Pregnancy Facts - Week 18
Your baby's development in week 18 of pregnancy
While once your baby's heart was basically on cruise control, beating to its own drum, the brain has now claimed rights to it and now controls its every movement. Everything must bow down to the brain.
Your baby's heart beats twice as fast as yours does. That's about 140-150 beats per minute. It's like a EDM nightclub in those heart chambers.
Your baby sucks. At this stage of development, your baby is sucking an awful lot of thumb. This is all in preparation for the first meal out of the womb on a breast or a bottle.
Now that your baby is a little bigger, you may be starting to feel and see movement now, especially when your baby hiccups. It's not the first time your baby's hiccupped in their short life, but it may be the first time you've actually felt it.
It's not recommended to scare the hiccups out of your baby. They will subside naturally.
Here's a weird thing; regardless of the sex of your baby, your baby has mammary glands now. Development will stop though if your baby is male. No need to worry about your baby having moobs.
At week 18, your baby is far enough in development that you can now tell the sex with ultrasound. That is if your baby is male you'll be able to see them male parts. It's big enough to see now.
If your baby is female, nothing will stick out in the ultrasound.
How big is your baby in week 17 of pregnancy
Your placenta is now as big as your baby. Or should that be your baby is now as big as the placenta? Anyway, they're both about the same size now. It's kind of like you have two babies in there. Or three if you're having twins. Or four if you're having triplets... etc. etc. ad infinitum.
Speaking of size of your baby, it's worth a mention now that this week your baby measures 5.6 inches (14.2 centimeters) and weighs 6.7 ounces (190 grams).
What's happening in week 17 of pregnancy
Your uterus is lengthening and getting more round in shape. So much so that it is now pushing aside other organs to make room for itself. Your intestines are getting pushed up and outwards. Eventually they'll shift to the side to make way.
