Your baby's development in the 18th week of pregnancy

Distinctive fingers and toes:

• The fetus's fingers, wrists and feet have been fully developed for some time. From week 18 of pregnancy, in addition to the fingernails, which have already been present since the 14th week of pregnancy exist, also the your child's toenails. At first, all the nails are still as soft as skin. In addition, the fingertips of your baby are slowly showing the distinctive fingerprints, which it will carry for its entire life.

Head and body hair are growing:

• The fine down (lanugo) has covered the fetus's body for several weeks. Around the 5th month of pregnancy the scalp hair also begins to grow – some babies are even born with a thick head of hair.

Active play and sleep alternate constantly:

• The fetus in your womb still sleeps about 20 hours a day, but never for very long at a stretch. A distinct sleep-wake rhythm is not yet present; instead very active phases and sleep phases alternate in short intervals. Your child uses its awake phases to move about extensively. This trains its skeleton, muscles and nervous system.

Strengthened ear ossicles:

• Due to the increasingly hardening ear ossicles, your baby in the 18th week of pregnancy perceives more and more sounds and can now distinguish them from each other increasingly well.

Arms and legs grow:

• In recent weeks your baby has stretched out noticeably and increasingly assumed its final proportions. In week 18 the arms and legs now grow again, simultaneously the musculature of the back, neck and extremities continues to develop.

Breathing movements:

• On the ultrasound, a rise and fall of the chest can be observed when the baby inhales and exhales amniotic fluid. In this way it trains the vital breathing reflex, which is responsible for the first breath after birth. In addition the inhaling and exhaling of amniotic fluid strengthens the digestive system of your baby. This allows amniotic fluid and dead cells to enter the fetal intestinal tract, where the so-called meconium (also known as newborn stool) is formed. This is a black substance that your child will pass during its first bowel movement.

Breast glands and genital organs:

• As with girls, boys also develop breast glands in the 18th week of pregnancy. Now the nipples are visible and the internal genital organs of the fetus are fully formed. In the ovaries of girls there are already about 5 million egg cells formed.

What can be seen on the ultrasound image?

In the 18th week of pregnancy your baby is usually between 12.5 and 14 cm long – which corresponds approximately to the size of a sweet potato. Its weight is 125 to 200 grams. Your gynecologist can determine in the current week of your pregnancy whether the fetus's heart has developed well. In addition you can now recognize the umbilical cord much more clearly and you may even catch a glimpse of how your baby is playing with it at the time of the ultrasound. You can also recognize the growing arms and legs better than in previous weeks. First grimaces and the hiccup of your little miracle can also be seen on the ultrasound.

Physical changes – what happens to the mother in week 18 of pregnancy?

A slight fluttering in the belly, a changed sense of temperature and occasional pregnancy complaints such as a pulling pain in the lower abdomen or leg cramps are completely normal for many pregnant women in the 18th week of pregnancy. Here you will find an overview.

Hot flashes:

• You drink a cup of tea, eat something heavily spiced or enter a well-heated room and already you start to sweatyou are well prepared for your changed temperature sensitivity.Dizziness:The mother's heart works

40 to 50 percent harder

• than before. In combination with the pressure of the growing uterus on the blood vessels, this leads more often to dizziness – especially when you move suddenly. Therefore allow yourself regular rest breaks and try to avoid stress as much as possible. In addition, a healthy /magazine/expectant-mothers/health-care/pregnancy-nutritionNutrition during pregnancyWeight gain: The expectant mother's uterus continues to grow week by week with your baby. It has now reached the

size of a melon

• and so you will probably now notice the weight gain more clearly in your waist measurement. Perhaps the first maternity pants -shirts come into use so that you feel completely comfortable. In addition, a healthy A slight flutter in the belly:Some women may feel for the first time in week 18 how their child moves in their belly – not as a kick, but as a

very delicate fluttering or throbbing.

• Often it is initially not clearly distinguish between fetal movements and movements of the digestive organs. For the expectant mother, the first movements of her baby are something very special that /magazine/everyday-family-life/family-cohesion/mother-child-relationshipmother-child relationship/magazine/expectant-mothers/pregnancy-course/pregnancy-20-weeks 20th week of pregnancyCalf cramps:During pregnancy, not only does the

need for iron and iodine

• , but also also for magnesium. You may therefore wake up now and then in week 18 with calf cramps at night: These muscle cramps are a typical sign of magnesium deficiency, which can be easily remedied with a healthy diet. Good sources of magnesium include for example bananas, nuts and almonds. If you want to take magnesium in supplement form, it is important that you discuss this with your gynecologist.Bleeding during pregnancyBleeding should always be taken seriously – regardless of which week of your pregnancy you are in. Depending on the time when the bleeding occurs, there are

different possible causes.

• It's best to always clarify this with your gynecologist. Especially if the bleeding is accompanied by pain in the lower abdomen, the expert opinion of a doctor is indispensable.Week 18 of pregnancy: tips for feeling comfortableSchedule a daily belly massage:

Pregnancy usually does not pass the skin without a trace – the combination of strong stretching and significantly dilated vessels can already cause stretch marks in the 18th week of pregnancy. The marks can often not be completely avoided. But with plenty of care and gentle pinching massages you can prepare your tissue for the strain and reduce stretch marks. Take a few minutes every day to gently pinch the skin on your belly, buttocks and thighs with your fingertips after showering or before going to bed and massage in a nourishing oil or lotion.

Buy first baby clothes:

• Do you already know whether your baby will be a boy or a girl? If you have already revealed the secret, this is now the time when many expectant parents look for sweet

baby clothes

• to browse. You can of course do this regardless of whether you know your child's sex or not. It's best to take care early of the baby starter kit. Whether bodysuits or little shirts – with the first clothes for your baby, the new phase of life becomes even more tangible for you as a family. Get a thick pillow for the night:A nursing pillow or an extra pillow under the head helps you in week 18 to keep evening heartburn in check. With the head elevated, stomach acid is less likely to rise into the esophagus and the typical burning sensation is avoided. Placed between the knees while lying on your side, the pillow also helps mothers with sciatica complaints during the night.

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• Ein Stillkissen oder ein zusätzliches Kissen unter dem Kopf hilft euch in der 18. SSW, Sodbrennen am Abend in Schach zu halten. Da der Kopf höher gelagert ist, steigt die Magensäure nicht so leicht in der Speiseröhre auf und das typische Brennen bleibt aus. In Seitenlage zwischen den Knien geklemmt, hilft das Kissen Müttern auch gegen Ischiasbeschwerden während der Nacht.