The process of initiating a life that will grow inside you will always be a special one. Both the parents are equally responsible for the proper parenting and upbringing of the child. In the initial weeks of pregnancy, the mother’s body is getting used to the changes that come by bearing a child. The first change you ask? The mother starts throwing up and rushes to the bathroom early morning. When she is fully accustomed to this, she still has to cope-up with the various emotional changes that come with the responsibility of bearing a child. Around this time, the 21 weeks pregnant fetal development is in a blastocyst from which then changes into an embryo, and gradually into a fetus, finally taking the form of a baby later.
Table Of Content:
- Months & Trimester Indicating For 21 Weeks Pregnant
- Fetal Development Of The Baby During 21 Weeks Of Pregnancy
- Physical And Psychological Changes in 21 Week Pregnant Ladies (Symptoms)
- 21 Weeks Pregnant baby size & weight
- Baby & Belly looks like in 21 Weeks Pregnancy
- Baby Positioning During 21 Weeks Of Pregnancy
- Anxiety And Fear During 21 weeks pregnant
- Pregnancy Diet & Exercises during 21 Weeks Pregnant
- Medical tests & Scan while 21 Weeks Pregnancy
- What are the tips & precautions to take during 21 weeks of pregnancy?
- Sex during Pregnancy in 21st Week
- What are the risks to face during 21 Weeks Pregnancy?
- Checklists During 21 weeks of Pregnant
Months & Trimester Indicating For 21 Weeks Pregnant:
Month One: Week 1-6 Month Two: Week 7-11 Month Three: Week 12-16 Month Four: Week 17-20 Month Five: Week 21-24. Hence in Week 21, you are in the fifth month of your pregnancy and the second trimester. It is a crucial period of pregnancy where your fetus is growing its vital organs.
See More: 20 Weeks Pregnant
Fetal Development Of The Baby During 21 Weeks Of Pregnancy:
This entire period of pregnancy, which is said to be a total of nine months, is counted in 40 weeks. This weekly breakdown of the pregnancy period makes 21 weeks pregnant ultrasound, medical supervision, and monitoring quite easy. These weeks are then further grouped again into three trimesters. This is the period when both the mother and the fetus inside her start developing for real. Gradually, the weeks pass and soon enough, the day when the baby is born is upon you. Each week records some crucial changes both in the mother as well as the fetus.
After suffering emotional as well as physical exhaustion from bearing the baby for nine months, a mother holds it in her hands. Even though bearing a child in itself is a magical experience, it comes with its fair share of hard work and stress. These nine months can be comparable to a storm, and the baby a golden pot of treasure beneath the rainbow the rain had caused. Sleepless nights and hours of labour a mother faces before she can hold her baby in her hands.
1. Distinguished Heartbeat:
As time passes, your baby’s heartbeat becomes stronger. The weak pulses measured by the doctor through a device called Doppler now seem like the heartbeats of an individual. Now the doctor can use a standard stethoscope to regulate the 21 weeks pregnant baby’s size.
2. Sleep cycles:
Your baby will start showing sleep patterns. The ultrasound report may show the 21-weeks pregnant baby position in the womb sleeping calmly. It now has its sleeping routine, and if you’re lucky, you might even catch him in his favourite sleeping position. The baby now probably has a subtle sleep cycle of its own! So be careful not to disturb your little one while it sleeps!
3. Physical Condition:
According to the doctor, the baby growth in 21 weeks of pregnancy has grown a full set of nails and a bit of hair too! The lanugo or the soft baby hair is now protecting the baby child. Around this time, its nervous system starts reacting to movements. This week you will feel rampant 21-week pregnancy baby movements like punches and kicks in the stomach or a weird rumbling feeling, and just a single little life will do all that!
4. Awareness:
As the baby’s senses widen, it gradually starts considering the stuff that happens around it. It’s now accustomed to the mother’s voice because it has heard it many times. The father’s voice is familiar to it too! It is now aware of the songs played outside and the books read out loud to it. Environment and surroundings are accustomed to it also. These small triggers will help the baby to ease up after it’s born.
5. Ingesting:
At this stage, your little one is swallowing amniotic fluid so that it is eventually ready for nourishment through the milk it gets from you. The digestive system of the baby works its hardest during this period as it has to master the skills that it needs for a healthy body after birth. Mothers are advised to maintain their oral hygiene in this period.
6. Vision:
The baby’s sense of sight develops fast at this time. Its eyebrows have started growing, and it can understand the difference between light and dark now even it’s in the womb, and its eyelids are shut.
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Physical And Psychological Changes in 21 Week Pregnant Ladies (Symptoms):
Wondering 21 weeks pregnant what to expect? Here’s what you should know.
1. You’re probably noticeably pregnant at this point of your pregnancy period. You may have started wearing maternity or larger clothes to accommodate your growing 21 weeks pregnant belly. Below mentioned are the physical changes you can expect from your body and your baby when you are 21 Weeks pregnant.
2. Your breasts may have gotten a lot bigger, and you may experience the development of stretch marks.
3. Do not delay whenever you feel the urge to urinate. Most of the UTIs can be successfully treated with antibiotics your doctor prescribes, which are also safe for the baby.
4. A kidney infection during pregnancy is considered an emergency. If you are facing one, then do consult a doctor immediately. It may cause premature labour pain or even low birth weight. You may experience increased skin breakouts.
5. Babies come out when they are ready and have accepted their natural environment. However, they can be unpredictable little creatures. Don’t agonize over endless possibilities; it takes away valuable energy from everyday pleasure.
6. Most expecting women feel a surge of energy and are less uncomfortable during this particular week. Enjoy planning for your baby’s arrival.
7. You may have 21 weeks pregnant pain in the back. To help alleviate the back pain, the expecting mother must make these adjustments in your daily routine.
8. The B vitamins, like the B1, B2, and B6, are the critical nutrients because they tend to supply energy for the proper development of your fetus. They also help in the promotion of good vision and help to build the placenta, along with other body tissues.
See More: 26 Week Pregnancy Symptoms
9. Urinary tract infections (UTIs):
UTI’s are common in the pregnancy period, and they advance your pregnancy progresses. This is often caused due to the extra weight of the uterus which acts upon the bladder, and which can block urine flow. In such a situation, do drink plenty of fluids to help prevent this condition.
10. Morning Sickness:
Now, as the morning sickness subsides, it is replaced by a sense of responsibility for being the carrier of a little life that grows and nourishes inside of you in these 21 days of pregnancy symptoms. You won’t notice how these nine months flew by, and this time will be enough for you to bond with your baby on an emotional level. However, the longer anyone bonds with, the longer one has to keep up with the emotional turmoil. A mother is a special woman not only because she is called a “mother,” but because of all the 21 weeks pregnancy pain, physical labour and psychological changes she has to endure for bearing you.
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21 Weeks Pregnant baby size & weight:
Your baby has been increasing and is not so little anymore; however, over the last week and during this particular week, growth tends to slow down. Twenty-one weeks pregnant baby size is almost equal to the carrot. However, your baby continues to develop and mature in other ways while continuing to gain weight. At 21 weeks pregnant baby weight, your baby has grown quite well and now it is well able to swallow the amniotic fluid in which it is covered. At 21 weeks, your baby starts to consume amniotic fluid to prepare for the milk that it will get from its mother upon birth.
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Baby & Belly looks like in 21 Weeks Pregnancy:
Your baby at 21 weeks pregnant is about half the size of a carrot at this phase. It is, and you should be feeling its movements, although they may be light and delicate to recognize. However, 21 weeks pregnant fetal movement happens. This week, your baby’s eyes can open. Your baby can also swallow amniotic fluid, and their tiny finger and toe prints may be noticeable. Your tummy must have grown more substantial, and it is now hugely round. The 21 weeks pregnant baby size increases during the last few weeks, but during this one week, it tends to slow down, and the baby matures in other ways while it still gains weight gradually.
Fetal size: Approximately 18 cm (7.2 inches).
Fetal weight: Approximately 300 grams (10.5 ounces).
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Baby Positioning During 21 Weeks Of Pregnancy:
Want to know the 21 weeks pregnant baby position? There is good baby growth in 21 weeks of pregnancy and hence is the position placed accordingly. Your baby’s arms and legs are now in good proportion this week, and her movements are now much more coordinated. Until now, we’ve measured from crown to rump, but now we start to measure from top to heel, which explains why she suddenly “grew” so much. Your unborn baby’ liver and the spleen have been working hard for a long time now producing blood cells. From crown-to-rump to crown-to-heel length, your baby is now10-and-a-half inches long and weighs 11 to 12-and-a-half ounces, about the size of a large ripe banana.
If you are 21 weeks pregnant, you’re in month 5 of your pregnancy. Just four months left to go!
The taste of your amniotic fluid differs from day to day depending on the meal which you have last eaten. That meal of flavours won’t be lost on your baby since your little one has very developed taste buds already.
Researchers have noted that fetus who were exposed to individual tastes in the uterus via the amniotic fluid were more eager to eat proper foods with those same tastes after birth. Your little action figures can choreograph Matrix-like moves at 21 weeks pregnant.
Unfortunately, there is so far no proven way to prevent stretch marks occurring and from zigzagging their way across your body. Now in such a scenario, you can always apply moisturizers like cocoa butter; if nothing else, it will stop the dryness and itching associated with pregnancy-stretched skin). Is there any good news?
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Anxiety And Fear During 21 weeks pregnant:
At some point in pregnancy almost about every expecting mother and even the father begin to feel anxiety and fear as with enormous changes coming round the bend it is quite expected from the two of you. And it is entirely reasonable to feel anxious, but it’s also especially healthy to acknowledge it. Talk more about your feelings over with your friends and your partner or someone who has previously had babies — they will surely reassure you that they experienced the same kind of thoughts. Most importantly, do discuss your fears with your partner correctly, who is probably just as in need of an excellent heart-to-heart conversation.
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Pregnancy Diet & Exercises during 21 Weeks Pregnant:
Diet:
The 21st week will mostly be all about relaxing, taking it easy and sleeping it off since you will be exhausted. The rest of your activities will include checkups, trying to find a hobby to pass the time that will stick on seemingly forever. Exercising and dieting will comprise the other half of the day, and this is the most critical part of the day, as the right kind of exercise will help you relax appropriately. 21-week pregnancy diet is important, make sure to note down not to skip on any of nutritious food.
What to eat at 22 weeks of pregnancy?
- The baby gets heavier and heavier each passing day. The mother is quite uncomfortable as her muscles expand to incorporate the additional weight. She gets tired more often. To overcome the 21 weeks pregnant weight gain at this stage, the best thing for you can do is indulging in light exercising and healthy dieting.
- More essential nutrients during pregnancy are Vitamins. They will help you to reduce the lack of tastes for you. Take fruits and veggies instead of medication for the same as these contain healthy vitamins.
- Fruits and vegetables contain more nutrients than other foodstuffs. Some plants contain the right nutrients that help in improving your health.
- Water is an indispensable source of hydration for your body during pregnancy; you should take more water for your body regularly. Water helps you to maintain your body with good health and controls the weight gaining.
- Lean meat gives you plenty of proteins and fibres; which allows you to increase your metabolism and energy rate. Seafood and pork are also suitable for health, and you can always try chicken during this time; it will help you to stay healthy and nourished all the time.
- Iron is essential for pregnant ladies, as it plays a significant role and helps to increase the blood flow to the various vital organs of your body. You should take some citrus fruits such as oranges and broccoli. Also, try eggs and nuts. They are rich sources of iron.
See More: 29th Week Of Pregnancy
Exercise:
- At 21 weeks when the baby bump is already showing up, though it may feel quite weird, sleeping in your usual position will be difficult and more like an exercise that you need to master. Try stretching during pregnancy. It gives you the flexibility and strength that you need during this period.
- Breathing from your stomach will help you improve your breathing during pregnancy. Lie straight and use a cushion to support your head; it will ease your body. Keep your knees folded in and touch the ground. Then relax resting on the side. Repeat this for 10 minutes.
- Shallow breathing will help the oxygen supply and ease your breathing pattern. This will also give an excellent boost for your lungs besides keeping them healthy. This exercise should be done for a minimum of 5 minutes every day.
- While breathing through your chest, stand upright and keep your feet parallel. Keep your mouth closed and take a long breath counting from 1-15. Then keep your hands on your chest. Repeat the whole exercise ten times for benefits. These are some 21-week pregnancy care rules you can follow for easy going.
- The other is a pelvic exercise, and it will help you in reducing pelvic problems and give you the strength required for your pelvic area. This is called the proper practice. It’s the best exercise for pregnancy.
Walking alone, thinking about the progress you have made will always bring the lost positivity back. If you are stressed about everything, fall asleep. You need the rest, and so does your baby. Your posture is quite important more than ever now. Be in the right position as it may harm your body. A healthy diet is essential and plays a prominent role if you don’t want to risk an underweight baby. Always keep water and sunscreen around you. Before stepping out for a walk, make sure neither of the two is missing.
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Medical tests & Scan while 21 Weeks Pregnancy:
Here are a few recommended medical tests to do while in 21 weeks of pregnancy.
- Doctor’s appointments are serious. Your doctor will know what’s best for you. He can bring you out of most of your worries and thoughts. Also, keep your essential medicines with you.
- A fantastic way to relax and unwind in your situation is Massages! You can ask around for the best masseur in town!
- To learn what changes are affecting you each day, prenatal classes are a fun place to be in. They are a great way to divert your mind. Enrol now if you haven’t!
Some over the counter medicines to help alleviate that effect is:
- Soreness- Acetaminophen. Don’t indulge in Ibuprofen and Naproxen.
- Allergy- Antihistamines and Loratadine. Do not even think of using Pseudoephedrine and
- Decongestants like Phenylephrine.
- Constipation- use Metamucil. Avoid laxatives as well as mineral oil.
- For Heartburn- use Antacids. Try to hydrate yourself as much as possible.
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What are the tips & precautions to take during 21 weeks of pregnancy?
- You will be sad over the smallest of things, but don’t let it get to you as it’s just a part of your psychology. Don’t give in to your cravings also to alleviate it.
- Always keep water and sunscreen around you. Before stepping out for a walk, make sure neither of the two is missing.
- Walk around in comfortable shoes as tight ones make it harder to walk in as well as you might trip.
- As the baby’s weight increases so do your backache. It’s a typical scenario, so don’t worry. As the baby craves for more space, he keeps pushing the back muscles and bones to make space for him, and this gets even worse if you are sleeping on your back. Therefore, it is often suggested for the mother to sleep on her sides.
- A funny taste in your mouth keeps accompanying you, a sour or a metal one. You might find yourself struggling hard to overcome the feeling; however, the cure for it quite easy. Try a variety of foods with all flavours; try out a combination of various characters as these will give a unique feel for the baby. You can also try out your favourite foods.
- It is very common for the body to experience an increase in the temperature at this stage in the pregnancy period. It might just be a common cold or a little sickness that the body might be undergoing. If it is just a slight change, which probably means your child needs warmth. To overcome the situation, keep medicines for fever around, just in case you need them later.
Acne:
Acne is just a regular occurrence during pregnancy that includes skin rashes, spots and stretch marks alongside the face and back acne. It will help to know that all these 21 weeks, pregnant symptoms disappear as soon as the baby is delivered. Keep aloe vera or anti-pimple creams around, and Vitamin E works wonders too as its one of the best remedies for breakouts on your skin. Drinking more water helps the cause also.
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Sex during Pregnancy in 21st Week:
21st week is quite safe for sex even at this time. Tricky positions may strain your belly, so avoid them. Plus-point is that this increases the intimacy between the couple. This helps with the proper family planning, and it also helps in deciding what to do after the baby is born.
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What are the risks to face during 21 Weeks Pregnancy?
Even after 21 weeks of pregnancy, you do run a high chance of having a miscarriage. Vaginal bleeding is usually the first important warning sign. The causes of miscarriage are:
Uterine septum. A wall, or rather the septum present inside the uterus divides it into two separate parts.
Autoimmune diseases. These diseases can take place when your immune system attacks healthy cells.
Chromosomal abnormalities of the fetus. This is the case of miscarriage when something is wrong with the baby’s chromosomes, which are cells that are made up of DNA.
Incompetent cervix. When your cervix opens too soon, it often leads to an early birth.
Moreover, If you have had Rh-negative blood, you must get an injection of immunoglobulin (RhoGAM) if you experience bleeding during pregnancy. This Immunoglobulin is an antibody, which acts as a protein inside your immune system and produces products that recognize and fights harmful substances, such as bacteria and viruses.
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Checklists During 21 weeks of Pregnant:
Pay attention to your baby’s kicks and twitches, and even rolls and let your doctor or even your midwife know right away if you notice a decrease in movement. Less movement might be a signal towards a potent problem, and you will be needed to test and to check on your baby’s condition. Your doctor may have recommended that you spend some time every day and count your baby’s kicks and try to find out how to do “kick counts.”
You will most likely be needed to have a proper checkup every two weeks from 28 to 36 weeks. You can choose to switch to check up once a week after 36 weeks till you deliver. As the due date also nears by, you can expect to be done a lot of physical examinations and tests along with consuming discussions about your pregnancy and birth timing with your doctor. One can also begin to learn about breastfeeding baby and talk to nursing moms to learn more. Read good pregnancy articles so that you can get familiarized with the environment and emotions you can encounter. Make a note to keep health insurance with you and check with your medical provider if they accept your insurance.
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Do not worry; you are getting nearer to due date slowly. All you need is to give time and maintain mental peace from now on. You have to do the thing which they love and hear songs which can be soothing. Further good rest and diet are always important. Have a happy pregnancy!
See More: Stretching Exercises During Pregnancy
It’s quite essential to take care of your health during this time. Follow all the diet plans previously mentioned, and you will be good to go. Pay more attention to exercising and resting. Take your medicines on time and keep consulting the doctor regularly. Fruits are an excellent source of nutrition, as well!
We hope that you have been benefitted by reading this article. Happy parenting! Do leave your valuable comments below and let us know whether you found this article useful or not.
FAQ’s:
Q1. Is it normal to not feel kicks during pregnant at 21 weeks?
Ans: This may be because your placenta being placed on the upper wall on the uterus. Since you will on time to time keep having checks and scans with your doctor, you do not need to worry about the health of the baby. Once the baby starts getting stronger. You will begin to feel kicks slowly.
Q2. Is being vegan and vegetarian okay during the sixth month of pregnancy?
Ans: Your diet has to be rich and balanced; that’s what matters. Make sure you have a good amount of proteins, iron and related minerals. They help you get stronger and help further on the growth of the fetus. It is important to have a rich diet at any cost, be it vegetarian or vegan.
Q3. What can be the normal heart rate for the fetus at 21 weeks?
Ans: Your baby’s heartbeat can now be heard with the help of a stethoscope. However, this beat can be difficult to differentiate from that of your beat. The baby’s heartbeat can range anywhere from 120 to 160 beats per minute. No doubt, it will be double as yours.
