In the past week your uterus has lifted above your belly button and is now the size of a soccer ball, so stretching down to paint those toenails may be a little more difficult. To make matters worse, you’re probably constantly wanting to scratch all over your breasts and bump which are itchy due to the stretching skin. At this stage of your pregnancy, you may be required to have a glucose-screening test to see if you have gestational diabetes (a pregnancy-related, high blood sugar condition).
Your Baby
Your baby is the size of a grapefruit, weighing 600 grams and is 30cm long. If growing were an Olympic sport, your baby would be a gold medalist, already plumping up by 100 grams since last week. They’re filling up and looking more like a newborn baby everyday. And that gorgeous face that you’ll be kissing non-stop in the near future is just about fully formed. Your cherub is sprouting hair, eyelashes and eyebrows. Their see-through skin is also gradually starting to become more opaque.
Your Body
You may be starting to feel a little heavier on your feet as your bump continues to expand. Besides stretch marks, swollen feet and ankles, and leg cramps – you may also be experiencing numb wrists and fingers. Chances are, it’s Carpal Tunnel Syndrome. Get relief by avoiding sleeping on your hands, and sleep with your arms propped up on a pillow at night.
Sensible Tips
- Chat to your medical aid about adding a new family member to the scheme.
- Make sure you have all your ID documents ready so that your baby can be registered at birth.
- Take a photo of your growing bump so you can compare your growth from just four weeks back.
