You've been pregnant for six months and your baby is becoming bigger and stronger every day. This week baby is about 12 1/2 inches long! Read more to find out which test you should expect to take and which appointment you should schedule.
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Baby is Extra-Wrinkly Right Now
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Your baby's skin has been growing at a fast rate to cover and protect her bones and organs. Since she hasn't yet reached the point in gestation where she'll start packing on the pounds, she doesn't have enough fat to fill out her skin. Rapid weight gain occurs toward the end of pregnancy, so for now her skin is thin and wrinkly. Soon enough she'll be the pudgy baby you're looking forward to meeting.
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He Looks Like Himself
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By 24 weeks your baby's facial features are fully formed. Your spouse's nose, your eyes, grandma's chin—whatever combination of looks he's inherited, his face is distinctly his. Along with his facial structure, he also has brows, lashes, and hair completing what you will soon think is the world's most beautiful, handsome, and amazing person, ever.
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Chug-a-Lug!
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Quite possibly the most dreaded prenatal test of all—glucose testing—should happen this week. Gestational diabetes screening is important. The effects on your baby of uncontrolled gestational diabetes can include high birth weight, jaundice, low blood sugar, and even stillbirth. Your doctor or midwife will give you a small bottle of flavored sugar water (a bit like flat soda, but much grosser) to drink. An hour later your blood will be drawn. Thankfully gestational diabetes only affects 3-10% of women, and goes away after giving birth.
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Helpful Tip: See Your Dentist Now
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The hormonal changes that cause your ligaments to stretch and loosen can affect your teeth, too. Combined with a period of increased vomiting in early pregnancy, your teeth can take a beating during pregnancy. The last few weeks of the second trimester is the perfect time to see your dentist; your nausea has mostly stopped and your belly isn't uncomfortably large yet. Call your dentist now to schedule a check-up and cleaning.