Your Body

Now that you have become bigger, it is difficult to maintain your balance. So move carefully and avoid falling. Your ligaments are also loosening up in preparation for pushing the baby out, so you may feel loose in the hips.

Stress incontinence is very common in pregnancy, which means urine can leak when coughing, laughing, exercising or changing positions.

Since you are carrying extra weight, the uterus also puts extra demands on your circulation. You can feel your baby move quite a lot and this helps strengthen the bonding process between mother and child.

Your Baby

Your baby is now 240 mm long from head to toe. If your baby was a fruit, she would be the size of a pineapple. Your baby can now open and close his eyes, and sleeps and wakes at regular intervals as well.

She gets plumper by the day and can hear more than what she could a few weeks ago. Rhythmic movements in your uterus may make you wonder what is going on. Your baby is experiencing hiccups! This is completely normal and occurs quite frequently during this part of the pregnancy as your baby's lungs continue to mature.

It is okay if…

• Your back aches now and then and your leg muscles cramp. This is because of the baby's weight.

Stuff to Do

• Plan for life with your baby. If you drive, make sure you buy a car seat and know how it works.
  
  
• Keep ready-to-eat meals handy. From now on you are going to be tired more often and cooking every day may not seem like a good idea.

Special Care Tips

• Flex your foot by pointing the toes forward and then flexing them back towards your shin. This helps stretch the calf muscles and should give you some relief from foot aches. Walking for a few minutes or massaging your calf helps, too.