There are a few things you can do to prevent or ease this discomfort, including wearing low-heeled shoes not high heels but not completely flat shoes either , doing gentle exercise that helps stretch and strengthen your back muscles, and wearing a belly support band. It might help to create checklists or reminders on paper, sticky notes, or your phone , and to give yourself some extra breaks while doing tasks that require your concentration. Swollen feet. This condition can be caused by both weight gain and fluid retention, but a hormone called relaxin also contributes.
This hormone relaxes ligaments and joints to help make it easier for your baby to pass through the pelvis during birth, but relaxin also loosens the ligaments elsewhere in your body — including those in your feet, causing them to spread.
To help you feel more comfortable, you may need to go up a shoe size; also, try propping your feet up on a pillow or footrest as often as you can. Your healthcare provider may recommend an ultrasound exam at around 18 to 20 weeks of pregnancy. This ultrasound helps your provider confirm that everything is progressing well, including the size and position of your baby, and checking that the bones and organs that are visible are developing well.
You may also be able to find out whether you're expecting a girl or a boy or choose to wait and be surprised. Ask your healthcare provider for advice if you have any questions about the ultrasound. Although most airlines allow pregnant women to fly until about 36 weeks, each airline has its own policies. Whether you travel by bus, train, car, or plane, try to take breaks and get up and walk around regularly, stay hydrated, eat regularly to boost your energy, and have a copy of your health records with you.
There are many things you can do to help your partner experience more of your pregnancy along with you. For the first half of pregnancy when a baby's legs are curled up against his torso , measurements are taken from the top of his head to his bottom, or from "crown to rump.
Many of your baby's taste buds can now transmit taste signals to his brain, and he's swallowing molecules of the food you eat that have passed through your blood into your amniotic fluid.
Researchers aren't sure if he can taste these molecules, but some research indicates that what you eat during pregnancy can influence the foods your baby will prefer later. See what fraternal twins look like in the womb this week.
Feeling cramped? It's no wonder: The top of your uterus is now about level with your belly button, and you may have gained around 10 pounds. Expect to gain another pound or so each week from now on. If you started your pregnancy underweight , you may need to gain a bit more; if you were overweight , a bit less. See if you're on track. You may feel especially itchy around your belly and breasts as your skin stretches to accommodate your growing baby. Use cold packs and slather on moisturizer for relief.
Scratching can make it worse! Get more tips on easing the itch , and find out when it could be the sign of a problem. Short on sleep? Do you shift around all night trying to find a comfortable sleeping position? These suggestions may help: Lie on your side, with your knees bent and a pillow between your legs.
For extra comfort and support, arrange other pillows under your belly and behind your back. You could also try using a contoured maternity body pillow. Don't see your symptom? You may have even felt your baby moving.
Have you felt your baby move? One of the changes in your body this week might be those little pokes and jabs you feel when your baby moves around in your uterus. This is called quickening. Women who have already experienced childbirth probably started feeling these sensations a few weeks ago.
Your belly is also getting much more noticeable these days. First-time moms may have only started showing in the last few weeks. And from this point forward, you may gain around a pound per week. Another way to look at it is that your baby is around the size of a banana.
Your babies have grown to 6 inches long and about 9 ounces each. Take time to talk to them. They can hear you! You may also have your anatomical scan this week. You can also usually learn the sexes of your babies. Your appetite is likely back to normal, or it has increased. While nausea and fatigue may have disappeared during your second trimester, by week 20 of your pregnancy some symptoms you may experience or continue experiencing include:. Cravings for certain foods vary from pregnancy to pregnancy.
Your first trimester is under your belt, and your energy levels may be rebounding, making you feel stronger. Plus, increased estrogen and progesterone hormones mean your sex drive is high , and as long as your partner is up for it too, things are probably happening between the sheets. After all, your body is hard at work. Right now, those symptoms likely include swelling, heartburn, leg cramps and a few other things.
Here are some of the typical 20 weeks pregnant symptoms you may experience:. Starting around 20 weeks pregnant, your doctor will measure fundal height at each prenatal visit.
Fundal height is the distance from the pubic bone to the top of your uterus. In centimeters, the fundal height should match your week of pregnancy, give or take 2 centimeters. So, for example, your 20 weeks pregnant belly should measure around 18 to 22 centimeters. It should continue to increase about a centimeter each week.
Curious as to where baby is at 20 weeks in your stomach? Your body is making room for the uterus to expand up towards your belly button, giving baby room to wiggle around. At 20 weeks pregnant, weight gain is happening slowly yet surely. You may have gained around 10 pounds by now.
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