Pregnancy Week - 18 Weeks Pregnant

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18 Weeks Pregnant - Pregnancy Week by Week

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Pregnancy Week 18

What's a tired mom-to-be to do? Buy a Snoozer Pillow

**Please note- Your Due Date is calculated from your last menstrual period, which corresponds to our Pregnancy Week by Week articles.

Week 18

Your Baby's Growth and Development
By pregnancy week 18 your baby's heart is developed enough to show some signs of defects. Ultrasound may be used to help detect any structural abnormalities that might exist. Most babies will be born without any congenital abnormalities. If an early ultrasound does detect something abnormal, you can plan ahead for any interventions or surgeries that may be necessary to support your newborn baby after birth.

At pregnancy week 18 your baby is now starting to produce a protective covering along the nerves, called Myelin. This substance will be produced through the ninth month. By now your baby's genitals should be distinguishable, though you may not yet have the opportunity to view them at your health care practitioner's office.

Your Growth and Development
You should be able to feel your uterus now just below your bellybutton. You should definitely be showing a bit by now. Most women will have gained anywhere from 10 to 15 pounds at this point in time, though some will have gained less and some more. Your uterus is the size of a small melon by this point in time.

Changes in You
Sleeping might start to get a bit more uncomfortable as your belly continues to expand during pregnancy 18 weeks and beyond. One of the best things you can do during your pregnancy is lie on your left side, particularly during the third trimester. This will help prevent your uterus from compressing a vein in your body called the inferior vena cava. This vein helps return blood back to your heart. If you haven't invested in a whole body pillow at this point, you might consider one soon.

Most women will undergo an ultrasound sometime between 18 weeks pregnant and 20 weeks pregnant. An ultrasound is typically ordered to help detect birth defects and ensure that the baby is growing properly. Your healthcare provider will examine your baby's placenta and umbilical cord and also determine whether or not the due date you have estimated is likely to be correct.

Many women have their husband join them during their ultrasound visit so they can enjoy the experience of seeing their miniature newborn baby together.

Determining Your Baby's Sex
Should you find out what the sex of your baby is ahead of time? You might be able to if you are in pregnancy at 18 weeks or higher. Most parents are split on this issue. Some can't wait to find out what the sex of their baby is, and others prefer to be surprised at birth. The decision you make should be yours entirely.

Keep in mind that while typically very accurate, ultrasound can sometimes be misleading. There is a small chance that your technician might believe your boy is a girl, when in reality your baby is a boy! More than one parent has been surprised in the past by a slightly inaccurate ultrasound. However, by and large by this point in time most ultrasounds are more than 99 percent accurate. Just be sure you don't decorate the nursery entirely if your technician isn't 100 percent sure of the sex of your baby. An amniocentesis is the only foolproof way to determine the sex of your baby, other than delivery!

There are some fun old wives tales techniques for determining the sex of your baby. Some people for example believe that you can predict the sex of the baby based on the way you are carrying. Others believe that you can predict the sex of the baby based on their heart rate. By and large though most of these methods are fun, they are not any more accurate than simply guessing.

Pregnancy Pillows
The Ultimate Baby Shower Gift

If you are planning a baby shower for an expectant mother, at the top of your gift list should be a pregnancy pillow. All pregnant mothers will enjoy the luxurious comfort and feel of a quality pregnancy pillow like with Snoozer Pregnancy Pillows . They provide much needed relief from the discomforts of pregnancy including back aches and leg cramps associated with pregnancy.

A pregnancy pillow is the gift that keeps on giving... most mothers enjoy them for several months following delivery. They truly are a luxury item all pregnant mothers deserve to enjoy at some point during pregnancy.

Maternity Clothes
Maternity Shirts:
The Best and Worst Selections During Each Stage of Pregnancy

Nothing feels worse that wearing ill-fitting clothing during your pregnancy. This is the case whether you are wearing tops or bottoms. One thing you must invest in during your pregnancy is one or more elegantly designed maternity shirts. Maternity Shirts from Motherhood Maternity , are crafted with pregnant mothers in mind. They offer the much needed extra space to allow your newborn baby to grow without looking overly bulky or out of style.

In fact, today’s Maternity Shirts, Blouses from A Pea in the Pod are much classier and stylish than some versions offered in the past. Not sure what to look for? Keep in mind your skin might be overly sensitive during your pregnancy. You may want to look for clothes that are made of a cotton/lycra blend so they are comfortable, breathe AND stretch a little as your growing belly expands!

How much does it cost to have a baby? A lot! Most parents worry at some point or another about financing their baby. Realistically speaking, a lot of parents actually underestimate the cost of raising little ones. Don't fret however, there are many things you can do to raise your newborn baby frugally but still ensure they enjoy the best things in life.

So what are the primary expenses you should be considering? During the first year most of your expenses will come from diapers, diaper accessories, bedding and clothing. Don't forget along with diapers come baby wipes. Did you know that the average newborn baby requires anywhere from 8 to 10 diaper changes per day? If you are looking to save money, you can always decide to go with cloth diapers. Cloth diapers save a lot of money in the long run. Nowadays there are also many convenient diaper services that are available to haul your dirty diapers away and replace them with clean ones, so you don't have to worry about the trouble of washing all those dirty diapers!

Baby wipes can also get expensive. Most thrifty and experienced moms however realize that they can make their own! You don't have to use a washcloth either, which can get tedious and dirty. There are actually several different recipes available for making baby wipes. The most common include the following:

• Single roll of thick paper towels cut in half.
• Two cups hot water.
• 2-4 tablespoons of baby bath.
• Reseal able container big enough to hold wipes.

All you have to do is mix the water and baby bath in your container and add the paper towels. Seal the container and you have home made wipes at less than half the cost of what they sell for in the store!

If you plan on breastfeeding your newborn baby you will also save plenty during the first year. If you choose or need to use formula, powdered formula is much less expensive than premixed formulas or concentrate.

You can even find bargains on baby clothes. By a few new pieces that you choose to make your newborn baby look cute and adorable. Aside from that consider online auctions or other discount resources where you can get baby clothes inexpensively. You'll need about 8-10 pair of onesies at minimum so you aren't washing clothes constantly during the first few weeks. You should also invest in some warm baby socks and sleepers to keep your baby warm at night.

Most of the expenses for the first year come from buying baby accessories and toys, Keep in mind that your newborn baby won't even pay attention to most toys until they are between 3 and 6 months old. Most newborn babies are more interested in looking at your face than they are interested in looking at toys.

Just remember to take everything in stride. You will be able to figure out how to make it work, parents have been doing it since the dawn of time. You can start by setting aside a change jar that you throw all of your loose change into every week. Use that money as your play money to go out to eat on occasion or splurge on other 'luxuries' and in the meantime start putting away ten to twenty dollars per week in a savings account to help manage baby expenses. If you don't access that money over time interest will accrue and you'll find yourself with a nice little sum of money you can use to splurge on your new family!