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🌿Second Trimester•Weeks 14-27
Week 22 of Pregnancy
Your baby is the size of papaya
📏
Length
10.9 inches
⚖️
Weight
15.2 ounces
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Size Comparison
Papaya
👶 Baby Development
- •Eyelids, eyebrows, and eyelashes are fully formed
- •Lips are becoming more distinct and developed
- •Pancreas is developing steadily and beginning to produce important hormones
- •Reproductive system continues developing with testes descending (boys) or ovaries fully stocked with eggs (girls)
- •Baby looks like a miniature newborn with more proportional features
- •Inner ear is fully developed allowing for balance and spatial awareness
- •Baby can perceive movement and differentiate being upside down
💭 Common Symptoms
- •Increased libido for many women as energy improves and discomfort is minimal
- •Possible leg cramps, especially at night, from calcium-magnesium imbalance
- •Constipation continues as progesterone slows digestion
- •Increased clear or white vaginal discharge
- •Skin changes including darkening linea nigra, melasma, or skin tags
- •Possible swelling in hands and feet
- •Heightened emotional connection to baby as movements become stronger
🥗 Nutrition Tips
- •Eat magnesium-rich foods (350mg daily) like almonds, spinach, black beans, and dark chocolate for leg cramps
- •Include 25-35g of fiber daily through whole grains, fruits, and vegetables for digestion
- •Stay hydrated with 10-12 glasses of water daily
- •Eat foods rich in vitamin A (but not exceeding 10,000 IU daily) like sweet potatoes and carrots
- •Include probiotic foods like yogurt and kefir for digestive health
- •Stretch and stay active to reduce leg cramps
- •Eat potassium-rich foods like bananas and avocados
✅ To-Do This Week
- •Continue regular prenatal appointments (every 4 weeks)
- •Start attending childbirth education classes
- •Plan your baby shower with date, location, theme, and guest list
- •Consider cord blood banking and research public vs. private banking options
- •Interview potential pediatricians and select one before birth
- •Begin practicing relaxation and breathing techniques for labor
- •Take weekly belly photos
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Did You Know?
Your baby is now practicing facial expressions like smiling, frowning, and grimacing, preparing for all the emotions they'll express after birth! They may even smile in their sleep.