You are 20 weeks pregnant

Your baby

Now that your baby’s skin is safeguarded by a covering of vernix (a white, fatty coating), it’s beginning to get thicker and develop different layers: the epidermis, or outer layer of s...Read more

Your body

Major milestone alert! You’re halfway through your pregnancy. Congratulations! By this point, your uterus has grown to about navel height and it’s pushing your belly out enough that you...Read more

Your life right now

You’ve probably been warned a million times (by your GP, mum, maybe even the guy who used to make your tuna sarnies) about the dangers of eating some kinds of fish, namely raw, undercooked, o...Read more

Mums like me

‘Every time I start laughing really hard at something, it inevitably turns into uncontrollable crying! I don't understand. It's not the type of thing where I'm just laughing so ha...Read more

Now that your baby’s skin is safeguarded by a covering of vernix (a white, fatty coating), it’s beginning to get thicker and develop different layers: the epidermis, or outer layer of skin; the middle dermis layer; and the subcutis, which is the deepest layer of skin and is comprised mostly of fat. If you’re having a girl, in the next couple of weeks her uterus and ovaries will be in place, and her vagina will be developed. Another amazing fact: She currently has between six and seven million oocytes (primitive ova) in her ovaries - three to six times the number (1 to 2 million) she’ll have at birth!

Major milestone alert! You’re halfway through your pregnancy. Congratulations! By this point, your uterus has grown to about navel height and it’s pushing your belly out enough that you’re probably noticeably preggers to the world. If he hasn’t already started to (last month), your GP or midwife will start tracking your progression by fundal height. ‘What the heck is that?’ you ask. It’s the distance of your fundus (aka, the top of your uterus) to your pelvic bone, which she’ll most likely check by stretching a tape measure over your belly. Your doc may also be able to listen to your baby’s heartbeat with a stethoscope, rather than using the Doppler. In fact, your baby is getting to the point where your partner may even be able to hear her heart beating - a very faint thumping - just by placing his ear against your bump. More on the stomach front: If not already, in the coming weeks you may notice your belly beginning to itch from the stretching that’s happening to your skin and muscles. Treat yourself to some good, thick body lotion to help ease it. (Plus, giving yourself a mini belly massage might prompt your baby to perk up and put on a little gymnastic show for you.)

You’ve probably been warned a million times (by your GP, mum, maybe even the guy who used to make your tuna sarnies) about the dangers of eating some kinds of fish, namely raw, undercooked, or types that tend to be high in mercury. But do you know about the benefits of seafood? Because if you’re like a lot of women who get so scared off by the mercury talk that they avoid it altogether, you could be missing out. It’s true that eating too much fish high in mercury can have harmful effects for both you and your baby. But a growing body of research shows that regularly having other types of OK-to-eat fish during pregnancy - particularly omega-3-rich ones, such as salmon - may boost your baby’s brain development. Some research even suggests that mums-to-be who ate less than 340 grams of seafood a week were more likely to give birth to babies who grew to have lower verbal IQs, and lower social development scores. (That’s not to say that if you really don’t like fish to begin with, you’re doing your baby a disservice. Other foods, like walnuts, contain brain-boosting omega-3s.) So pick up some this week! According to the FSA, you should limit certain types of fish and avoid others. On the green-light list: prawns, salmon, trout and haddock. You can find more details at eatwell.gov.uk

‘Every time I start laughing really hard at something, it inevitably turns into uncontrollable crying! I don't understand. It's not the type of thing where I'm just laughing so hard that tears are rolling down my face. No - my laughter turns from laughter into actual crying! These hormones really are crazy.’ -mum-to-angel-baby

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