Practice Makes Perfect

If the fear of a miscarriage has never left you for some reason, you can release a little of the worry this week. If your baby were to be born around this time there is the possibility she could pull through and go on to live a normal life. Many factors of surviving premature birth determine the health of the baby in the future, but if your baby were born this week she would have at least a 10% chance of living.

The chances of survival can be much higher, depending on circumstances. It is best for your little one to stay safe in the womb for many more weeks, but it is relieving to some women to realize they have reached a point where survival would at least be possible.

Look at You Now:

Your baby still has plenty room to move around so you are likely feeling a lot of pokes, prods, and kicks. If you hold still it is even possible to see little hands and feet poking out from under and moving around. Your loved ones may want to feel the baby move, so get used to this request.

Some women may still experience mood swings and other affects from the rise in hormones. It is still important to relieve stress and relax, just as in early pregnancy.  Keeping up your exercise program can also help relieve any worries or anxiety about the upcoming birth and for first mothers, the worries over becoming a parent.

Look at Baby Now:

Your baby now weighs about a pound, maybe even more! The body continues to fill out so it is more and more proportional to the head. Smaller details continue to form, such as the middle ear bones this week!

Your baby spends a lot of time developing the ability to move the body in different ways, and practicing simple functioning tasks they will need for life on the outside in just a few months.

While you may already be preparing a safe, warm environment in your home, the baby has long been practicing to fill that warm space!

Tips for Now:

If you are already feeling some Braxton hicks contractions, try not to get stressed out or think the baby is coming too early. These are common, though some women will not experience them until late in the third trimester. They are not real contractions, but a simple result of your uterine muscles tensing in preparation for birth in the near future.