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🌿Second Trimester•Weeks 14-27
Week 18 of Pregnancy
Your baby is the size of bell pepper
📏
Length
5.6 inches
⚖️
Weight
6.7 ounces
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Size Comparison
Bell pepper
👶 Baby Development
- •Baby yawns regularly, opening their mouth wide
- •Unique fingerprints are permanently in place on fingers and toes
- •If female, uterus and fallopian tubes are fully formed and in proper position
- •If male, external genitals are clearly visible on ultrasound
- •Myelin (protective nerve coating) begins forming around nerves for faster signal transmission
- •Ears stand out from the head and are in final position
- •Blood vessels are visible through thin, translucent skin
💭 Common Symptoms
- •Increased energy levels continue through second trimester
- •Occasional dizziness from blood pressure changes when standing quickly
- •Possible leg cramps, especially at night
- •Rapidly growing belly that's noticeably larger
- •Backaches from shifting center of gravity and loosening ligaments
- •Stronger, more frequent fetal movements
- •Possible abdominal achiness as uterus stretches
🥗 Nutrition Tips
- •Eat iron-rich foods (27mg daily) like lean red meat, fortified cereals, beans, and spinach to prevent anemia
- •Include folate-rich foods like lentils, chickpeas, asparagus, and fortified grains
- •Stay hydrated with at least 10 glasses of water daily
- •Eat potassium-rich foods like bananas, sweet potatoes, avocados, and oranges to prevent leg cramps
- •Stretch before bed to reduce nighttime leg cramps
- •Include magnesium-rich foods for muscle health
- •Eat protein-rich snacks before bed
✅ To-Do This Week
- •Prepare for your anatomy scan this week or next - write down questions for the sonographer
- •Decide whether you want to know baby's gender if it wasn't revealed through earlier testing
- •Start shopping for nursery items like crib, changing table, and dresser
- •Continue regular exercise like walking, swimming, or prenatal classes
- •Begin creating or adding to your baby registry
- •Research and register for childbirth education classes
- •Consider hiring a doula if interested in additional labor support
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Did You Know?
Your baby is developing their unique fingerprints and toe prints right now! These one-of-a-kind patterns are forming in the skin and will remain unchanged for their entire life.