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

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOU

Sometimes, in the middle of a sneeze, an embarrassing thing can happen - a bit of urine leaks out. Kegel exercises that strengthen the muscles of the pelvic floor, helping support the bladder, can reduce this problem while also preparing those important muscles for giving birth:

To help identify the muscles involved, practise stopping your urine flow midstream when going to the toilet.
Practise squeezing that same muscle throughout the day. Work up to 50 repetitions and hold the muscle tight for eight to ten seconds.
At this point in your pregnancy do the exercises sitting upright, not flat on your back, which can put pressure on your major blood vessels.
During sex, your partner can tell you if your pelvic muscles are getting stronger if you practise on him.

WHAT'S HAPPENING WITH YOUR BABY

Your baby weighs just about two pounds now. The length of his or her body is 12 1/2 inches or two centimetres crown to rump. If someone puts their ear to your belly, your baby's heartbeat will probably be distinguishable. He or she will probably be very active between weeks 24 and 28. You may notice in the weeks to come that your baby will begin to have regular, predictable patterns of movement and sleep.

HEALTHY EATING

From now until about 36 weeks, it's normal for you to gain weight at a slightly faster rate. If, however, you are gaining more weight than necessary and your doctor seems concerned, try to follow the servings outlined below, choosing healthy, low-fat foods. Don't forget to consider portion size. Remember that one serving of meat is about the size of a pack of cards. Be honest.
Milk and dairy products: three servings or more.
Whole grains: at least five servings. Try a slice of wholegrain bread.
Vegetables: three or more servings.
Fruit group: at least two servings. Try an apple instead of 1/2 cup of juice - more filling and better for you.
Meat and substitutes: two to three servings. Three ounces of fish can be a lean way to equal a serving.

FACT OF THE WEEK

More than 50 million people now use computers. You may wonder, ‘Is surfing the Net causing my unborn baby harm?’ Studies have been inconclusive. Some suggest an increase in miscarriage rate among video display terminal (VDT) users, while others can detect no relationship. It's possible that factors such as stress at work play an equal or larger role.

Studies have noted that some pregnant women who use VDTs go on to have a child with a birth defect. However, the type of defect shows no pattern and the defects do not appear to be the kind expected from radiation exposure. As a result, most researchers conclude that there is no correlation.

To be on the safe side, try to limit VDT exposure to 20 hours or less per week, and stay at least an arm's length away from the monitor. To prevent circulation problems, take 15-minute stretch breaks for every hour of VDT use.

Find out what to expect in week 28 of your pregnancy.

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