Week 23

BABY DEVELOPMENT

The sex of your baby is now recognisable. If your baby is a girl, she has had ​​ovaries for a few weeks, and her vagina is now hollow. If it's a boy, he already has a penis and a prostate. Though his testicles were formed in the 2nd month, they are still in his abdominal cavity. Don't panic, they’ll descend when they need to, whether just before birth or during the first few months. Another exciting change is that he nerve cells of the baby’s brain are now distributed in what is known as “grey matter.”

YOUR BODY

Long baths can be lovely and relaxing when you are pregnant but they can also have the unwanted effect of producing contractions. So it is best not to overdo it. The water in the bath shouldn’t be too hot either. What is more, your blood pressure can be a bit unsteady. So it is best to have a bath when there is someone around – not in the bathroom with you, just in the house in case you need anything.

NUTRITION

Don’t rub salt in the wound, as the expression says. It is true that with meats, preserves, cakes, appetisers, chips, and the heavy hand that many of us have when seasoning our food, we commonly consume two to three times the amount of salt needed by our bodies. Though you’ve probably been told to watch your salt intake, it would be a bad idea to completely remove salt from your diet. Sodium is essential to water balance in the body. This balance can be disturbed by pregnancy’s hormones and requires a suitable supply of sodium to be effective, and to allow for proper hydration.

Just know that a suitable supply is a little bit, and not every day (otherwise oedema or hypertension may result). If you have any doubts or questions, talk to your doctor.

TIPS

It is really important to involve your partner in your pregnancy. Especially now that the pregnancy is easing towards its last trimester. Go to an ante-natal check-up or a discussion with your midwife together. Plan the nursery as one. And if possible, go to your childbirth preparation classes together. The idea is to make sure you and your partner spend some good quality time before the baby comes. You don’t have to look after a baby at the moment and your bump is still “manageable!”  Think about those classic date night activities such as going to the cinema, out to a new restaurant or even cooking together. Anything that brings you closer.