Week by week pregnancy guide: You and your baby at Week 23

How Big is Your Baby?

In this week by week pregnancy guide, you’ll learn that:

Your baby’s lungs are developing to prepare for breathing.
The lanugo or the fine hair that covers his body may darken by now.
His eyes are now completely formed, although they do not have any colour just yet. It is also now when he can open his eyes inside the womb.
By this week, you can feel him moving through your womb. He maybe doing somersaults, too… but not for long.
His vestibular system, the area in the brain responsible for sensing movement, is developing quickly now. This means he is already actively sensing all your physical movements.
He also has developed a stable hearing sense.
Babies born at 23 weeks can sometimes survive if they are given the right medical care in an intensive care unit.

Boy, are you showing! Your uterus extends 3.8 cm above your belly button and you would have gained anything between 5.4 kg to 6.8 kg.
You are peeing frequently because your uterus sits above your bladder. You may even experience leaking of fluids.
This time around you will be checked for preterm labour. The anxiety levels will heighten during this week and you will go through varied emotions.
At this time you might experience bleeding gums and nosebleeds.

To keep the bleeding gums at bay, make good dental hygiene a priority. Due to super active hormones, your gums will suffer inflammation and bleeding, particularly while brushing your teeth.
You are peeing constantly, and how! But that’s pretty normal at this stage. Continue drinking water as well as vegetable juices, herbal teas, fruit juice, and milk.
When using public toilets, sanitise the seats and maintain minimal contact to avoid infections.

Your next week: 24 weeks pregnant

Your previous week: 22 weeks pregnant

Do you have questions on this week by week pregnancy guide? What are your current concerns, mums? Leave us a comment below!