By pregnancy week 20, your baby is now almost 10 to 11 ounces, and he or she is 10 inches long from the head to toe! (Crown to rump measurements is no longer used after this week.) Your baby is comparable in length to a plantain.
At 20 weeks pregnant, your little bundle of joy has grown so much that your healthcare provider has to measure the baby's size in a variety of different ways. From this week onward, the sonographer will determine your child's size by taking a circumference of the head, tummy, and the length of the upper leg bone. All of these measurements will give your doctor an idea of whether your little one falls within the normal range for babies at 20 weeks.
Your baby is now practicing breathing and swallowing on a regular basis. He or she continues to grow and fill out, with the head becoming slightly more proportional to the rest of the body.
By 20 weeks pregnant, your baby's skin is becoming more complex, forming different layers. The epidermis, or surface of your baby's skin, has four layers that contain ridges for fingertips. The layers that form in your baby's palms and feet will provide your little one with his or her own unique fingerprint later in life.
Lanugo starts to cover your baby's body at 20 weeks pregnant. Your developing baby is still rather skinny and has little body fat. Lanugo, which is a fine, downy hair, offers insulation and warmth to your little one. By the time your child is born, lanugo will be shed. (However, some babies are born with a covering of lanugo, but this downy hair will go away in the first couple weeks of life.)
An exciting development at 20 weeks gestation is the beginning of baby teeth. At 20 weeks pregnant, tooth buds are now in place underneath the gums. These tooth buds won't appear as baby teeth for six or eight months after delivery.
By 20 weeks pregnant, your baby's stomach, intestines, liver, and other abdominal organs are enclosed within the abdominal cavity.
At 20 weeks pregnant, you're at the midpoint of your pregnancy. There are only 20 more weeks to go before your due date. Some women will deliver slightly sooner than their estimated due date; others will give birth after this date. Keep in mind that a regular, full-term pregnancy usually lasts between 37 and 42 weeks.
Onlookers and strangers are going to start noticing your lovely bump at 20 weeks pregnant. It's going to be hard to hide your pregnancy at this point. Your belly button may have popped by this middle point of pregnancy.
Helpful Tip: If you haven't already thought about childbirth education classes, you should do so this week. Childbirth classes can fill up fast, and you don't want to miss out on the opportunity to learn about what to expect from labor and delivery.
At 20 weeks pregnant, most women have their second trimester ultrasound. At this ultrasound scan, you'll get the chance to find out if you're going to have a daughter or a son. This is quite exciting - especially since knowing your baby's sex will make it easier for you to decorate your nursery.
Most women are able to feel their baby's movements by 20 weeks pregnant. If you haven't enjoyed your baby's first flutters or tapping yet, don't worry. It takes some women a few extra days before they feel their baby. First-time pregnant women may not feel their baby's kicks until 22 weeks pregnant. Don't be impatient; you will soon feel your little bundle of joy moving inside of you.
At 20 weeks pregnant, you've reached the halfway point in your pregnancy. You are probably feeling less dainty and more bulky now. You're definitely showing and looking quite pregnant.
Have you noticed any skin changes yet? By 20 weeks pregnant, you may have noticed skin darkening in different areas of your body. Your areolas (skin around your nipples) might have already darkened. If you have freckles or moles, don't be surprised if they get darker in color as well. Hormonal changes can lead to a temporary increase in melanin (a pigment that gives color o your skin and hair).
The mask of pregnancy (chloasma) is another side effect of the increased melanin production. At 20 weeks pregnant, you might have noticed darker splotches on your face - around your nose, cheekbones, forehead, upper lip, and chin. The mask of pregnancy is a common pregnancy symptom in the second trimester. The effects of it will fade after you deliver your baby. To minimize your risk of getting chloasma, make sure that you stay away from direct sunlight, UV light can worsen pigment changes.
Braxton Hicks contractions are a normal pregnancy symptom to expect at 20 weeks pregnant. These false labor contractions are weak, and they come and go by this midpoint of pregnancy. As your pregnancy week by week continues, you'll notice these uterine contractions more frequently. They are getting your body ready for the real deal. For most women, Braxton Hicks contractions are painless and they're not a bother. However, you should contact your caregiver or doctor if your contractions become painful or get more regular (i.e. occurring every hour and getting closer together all the time.). Regular contractions might be a sign of preterm labor.
Dizziness or light-headedness is a common pregnancy symptom at 20 weeks. You may notice that you're feeling lightheaded after you've been standing for a long period of time. If you stay standing for too long, this can cause blood to pool in your legs. Make sure that you try to get as much rest as possible - take frequent breaks and rest.
Abdominal Itching During Pregnancy Week 20
Abdominal itching is often common during this point in pregnancy. Typically, itching occurs as a result of your skin stretching. Consistent application of moisturizers can help reduce irritation. A very small number of women develop itchy red bumps during pregnancy, and hive-like rashes on their belly, usually in the last couple of months of pregnancy. This type of irritation is often referred to as Pruritic urticarial papules and plaques of pregnancy or PUPP. Usually these bumps are harmless, and serve more as a nuisance than anything.
Fortunately, your healthcare provider can prescribe a topical ointment that will help reduce the amount of itching you are experiencing. Very rarely a woman will develop severe itchiness that is a sign of something more severe, such as a condition called intrahepatic cholestasis. This condition is the result of a liver problem that occurs in pregnancy. When affected by intrahepatic cholestasis, bile in the body doesn't flow normally throughout the small ducts of the liver, resulting in accumulation of bile salts in the skin. This can result in excessive itching and red irritated skin.
If you have itching that seems to have spread all over your belly and you are not able to relieve it with warm soaks and moisturizing, contact your healthcare provider. They will have to conduct some blood tests to confirm whether or not your liver has been affected by this condition. Fortunately this condition usually affects less than 2 percent of pregnant women, so it is unlikely that you will develop this condition during your pregnancy.
Now that you're halfway through your pregnancy, you're most likely sporting a nice "bump.” For the average sized woman, her weight gain at 20 weeks pregnant might be 10 or 11 pounds, possibly more. Keep in mind that every woman gains her pregnancy weight differently, so you may be far ahead of this weight, or slightly behind. If you can, try to keep the total weight gain for your size in mind (25 o 35 pounds for the normal sized woman).
To ensure that your baby grows strong and healthy, remember to continue eating a balanced diet with a variety of fruits and vegetables, proteins, carbohydrates, and plenty of vitamins and minerals.
Up until 20 weeks pregnant, your doctor measured your baby's growth from "crown to rump” (from the top of your little one's head to his buttocks). From this point onward, your baby will be measured from head to toes using a measurement called "fundal height.”
Fundal height is determined by measuring from your pubic symphysis to the top of your uterus (called the fundus). This technique typically correlates with the gestational age of your baby when you are between 14 and 32 weeks pregnant.
After 32 weeks pregnant, the use of the fundal height measurement is ambiguous. In the later weeks of pregnancy, it is best to assess the overall size and health of your baby with serial ultrasound examinations. The size and weight of the infant can be assessed with an accuracy of plus or minus 20% when serial ultrasound is used. Serial ultrasound exams can show the growth curve for your baby. These measurements may enable you to determine the exact percentile of growth or the growth rate for your baby.
If your fundal height measurements are much larger than expected, your healthcare provider might suspect that you are carrying twins, that the baby is growing larger than normal for your gestational age, or that your baby may be due sooner than expected. Ultrasound exams will help to clarify any size or date discrepancies.
Some women will measure slightly smaller than expected for their expected due date and this is perfectly normal. This could be due to miscalculation of your due date, the fact that the baby is growing smaller than expected for your gestational age, or it can sometimes be the result of intrauterine-growth restriction. The ultrasound exam is of greatest benefit when there is a size discrepancy because it can clarify between a small size due to miscalculated due dates or intrauterine-growth restriction.
Overview of Intrauterine Growth Restriction (IUGR)
Intrauterine Growth Restriction or IUGR is a condition that results in significantly smaller weight babies at the time of birth. There are many factors that can affect your baby's growth in the womb. Risk factors for fetal growth restriction are:
A history of previous fetal growth restriction infant
Typically growth that occurs in the womb is very rapid. A typical baby will be born somewhere around 7 pounds. Premature babies are smaller but their growth is often proportionate to the number of weeks they were growing in the womb. When growth is not proportionate to your baby's gestation, IUGR may be suspected.
If IUGR is suspected, your healthcare provider will want to conduct several tests to help determine what the cause may be. Typically, newborn babies diagnosed with IUGR experience more medical problems and difficulties than normal weight babies. The good news is that proper health and prenatal care during pregnancy goes a long way toward preventing IUGR, and early detection will allow appropriate treatment and the best possible outcome for your baby.
Many women decide to sign up for childbirth education classes during their pregnancy, particularly first time moms. These classes can be particularly beneficial for the labor and delivery process. Childbirth classes are a means to focus on your impending role as a parent, and a means to express your concerns and worries prior to delivery. Most childbirth classes will teach you the ins and outs of labor and delivery, help you understand what you can expect during the first few weeks of parenthood, and offer vital tips and tricks for coping with fatigue, stress, and other concerns in the postpartum period.
Most classes will instruct you regarding the signs of labor or pre labor, and help you learn relaxation and breathing techniques for labor and delivery. Others will also cover important aspects of labor and delivery such as pain medication options and hospital procedures. Your instructor may also cover natural birthing options, recovery from a vaginal delivery, and information on c-sections. While most women predict that their labor will go off without a hitch, you simply never know when a c-section might be necessary. Because of this, it is important that you are prepared in the event that you may need one.
For the most part, you will want to dress comfortably for class and bring a pillow and partner. Your partner will help coach you through the relaxation and breathing exercises you need to adopt for labor and delivery. The two most popular childbirth classes are the Lamaze classes and Bradley Method Classes.
Lamaze classes typically emphasize managing your pain through relaxation, meditation, and breathing techniques. Lamaze is a natural approach to birth, but can be used in conjunction with pain relief. The Bradley Method is often considered a comprehensive approach to pregnancy and delivery. Typically, this method emphasizes diet and exercise and teaches deep breathing techniques for labor and delivery.
Some other classes you may find useful include newborn baby or infant CPR and breastfeeding. A breastfeeding class can be invaluable if you plan on breastfeeding your baby exclusively. Your instructor will cover a variety of topics including pumping and storing your breast milk, different latch positions, and methods for coping with problems while breastfeeding. A breastfeeding class may also provide you with contact information for local lactation consultants that can help you with the breastfeeding process after delivery.
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At 20 weeks pregnant, you're at the midpoint of your pregnancy. There are only 20 more weeks to go before your due date. Some women will deliver slightly sooner than their estimated due date; others will give birth after this date. Keep in mind that a regular, full-term pregnancy usually lasts between 37 and 42 weeks. 
Now that you're halfway through your pregnancy, you're most likely sporting a nice "bump.” For the average sized woman, her weight gain at 20 weeks pregnant might be 10 or 11 pounds, possibly more. Keep in mind that every woman gains her pregnancy weight differently, so you may be far ahead of this weight, or slightly behind. If you can, try to keep the total weight gain for your size in mind (25 o 35 pounds for the normal sized woman). 
Up until 20 weeks pregnant, your doctor measured your baby's growth from "crown to rump” (from the top of your little one's head to his buttocks). From this point onward, your baby will be measured from head to toes using a measurement called "fundal height.” 
Intrauterine Growth Restriction or IUGR is a condition that results in significantly smaller weight babies at the time of birth. There are many factors that can affect your baby's growth in the womb. Risk factors for fetal growth restriction are:
Many women decide to sign up for childbirth education classes during their pregnancy, particularly first time moms. These classes can be particularly beneficial for the labor and delivery process. Childbirth classes are a means to focus on your impending role as a parent, and a means to express your concerns and worries prior to delivery. Most childbirth classes will teach you the ins and outs of labor and delivery, help you understand what you can expect during the first few weeks of parenthood, and offer vital tips and tricks for coping with fatigue, stress, and other concerns in the postpartum period. 