pregnancy Wonders at 20 Weeks Pregnant

BABY DEVELOPMENT

Your little love’s growing really fast! The head appears less big now next to a much grown body. And the brain has increased in size!

The pancreas, an organ located in the abdomen, is also starting to produce insulin. This is a type of hormone that regulates the sugar level in a human being’s blood. It allows your baby to use sugar and fat to continue growing, at the same time, store enough of it for birth.

If your baby turns out to be a beautiful baby girl, her ovaries are equipped with enough primitive cells that could produce up to 6 million egg cells. At this stage of development, these cells are starting to gradually waste away leaving around 1 million at birth.

YOUR BODY

As you move around, you are actually rocking your baby to sleep. The little lodger inside you sleeps for up to 20 hours per day with a small window for an active phase. Prepare to lose some sleep for this cute intruder usually likes to stay awake between 8 and 11 in the evening!

Have you felt the movement of your baby already? Isn’t it wonderful?

In case you still haven’t felt this particular sensation yet, there’s no need to be worried! You need a little bit of patience to be able to detect the movements correctly. At the beginning, you will probably feel nothing more than a gentle twitching or jerking. The soft kicks against the belly only become very clear starting from the 25th week onwards.

To give you a little tip, sit or lie down relaxingly. This is the best position to feel your baby move clearly!

 NUTRITION

Now that you’re 20 weeks pregnant, chances are, you’ve already been told of the important role that fluoride plays in your baby’s future teeth. Based on studies, there is a 35% reduction in cavities from 6-year-old children whose mothers drank fluoridated water when they were still pregnant.

Truth be told, fluoride intake during pregnancy helps prevent tooth decay by protecting your child’s strong white teeth!

The good news is that, with modern eating habits, we actually rarely miss out on fluorine. We drink mineral water daily and eat lots of fish, fruits like apples, and green veggies like lettuce. Yup, all of which contains fluoride!

TIPS

“I have a cat who I love dearly. Is it safe for my baby if I still keep interacting with my pet at this stage?”

While there is no need to shoo away pets until the baby is born, you do need to take some careful measures, most especially if your cat is still young.

Toxoplasmosis is an infection you can get from a very tiny parasite called Toxoplasma gondii. By eating infected rodents, birds or other small animals, cats become infected. And when exposed to infected cat feces, there’s a big possibility that Toxoplasmosis can spread.

To avoid this risk, it is best to entrust the maintenance of your cat’s litter to someone else. And do make sure to wash your hands thoroughly after petting your cat!

Click here to read all about week 21.