Your baby’s vocal chords are now formed and they can make different facial expressions. Your baby can grasp with their hands and suck their thumb and they begin to explore the inside of your uterus with their hands and feet. If you press your belly from the outside, this may produce a small startle response in your baby (one of the many newborn reflexes present after birth).
If this is not your first pregnancy you may start to feel small sensations of your baby’s movements soon, although movements are more commonly felt between 18 and 22 weeks.
Physical changes
Aches and pains
As your uterus grows and your baby’s movements increase in strength, you can experience many strange sensations. These may range from stretching and burning to mild cramping or stitch-like pains with tugging and pulling. Aches and pains can cause concern and worry, because the feelings are often unfamiliar and it can be hard to know what is normal. Generally, if the pain is not extreme and/or there is no bleeding associated with it, it is normal.
Emotional reactions
Some women feel vulnerable about the continued unknown of their pregnancy and possibly the impending labour and birth.
Partners may experience a renewed purpose in their life. Perhaps re-assessing their career or making some lifestyle changes.
Other considerations
What to expect at your pregnancy visits
After your first consultation pregnancy visits are scheduled at fairly regular intervals. However, their frequency until 28 weeks can vary, depending on your individual needs and your caregiver’s preferences.
In the past, pregnancy visits during the 2nd trimester were routinely scheduled every 4 weeks. However, recent research has shown that antenatal visits every 5 to 6 weeks are acceptable for women whose pregnancies are progressing normally.
Twins, triplets or more
Pregnancy visits for women with a multiple pregnancy are generally similar to visits for women having one baby. However, once the number of babies is revealed, the frequency of routine visits may increase, depending on how everything is progressing and your caregiver’s preferences.
Natural therapies
Iridology
Iridology dates back to the time of Hippocrates (about 400 BC). It is a therapy that may be used to diagnose diseases by studying the iris of the eye (the coloured part of the eye). The iris is as individually unique as your fingerprints and is believed to reflect the health of the body’s organs and glands.
