Your Body

The top of your uterus is now about 63.5 mm above your belly button. During the remainder of your pregnancy it will grow by approximately half an inch per week. Contrary to the previous weeks, your blood pressure may increase slightly as it returns to its normal pre-pregnancy range.

You may notice a yellowish discharge - colostrum - from your breasts. Colostrum is your baby's first food and usually appears most heavily after delivery, just before your milk starts flowing.

Your Baby

Your baby is around 230 mm long and weighs close to 860 gms. If your baby was a fruit, she would be a large bunch of purple grapes. Your baby now responds to the sound she hears as the nerves in the ears are developing.

She also continues to swallow amniotic fluid, which causes her lungs to develop.

If you have a boy, his testicles have begun their descent into the scrotum. Your baby has more hair on her head, begins to look a little plumper and less wrinkly. Moreover, If you were able to look at her, you would see tiny blood vessels running beneath her thin skin.

Get Tested

• Gestational diabetes

Common Complications

• Preeclampsia occurs in about 3 to 7 percent of all pregnancies and includes swelling of the hands and face, sudden weight gain (due to water retention), blurry vision, spots before eyes, sudden severe or persistent headaches, or upper abdominal pain.

It is okay if…

• If your back seems a little achy lately, thank your pregnancy hormones - which are loosening up your joints and ligaments - and your shifting centre of gravity.

Stuff to Do

• Though it is time for positive thinking, a bit of negative thinking never harmed anyone. You might want to purchase a life insurance around this time. If you have a medical insurance, update it to accommodate your new baby. Make sure your coverage is adequate.

Special Care Tips

• Thanks to your increased weight, your feet will ache. Soothe sore feet by immersing them in a basin filled with warm water. Add a few drops of scented oil if you wish and relax.