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11/15/2008 - by Anne Marie Nielson
Pregnancy Week
22
You're Pregnant! Week
22
Are you exercising? Getting some exercise, even if it is only
walking from one end of the mall to the other (don’t stop and
shop along the way!) will help a lot of your symptoms. If you
want to do a little more than walking, stay away from contact
sports or exercises like high impact aerobics. Your joints are
beginning to loosen thanks to a hormone known as relaxin. This
is what will enable your pelvis to shift to allow your baby to
pass through. With loosened joints, however, you must be more
careful not to overdo it and injure yourself.
Regular exercise will help your back, ease the swelling that is
beginning to occur around your ankles and relieve stress. It
helps you feel more energized and keeps you centered. It will
even help prepare you for labor. You will feel more in tune
with your body and be able to hear what it tells you to do
during labor. Exercising regularly will help you get back to
your pre-pregnancy weight easier, as well.
YOUR BABY
While you're exercising, you're increasing your baby's
circulation, too. Keep in mind that a portion of that weight
you're gaining is your baby growing. Baby can hear everything
now. Your heartbeat, your breathing, even your growling
stomach. Baby will love the sound of your voice long before he
or she is born. Baby's job now is to finish up development,
grow larger and gain weight. This will continue for the rest of
the pregnancy. Baby has already grown substantially since last
week… adding almost an inch. Stretching out to nearly a foot in
length, baby has also added between a third to a half of a
pound, making a total weight of almost a pound and a half.
YOUR BODY
You may have noticed a line forming from your belly button down
to your pubic bone. It may appear white at first, and then it
turns dark. This is the linea nigra. The color changes because
you get more skin pigment in that area during pregnancy. Women
with darker skin may notice the line more than those with pale
skin, although pale skin isn't a guarantee that you won't
develop one. A few months after baby is born, it will go
away.
You may find it is becoming challenging to bend down to tie
your shoes or put on your socks. As your belly gets larger,
bending becomes more of a challenge. Sit down when you bend as
often as possible, since bending down towards the floor may
make you dizzy or lightheaded.
Keep eating well and drinking enough water. Your blood volume
is still expanding, and you need the extra fluid to support
that. If you are noticing swelling around your feet and ankles,
drinking more water will actually help relieve the
swelling.
You may notice mild itching on your belly as it stretches.
Applying a moisturizer like shea butter or cocoa butter can
help ease this sensation and help your skin. It feels good,
too, for both you and the baby!
At From Pregnancy To Baby, we try
to provide you with all of the latest information about going
through your pregnancy from your first trimester to the first
years of your new babies life. We also provide the highest
quality books and products to help you through that time.
Source: http://www.frompregnancytobaby.com/pregnancy-week-22.html
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