Week 18: Your cute little grease baby

Fetal development in pregnancy week 18:



fetus in fifth month
We have two more ounces! Your "getting bigger-n-better by the minute
baby" is already up to 7 ounces and 6 inches! This is a big week for
their baby skin. There are now two distinct layers—the epidermis (or
the surface skin) and dermis. Currently, their skin is covered with a
greasy, waxy, cheese-like substance, known as vernix caseosa. Sure, it
sounds pretty nasty, but this mixture of fatty secretions covering your
little swimmer from head to toe is the best way to protect their
oh-so-thin skin from bruising and abrasions as well as chapping caused
by amniotic fluid exposure (and your little one is swimming in that
stuff!). Still don’t like the fact your little darling is currently
slathered in fatty cream like a greased pig? Well, you know the
birthing process? Where you have to push something the size of a
watermelon out a hole the size of a grape? That adorable little greased
piglet would have a lot harder time getting through the birth canal
without the vernix caseosa. Fun fact for momma’s with baby girls: it’s
a uterus within a uterus! Your little girl will have developed a uterus
and vagina canal by the end of this week.

And how's mom doing?
POP! If you haven’t yet, you will soon be
seeing the last of your inn-y belly button—until after you’ve pushed
your little monkey out. If it’s getting difficult to breathe, you can
thank your not-so-small belly for squishing your lungs—which will be
more and more cramped for space as the pregnancy Keep
in mind that as you grow (and grow and grow) in size you produce more
blood (for both of you), which lowers your blood pressure. So standing
up quickly and/or occasional fast movements may cause slight dizziness
or lightheadedness progresses. Not that this is surprising as
everything else in your mid-section is getting properly squooshed as
well. (What else is new?!!). Keep in mind that as you grow (and grow
and grow) in size you produce more blood (for both of you), which
lowers your blood pressure. So standing up quickly and/or occasional
fast movements may cause slight dizziness or lightheadedness. This is
totally normal, but means you shouldn’t be too quick to jump to your
feet when your team scores a goal. It's better to just punch the air in
excitement or clap gleefully. One more fun pregnancy symptom to add to
the list: you are producing more melanin, which can cause dark patches
of skin to occur on random parts of your body. Don’t worry—these dark
spots (unlike your parent’s age spots) will retreat soon after birth.