Where Is My Baby Positioned at 23 Weeks

Go set up for a major growth spurt — showtime this week, your baby will probable double in size over the adjacent month or so.

And with those pregnancy hormones on overdrive, you may start noticing that foggy, hazy feeling known equally "pregnancy brain."

One solution? Brand post-information technology notes your friend and stick niggling reminders where you'll see them around the business firm.

Your Baby at Calendar week 23

Don't take headphones?

View video transcript.

At around 8 inches long and a smidge over a pound, your little pup is really looking a fleck like a shar-pei — very cute, merely still very wrinkly. Poised to put on pounds, baby'due south birthday accommodate has outpaced the fatty that'll start to accrue very soon. Every bit a result, saggy skin hangs loosely from those little limbs like long-johns that are two sizes too big.

Your babe'south skin is also cellophane thin and has taken on a reddish cast, cheers to the vivid network of blood vessels developing underneath. Right now, information technology's a await only a mother…or begetter…could love. Luckily, a tough, protective poly peptide, called keratin, is being added to your baby'southward skin cells, and that'll thicken his skin as he continues to gestate in your cozy uterus. Don't worry, his skin will be soft, sweet, and suitable for stroking by the time he checks out of Motel Mommy, and checks into your arms.

But before he's set to face the earth outside, he's going to accept to be able to breath in it — and for that important function to part, his lungs will take some maturing to do. Right now, the maturation process is beginning — though it'll be a while earlier those tiny lungs will be ready for the breathing big time. Small capillaries are forming in the lungs and specialized lung cells, called pneumocytes, are developing. These all important cells will produce surfactant downwardly the road — the crucial substance that'll help baby's lungs aggrandize afterwards nascency. But more about that later on.

In the meantime, take a look at that amazing placenta — your baby'southward recently completed life support system. The pancake-shaped placenta — attached to your uterine wall and connected to your growing baby by the umbilical string — acts as a sophisticated trading post and filtering arrangement, transferring oxygen and nutrients to your fetus, and removing waste material products.

Information technology likewise protects your infant, serving as a sort of fetal security checkpoint, by preventing harmful substances and infections from passing from your system into your infant's. And as if that's not plenty to dazzle you, the placenta is as well difficult at piece of work producing hormones — estrogen and progesterone — that go along your pregnancy going potent. Pretty impressive for a network of claret vessels!

At a Glance

Are y'all blushing?

Baby'south peel is a bit saggy (but won't exist for long as fatty begins forming) and has a pink-crimson hue (this is true in all skin colors), thanks to the developing veins and arteries correct underneath.

Packing a dial

Those picayune arms and legs are packing more than of a dial these days...you might even see them poke through from the outside!

The power of the placenta

The placenta — baby'south recently completed life-support organization — transfers oxygen and nutrients to baby and removes waste matter products.

23 weeks meaning is how many months?

If yous're 23 weeks meaning, you're in month 6 of your pregnancy. But 3 months left to go! Still have questions? Here'due south some more data on how weeks, months and trimesters are broken down in pregnancy.

How large is my baby at 23 weeks?

At around 11 inches long and just over a pound, this calendar week marks the beginning of some serious weight proceeds.

Your infant should double his weight over the adjacent four weeks alone — and you may feel as though y'all do, also.

Infant'southward skin and organs

Baby's skin is a flake saggy since it grows a lot faster than fat, only soon he'll start to fit his frame as fat deposits fill things out.

By the fourth dimension your baby is born, he volition be pleasantly plump and filled out, from chubby cheeks to stubby toes.

And although at 23 weeks pregnant your baby'south organs and basic are visible through his skin, he'll become less transparent once those fat deposits settle in.

You may be able to hear your infant'due south heartbeat through a stethoscope

You lot've probably heard your developing baby's heartbeat through a Doppler a number of times already, though you never get tired of hearing it, only past now you or your doctor might besides be able to hear it through a standard stethoscope (though sometimes, information technology tin can be tricky to notice). What a heartthrob!

Your Body at Week 23

23 Weeks Pregnant

New symptoms starting time

Yep, the baby y'all're expecting is cozily ensconced in your belly, but past now you've probably noticed that pregnancy affects you from caput to toe — and pretty much everywhere in between.

At 23 weeks meaning, your listen is fuzzy (this is your brain…this is your brain on progesterone) and your feet are growing. The palms of your easily and soles of your feet might be ruddy and yous might exist more decumbent to estrus rash and pare tags.

Stretch marks are blooming in vibrant shades of pink, blood-red, purple, carmine-brown or nighttime brown on pretty much every available surface of skin and…wait! What'south that funky dark line running downwards the center of your belly?

Pare discoloration

Believe it or not, information technology'south chosen the "dark line" — or linea nigra. A common emblem of pregnancy that may be more than noticeable in darker-skinned women, the linea nigra runs between your belly push button and your pubic area. It'south caused by the same pregnancy hormones responsible for all the skin discolorations you might be seeing, similar the darker shade of your areolas and the deeper tone of the freckles on your arms and legs.

Some women, again, ordinarily those with darker-skin, notice discoloration on the face too, especially in the expanse around the nose, forehead, cheeks and eyes. It'due south called the mask of pregnancy (or melasma) considering it appears every bit a mask-like configuration on the face.

Rest bodacious, you won't be playing masquerade for much longer. All these skin changes will fade within a few months after delivery. In the meantime, bring on the concealer — though not the bleaching creams, which won't work anyway.

Learning to relax

Is your growing bundle of joy making yous a quivering bundle of nerves? Breathe, baby, exhale!

Now'southward a neat time to learn some soothing relaxation techniques — and non but because they tin help you cope with pregnancy worries and, presently, labor contractions. They'll as well come up in handy during those new-parent moments when infant won't stop crying, the telephone is ringing and it's simply you (and your little one) in the house.

Yoga is a fabulous de-stresser, if you lot have time to accept a class. Just here's a pregnancy meditation technique you can use merely about anywhere, someday, to soothe your soul:

1. Sit with your eyes closed and imagine a relaxing, peaceful scene, similar a sunset over your favorite beach, waves gently lapping the shore or a serene mountain vista with a blathering brook.

2. Working your fashion up from your toes to your face, concentrate on relaxing every muscle 1-by-1. Breathe securely through your nose, exhaling through your oral fissure, and aim for 10 to 20 minutes if you can swing information technology.

Pregnancy Symptoms Week 23

Fetal activity

Hearty appetite

Bloating

Snoring

Haemorrhage gums

Tingling hands

Tips for You This Week

The secret to a expert night's sleep?

It can be nigh every bit difficult to get a good night's sleep when y'all're pregnant as it is when y'all're a new parent. In fact, co-ordinate to 1 study, a whopping 78 per centum of women experience sleep issues at some point, or many points, during pregnancy.

With all that's going on in your body — and brain — it's no wonder that a full night's rest can be so elusive. If you find information technology hard to get comfortable, try sliding a pillow betwixt your legs and resting with your knees aptitude.

Enquire nearly motherhood get out

While y'all're weeks away from meeting baby, information technology's time to offset thinking nigh maternity leave. Connect with both HR and your supervisor to make sure yous're all on the same page and you're familiar with the details.

Refill your water bottle

Go along a bottle of water by your side at all times. Staying hydrated helps maintain your additional blood volume, renews amniotic fluid and bolsters milk product.

A general dominion of thumb: Effort to drink between viii and 10 8-ounce glasses of water a mean solar day, though it actually varies based on your body blazon and size, how active you are and and so on.

Be sure to talk to your practitioner about what works for you and your situation.

Accept steps to prevent UTIs

Now that it's being squished by your growing uterus, your bladder makes the perfect breeding ground for bacteria — and that tin can lead to a urinary tract infection (UTI). Luckily, there are plenty of ways you can reduce your chances of developing a UTI during pregnancy.

Drink lots of h2o and cranberry juice (though the 2d remedy has mixed results), ideally one that doesn't contain added sugar.

Check your urine color — if information technology'south dark, not straw-colored, y'all're not getting enough fluids and could be setting yourself up for a UTI.

Other tips: Don't hold it in — pee every bit soon equally you feel the urge and tin discover a bathroom. Concentrate on completely elimination your bladder when you go to the bathroom, and try leaning forward when y'all pee. Wipe from front to back.

Lastly, clean your genitals and the areas surrounding them, particularly afterward having sex. Clothing all-cotton underwear and take showers rather than baths whenever possible.

Rethink hair treatments

At present that you've passed your starting time trimester, are you thinking about getting your hair straightened or curled at the salon? You lot might want to reconsider.

There is the possibility that your hormone-infused locks will respond oddly to the chemicals — for example, you might finish upwardly with a brawl of frizz instead of a crown of ringlets. There'south besides a slight run a risk that the substances can exist captivated through the scalp and into your bloodstream.

Highlights are considered safe by about practitioners, however, since the colour isn't applied every bit close to the scalp. So are milder treatments like all-vegetable dyes or ammonia-free blends, then chances are you'll be able to create those auburn or gold tones with no problem.

Simply ask. An ultra-cautious practitioner or stylist may recommend against any chemical processing until after your baby is born.

Consider buying organic

Y'all can't go wrong past filling your plate with fresh fruits and vegetables — whether they're organic or not.

Still, organic foods may accept a few benefits, including fewer pesticides in organic produce than conventional fruits and vegetables (if in that location's any at all).

Organic foods are too free of artificial colorings, flavorings and preservatives. Organic produce does tend to be more expensive than conventional fruits and vegetables and tin have a shorter shelf-life.

Remember, what's most of import is choosing a wide variety of nutritious foods and fresh, ripe fruits and veggies in a range of colors. And no affair what kind of fruits and veggies you purchase — conventional or organic — you'll demand to wash your produce meticulously in cold water before eating it.

Try Pilates

Everybody (and their pregnant neighbor) is doing it — but is Pilates the right exercise for you? Admittedly — and it's not a stretch!

This mind-body discipline focuses on strengthening your core and elongating your muscles, increasing tone, strength and flexibility — just what yous need when you lot're exercising for two.

Simply exist sure not to endeavour any of the moves on your own if you're a novice. Best to do them with a Pilates instructor, preferably one who specializes in prenatal exercises.

From the What to Look editorial team and Heidi Murkoff, author ofWhat to Look When You're Expecting. What to Await follows strict reporting guidelines and uses only credible sources, such every bit peer-reviewed studies, academic research institutions and highly respected health organizations. Learn how nosotros keep our content authentic and upwards-to-date by reading our medical review and editorial policy.

What to Expect When You're Expecting, 5^th edition, Heidi Murkoff.

WhatToExpect.com, What to Practise if You Get a UTI During Pregnancy, February 2021.

WhatToExpect.com, Should You lot Eat an Organic Diet During Pregnancy?, March 2021.

WhatToExpect.com, Pilus Dye and Highlights During Pregnancy, Jan 2020.

WhatToExpect.com, 8 Common Pregnancy Sleep Problems & Solutions, Apr 2021.

WhatToExpect.com, What Every Mom Needs to Know About Maternity Go out, June 2021.

WhatToExpect.com, How Much Water Should You Drink During Pregnancy?, Dec 2020.

American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, How Your Fetus Grows During Pregnancy, Baronial 2020.

Mayo Clinic, Fetal Evolution: The 2nd Trimester, June 2020.

American Academy of Dermatology, Melasma, 2021.

American Higher of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Peel Atmospheric condition During Pregnancy, June 2020.

American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, Carpal Tunnel Syndrome, July 2016.

National Sleep Foundation, Pregnancy and Sleep, October 2020.

American Higher of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Urinary Tract Infections, November 2020.

National Institutes of Health, National Library of Medicine, Canadian Family unit Physician, Safety of Hair Products During Pregnancy, October 2008.

Food and Drug Administration, Cosmetics Condom Q&A: Pilus Dyes, August 2020.

U.S. Department of Agronomics, Organic 101: What the USDA Organic Label Means, March 2019.

U.S. Department of Agronomics, Organic Aquaculture, 2021.

American Higher of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, Exercise During Pregnancy, July 2019.