Wednesday, December 24, 2008

Pregnant at 18 Weeks

You’re just about 50% through your pregnancy at 18 weeks pregnant. If you were experiencing morning sickness, it should be just about gone and you'll be feeling better. At this particular point of your pregnancy you’ll probably be feeling quite energetic.

Many pregnant women are still feeling quite good at this point in the pregnancy. They are enjoying showing off the pregnancy, and they aren't too uncomfortable yet. At this stage it may be just about the time to switch to maternity clothing if you haven’t done that yet as your belly should be showing to some degree by now.

By 18 weeks pregnant you’ll be experiencing the baby’s movements as small kicks and fluttering movements. These will get stronger as your pregnancy progresses. You can use this as experience in making an assessment of your baby’s general wellbeing by the amount of movements you experience.

As long as you are eating healthy at 18 weeks pregnant, try not to obsess about your weight. At this point in pregnancy, most women have gained about ten pounds or so. The better your food intake selections are, the lower the weight that you gain will be.

Every calorie should be made to count as you are making a new person to bring into the world! Be sure to continue to eat fruits, vegetables and protein foods and cut back on desserts that a high in sugar. Keep well hydrated by drinking enough water as contractions may result if you are dehydrated.

Rather than eating three main meals each day, try to have several smaller meals as you will find this better to do. This way you can maintain a good blood sugar level by not eating too much. As the baby grows bigger, this approach works well and also because as your uterus grows, your stomach gets squeezed.

Staying healthy by exercising is also very important. Simply taking a walking around the neighborhood or local park a few times each week will result in an easier labor and general better feeling than if you don’t do any exercise at all.

At about 18 weeks pregnant you may notice that it is more difficult to get comfortable while sleeping. You may need to experiment with different sleeping positions. Extra pillows or a body pillow made for pregnant woman may be very helpful.

Enjoy your pregnancy and your changing body. Pregnancy is only for a short time, so relish it if you can. Visit http://www.healthyclicks.org for articles on pregnancy many other health issues.

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