At 25 weeks pregnant you may be finding it more and more difficult to carry your growing bump, but that's not surprising since you're now only a few weeks away from your third trimester. Your baby will hopefully continue cooking for another 15 weeks, but if he or she were to be born now, the chances of survival, with assistance, are good.
You may have another Midwife appointment this week, where once again your urine will be checked for glucose and protein, and your belly will be felt to make sure Baby is growing well. If you've had a recent test for gestational diabetes, you may get the results at this appointment, and around this time you may be having further blood tests to check for iron deficiency.
Baby: What's Happening?
Your baby may surpass the 1.5 lb mark this week, and is measuring about 9 inches from head to bum, or 13 inches from head to toe. With most of the major organ development now complete, your baby's main activity is putting on weight so they're ready to take on the world once they're born.
Your baby's lungs continue to finalize the development process as tiny air sacs develop which will help with breathing. The presence of these air sacs, coupled with the nostrils opening up mean that your baby could breathe around now (which is why there's a good chance of your baby surviving even if born this early), but your baby won't take his or her first breath until arrival.
Up until now, your baby's head and eyebrow hair has been pure white, but as pigmentation changes at around 25 weeks your baby's hair will start to transform into the color it will be at birth. Babies can be born with any color hair, whether that be blonde, brunette or red, and will usually be similar to either your own hair or your partners. However, some babies can actually be born very fair but go on to have dark hair as a toddler, and vice versa!
You: What's Happening?
Your uterus measures about 25 cm, or just over 9.5 inches and is rising even further up above your navel. Those movements you've been feeling will start to become softer and slower as your baby gets a bit short of space. There's only so much expanding your tummy can do!
You might be using the bathroom more than ever as your baby punches and kicks your bladder, but this can actually be a good thing! Having a wee is a good opportunity to practice your kegel exercises and tone the muscles around your vulva. This not only prepare your downstairs bits for the birth, but also helps everything spring back into shape, reducing the risk of any incontinence problems.
Cramp, hip pain, itching and swelling is all common around now, unfortunately. Carrying a baby around with you 24 hours a day is a big strain on your body, but things shouldn't get too much worse from now on. If you're suffering, remember to take things easy - no one expects you to be superwoman!
Handy Hints
If you've been feeling more tired than usual, or perhaps a little dizzy when you stand up, it's probably just a normal side effect of the pregnancy. However, it could also be a sign of iron deficiency, which you may be tested for at this point in your pregnancy.
Iron deficiency is incredibly common around now as your blood supply increases to provide your growing baby with all the oxygen and nutrients he or she needs. Try including lots of fruit and legumes in your diet, as well as fortified breads and cereals. Nuts are a good source of iron, but with some research indicating prenatal nut consumption could cause allergies, think carefully about whether you wish to eat nut products or not.
If you're severely deficient you may wish to take iron supplements. They're completely safe to take during pregnancy, but can cause nausea and diarrhea, which can be very inconvenient, especially if you're already suffering with these symptoms. However, keeping your iron levels up is vital, and will help keep you feeling as full of energy as is possible during your second and third trimesters!