Your pregnancy at 18 weeks
What's happening with mum
As baby grows rapidly you might feel those kicks getting stronger as he moves around, rolling and squirming and exploring.
In order to provide baby with the extra vitamins and nutrients he needs for his new growth you may find your appetite has grown significantly. This is normal and as long as you continue a balanced, healthy diet you shouldn't worry too much about weight gain during this time.
Your own weight gain and the increased weight of your baby might be having an adverse effect on your back, causing aches and pains. Try sleeping or sitting in a different position to lessen the pressure on your nerves and muscles.
What's happening with baby
As well as hiccuping your baby is now also yawning, exercising all those facial muscles.
Myelin begins to cover the nerves within your baby's nervous system, allowing the formation of complex connections between these nerves. This will speed up the relay of information from brain to body and vice versa including senses such as smell and taste.
Your baby's uniqueness is now obvious as he develops his own set of fingerprints.
If you are 18 pregnant your due date is from Wednesday, 14 August 2024 through Tuesday, 20 August 2024.