Pregnancy & Baby 

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Pregnancy week 25

A week by week guide to what’s happening to you and your baby

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOU

Do you itch? Your abdominal skin, which is being drawn taut, may be driving you crazy. Try massaging your belly with olive oil to help alleviate the itching.

By now your heart and lungs are doing 50 per cent more work and increased blood supply may cause you to feel hot and sweaty.

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

Your baby weighs one pound, nine ounces, and measures 22cm crown to rump, or 11 1/2 inches. Your baby's ears work well now, and he or she may even blink in reaction to a loud noise. The brain is growing rapidly. If you could look inside your uterus, you'd see a well-proportioned head and body. The baby's first meconium stool has been formed in the large intestine and will be excreted in the days following the birth. Some babies will have a movement in the amniotic fluid before the birth.

HEALTHY EATING

Some women suffer from constipation and haemorrhoids during pregnancy. Taking 25mg of vitamin B6 at each meal for several days may help clear up haemorrhoids. Here are some foods that may also help to alleviate these conditions:

• dried figs
• baked beans
• kidney beans
• raisin bran
• popcorn
• brown rice

FACT OF THE WEEK

If you are breastfeeding, in the early days after the birth, your baby will receive small but potent quantities of your colostrum, the first milk that is loaded with nutrients and antibodies. During the first six weeks of life, a baby won't produce many antibodies, making him or her more prone to infection. However, colostrum provides maternal antibodies, extending this special protection to the newest member of your family. Colostrum is the perfect food for your baby's first days of life.

Preceding more mature breast milk, colostrum also helps to clear meconium from your baby's intestines. This prevents it from being partially reabsorbed, which can lead to jaundice in your newborn.

Find out what to expect in week 26 of your pregnancy.

For a list of all the pregnancy week by week articles click here

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