Pregnancy Facts - Week 22
What's happening in week 22 of pregnancy
Some parts of your body have been growing a little more than others.
- Your nipples and areolas - they're definitely not the same as they were before you got pregnant. Not only are they a little (or a lot) bigger but they're also darker too. This is caused by hormones from the placenta called MSH (melanocyte-stimulating hormones).
- Your belly - Surely you've noticed this one. When the belly grows too fast, the skin sometimes can't keep up. When that happens, the skin grows new tissue without the elastic fibers being produced, causing stretch marks to form.
- Your belly button - Have you been an innie all your life? Sometime around now and the next few weeks, your normal looking belly button is going to become an outie for the rest of your pregnancy. Your baby's grown so big now that your uterus is pushing your belly so far forward it makes your belly button pop out.
How big is your baby in week 22 of pregnancy
At 22 weeks, your baby now measures approximately 7.3 inches (18.6 centimeters) from the top of their head to their bottom (crown to rump), and weighs nearly 1 pound, 15.2 ounces to be exact (430 grams).
Your baby's development in week 22 of pregnancy
Your baby has started to put on the pounds, but has yet to fill up the excess skin that has grown so far. Think shar-pei.
Your baby's eyes have matured and fully formed, but the irises are still uncolored.
Without much to do in the womb, your baby's taken on working out as a past time. Like a retro 70's GI Joe action figure, your baby's got a kung fu grip. While not a resistance band, the umbilical cord serves as the perfect piece of gym equipment to practice grasping and finger movements. Don't be worried, your baby's not stupid enough to choke out their own lifeline. You'll be assured to know that the umbilical cord is thick enough to withstand even the strongest of baby workouts.
Do you even lift, baby brah?
