Pregnancy Week 21 (21st week of pregnancy) - time for the pelvic floor!

This is how the baby develops in the 21st week

The 6th month of your pregnancy has started? Now you have officially arrived in the second half. The embryo is now 26 cm long and weighs approximately in the 21st week of pregnancy 350 g, The baby trains his lungs and keeps coming back hiccup, It swallows amniotic fluid and jerks it off again. Often you can even watch it on the ultrasound.

In addition, the unborn man trains his metabolism, it now drinks much more amniotic fluid than in recent weeks and excretes it via the urinary tract again. The excretions then pass through the placenta into the bloodstream of the mother, which excretes them via the urine. A perfectly coordinated process.

Mmmmmh, yum! Babys taste buds work

Exciting: The baby can even taste through the amniotic fluid what Mommy has eaten before. Incidentally, the memory of these first taste sensations is retained after the birth - the child recognizes the flavors that are already known to him later in the breast milk? and Who knows, maybe we will make such a lifelong taste for spinach and beetroot? Also interesting: researchers have found that Drink babies more intensivelyif they hear already known sounds like the voices of the parents.

Look, she / he looks like mom!

Is there an ultrasound? In the 21st SSW you can actually have one in the face facial expressions of the child. Many parents can then recognize the first manifestations on their faces that they know from each other. The eyebrows and eyelashes of the embryo are now visible. The fingernails and toenails have formed and harden in the coming weeks.

Pregnancy Calendar: This happens in the 21st week of pregnancy (2nd trimester) with your body

The fundus - ie the upper edge of the uterus - is about one centimeter above the navel during the 21st week of pregnancy. The belly gets thicker and thicker, some things are already heavier and also the Child movements are increasing.

It may be that the weight gain and the growing uterus pressure on the intestine is applied, which can lead to a congestion in the vessels of the rectum. The growing uterus, but also fat and water retention complicate the return of the blood in the vessels, particularly sensitive here are the leg and pelvic veins.

Hemorrhoids can arise now? So prevention is announced. Important: pay attention to high-fiber diet and enough exercise! Most hemorrhoids (1st and 2nd degree) disappear after birth. But a light one Pelvic floor exercises not only helps against hemorrhoids. During pregnancy, the pelvic floor changes: muscles, ligaments and connective tissue loosen up, as does the surrounding muscles? So that at some point the fetus can be born through the pelvis.

Exercises for the pelvic floor can Prevent bladder weakness and also make it easier to give birth! Here are a few small exercises that you can easily integrate into your day, even at work:

As a precaution, abdominal or supine exercises should not be performed from the 16th week of pregnancy. Who feels pain during the exercise, should not continue! Midwives and coaches naturally accompany pregnant women individually in special pregnancy gymnastics courses.
Sit on one exercise ball and open your legs as much as possible. Support yourself with your hands on your thighs and gently rock on the exercise ball. After a break of 10x, take a short break.
It works too: slowly let the pelvis rotate on the ball. Also does the lower back well!
Cow-cat? very soft! Carefully in the quadruped stall. Carefully push the pelvis back and piece by piece rear up to a cat hump. Hold for 5 seconds. Then gently tilt the pelvis forward and start the lower part of the back piece by piece in a straight position. Do 10 repetitions? if you like. Also helps against back pain.
Great for in between: Pull your pubis to the belly button and let it loose again. The pelvis tilts forward and back, the upper body should not move.

Are you plagued by heartburn?

The baby belly becomes bigger and bigger and the growing uterus presses on the stomach. Many pregnant women now suffer from heartburn. You can do that:

eat low-fat food
always have a still water with you
Eating bananas, they stimulate the production of mucus and thus protect the stomach lining. Up to 3 bananas a day are fine.
Oatmeal or a piece of white bread help to bind the acidity.
Slowly chew a boiled potato or a raw carrot, they can neutralize the stomach acid.