Pregnancy week 23: Your week by week pregnancy guide

Mum, you may be experiencing frequent urination because your expanding uterus sits on your bladder. Take this as a sign that your baby’s growth is on track as you enter pregnancy week 23!

How Big is Your Baby?

At pregnancy week 23, your baby is the size of a small winter melon. He/she is around 28.9 cm and weighs around 498.9 g.

Image courtesy: Pixabay

Your Baby’s Development

In this week by week pregnancy guide, you’ll learn that:

• Your baby’s lungs are developing to prepare for breathing.
• The lanugo or the fine hair that covers his/her body may darken by now.
• His/her eyes are now completely formed, although they do not have any colour just yet. It is also now when he/she can open his/her eyes inside the womb.
• By this week, you can feel him/her moving through your womb. He/she may be doing somersaults, too… but not for long.
• His/her vestibular system, the area in the brain responsible for sensing movement, is developing quickly now. This means he/she is already actively sensing all your physical movements.
• He/she also has developed a stable hearing sense.
• Babies born at 23 weeks can sometimes survive if they are given the right medical care in an intensive care unit.

Pregnancy Symptoms

• Boy, are you showing! Your uterus extends 3.8 cm above your belly button and you would have gained anything between 5.4 kg to 6.8 kg.
• You are peeing frequently because your uterus sits above your bladder. You may even experience leaking of fluids.
• This time around you will be checked for preterm labour. The anxiety levels will heighten during this week and you will go through varied emotions.
• At pregnancy week 23 you might experience bleeding gums and nosebleeds.

 Pregnancy Care

• To keep the bleeding gums at bay, make good dental hygiene a priority. Due to super active hormones, your gums will suffer inflammation and bleeding, particularly while brushing your teeth.
• You are peeing constantly, and how! But that’s pretty normal at this stage. Continue drinking water as well as vegetable juices, herbal teas, fruit juice, and milk.
• When using public toilets, sanitise the seats and maintain minimal contact to avoid infections.

 Your Checklist

• Speak to your company, and plan your maternity leave.
• Get a new wardrobe!

Your next week: 24 weeks pregnant

 Your previous week: 22 weeks pregnant

Do you have questions on this week by week pregnancy guide? What are your current concerns, mums? Leave us a comment below!