While you may still have days you feel great and are full of energy, your belly continues to grow, and you may be getting a little more tired from carrying the extra load. On the days you’re feeling pregnancy aches and pains, make sure to take good care of yourself.
What’s happening with your body?
As your tummy gets bigger, it shifts your center of gravity. This shift causes your posture to change and may stress your back. Pregnancy hormones allow ligaments and joints to relax in preparation for labor. But in the meantime, weakened ligaments may mean less support for your back. The added weight may also lead to increased back pain.
Back pain during pregnancy is very common and is thought to affect up to 70 percent of women. In order to decrease your chances of back pain, consider exercises that strengthen you back and core. (Get the OK from your healthcare provider first) You may also want to ditch the high heels for the remainder of your pregnancy. Wearing a support belt under your abdomen may also help decrease discomfort.
On the bring side, this week you might notice your baby’s movements are getting stronger and may be developing a pattern. For example, your little one may be a night owl and start moving every evening just as you sit down to relax. You may also notice, your baby moves more after you eat or when you are feeling nervous. When you’re tense or nervous, you produce adrenaline, which may make your baby a little more active.
What’s happening with your baby?
Her nervous system is sharpening her senses each week. For example, she is processing sounds. Although you might not think there is much to hear inside her little home, she can hear your heartbeat, breathing and your voice.
She is also exploring her world through touch. She is developing her ability to grasp things. An ultrasound may reveal she can reach out and grab her toes or reach for the umbilical cord.
If you could peek inside your uterus, you might find your baby is growing more hair. What may be surprising is his hair is white. At this stage, your little one’s hair has no pigment, which is why it is white. But of course, that will change in time.
As far as how much hair your baby will have at birth, you will have to wait and see. Some babies are born with a full head of hair while others are almost bald. When it comes to how much hair your baby will be born it, it all comes down to genetics.
You may daydream about what your baby will look like or how sweet it will be to sing him a lullaby. But nighttime dreams during pregnancy can sometimes be a little less idyllic. For example, some women may have dreams that are stranger than they used to be or their dreams are extremely vivid. Nightmares are also not uncommon during pregnancy.
So what gives? Even if you are feeling pretty good and are excited about becoming a mom, your dreams may be bizarre and even frightening.
It is hard to say exactly why some women experience weird dreams during pregnancy. But it could be your brains way of dealing with all your emotions and thoughts each day.
It’s completely normal to feel excited and happy about becoming a parent and still feel scared and nervous about all the changes. You might go through several emotions in one day. For instance, you may have a million thoughts from how to decorate the nursery to whether you will be a good mom. Your brain may be overloaded, and it may sort things out with vivid, sometimes bizarre dreams.