Foods To Eat And Avoid During Your Fifth Month Of Pregnancy

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Written by Editorial Team

Editorial Team

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.

Once you are five months pregnant, you would be halfway through and amidst the second trimester. It is during this month of pregnancy that you will likely have your anomaly scan. During this month, most moms start to show off their pregnancy bump and the brilliant shine mostly appears on the skin. Many hormonal changes will take place during this month. Somewhere around 16 and 24 weeks is the best time to undergo dental treatment, in light of the fact that, the infant has framed all its real organs and has not yet increased in size enough making discomfort while you lay back in the dentist’s chair.
5 months pregnant

Fifth Month Pregnancy Symptoms
Development Of The Baby In The Fifth Month Of Pregnancy
What Should Be Included In The Fifth Month Pregnancy Diet?
Fifth Month Pregnancy Symptoms

This month formally denote the beginning of your pregnancy look. Many physical changes occur as your little bump is developing in size. Your infant is growing and developing inside your womb. Here are some major changes that you will experience in the 5th month of pregnancy.

Even if you missed the baby movements last month, this month you are definitely going to experience them now
Heartburn can happen as the child is roughly at the level of the navel and may push upward on your stomach. This, along with unwinding the lower esophageal sphincter (thanks to relaxin hormones pumped into the blood) can bring about heartburn
The increasing bump size and increase in the weight starts to put extra pressure on your back resulting in experiencing slight muscle strain
Gastric issues and constipation can occur
Gum issues like bleeding gums can occur during this month of pregnancy
The skin can undergo unpleasant changes during this month. Increased production of pregnancy hormones together with the increased production of melanin results in skin darkening (cheeks, forehead, nose, and neck are mostly affected) commonly called ‘mask of pregnancy’ appears
A dark vertical line (Linea Negra) starts to appear from the belly button to the pubic bone
Increased appetite and strong food cravings are the other significant signs
The frequency of urination increases interfering with the sleep during the night. Therefore, fatigue can also increase
Expecting mothers, especially if they are overweight, can develop varicose veins during the fifth month of pregnancy
The breasts, which are gradually increasing in size for the past four months, start to produce colostrum. The nipple continues to become darker. The Montgomery’s glands (little bumps, that really are sebaceous glands, around the nipple) start to enlarge

Development Of The Baby In The Fifth Month Of Pregnancy

The baby will be large enough to make the mother feel his movements, but not yet big enough to put those extra pressures on internal organs and pelvic joints. The rapid rate of growth in the previous months starts to slow down a bit. The baby will be 10 inches long by the end of this month. Other changes taking place are:

This entire month, the baby will be more active. In fact, the baby will be more alive when you are taking rest and you will not leave out this experience. However a regular pattern of staying awake and sleeping slowly develops
The weight of baby nearly doubles during the last two weeks of the fifth month of pregnancy
The facial features develop rapidly during this month
Teeth start to grow in the gums
Ossification of bone continue
Kidneys of the baby become fully developed and functional by the end of this month. A fair portion of the amniotic fluid will be the baby’s urine
The hair starts to grow in his head and likewise, the growth of eyelashes and eyebrow starts
The blood vessel can be viewed in an ultrasound, as the skin is still translucent
Fingers and toes start to acquire their shape as the hands and footpads develop. Those “unique” fingerprint starts to develop.
A white greasy bio-film called vernix caseosa starts to cover the body of the baby

5 months pregnancy diet

What Should Be Included In The Fifth Month Pregnancy Diet?

There are some basic principles that you have to follow amid your fifth month of pregnancy to guarantee the well being of you and your baby. You need 347 extra calories per day during this month. Thus, you should acquire from protein and calcium sources rather than from simple carbohydrates, sugar, and fatty additives.
As you feel hungrier, more often during this month, eat more frequently during this month. Take a different variety of food each time. Eat a hand full of dried fruits and nuts once, next time have a bowl of fruits or a vegetable salad and so on. To help you more, here we are giving you an idea of what to be incorporated into your eating routine amid the fifth month of pregnancy.

1. Protein rich food:

Protein rich foods are counted as the best fifth month pregnancy food. The amino acids in proteins are the building blocks of the body. Therefore, protein rich foods are crucial to guarantee the baby’s physical development (which is quickly happening during this month) is on the right path. Muscles, skin, and organs need protein to develop and sustain themselves.

- - Pulses, chicken, cereals, nuts, seeds, and eggs are loaded with proteins and should be included in the daily menu
  - Steamed chickpea, cottage cheese (paneer), soya chunks, and tofu are rich in protein.

2. Consume whole grain foods:

Whole grains consist of all three parts of the grain – endosperm, bran, and germ. Whole grain foods are the richest source of iron, magnesium, vitamin B complex, vitamin E, etc. Select your favorite food grain product from the whole grain food range of Ragi, wheat, corn, oat, and rice.

- - Pasta, breakfast cereals, bread, crackers, muffins, tortillas, and what not! There are so many options now-a-days, to select the whole grain food from, which satisfy your need for the breakfast, midday snack, evening snack, and even desserts

3. Calcium rich food:

Throughout the fifth month of pregnancy, you should begin incorporating a greater amount of calcium in your daily menu to help your infant develop strong teeth and skeletal system.

- - Include low-fat milk, milk products like cheese, paneer, yogurt, etc. in your daily menu
  - Dried fig, dried dates, prunes, mulberries, and kiwi are fruits, which have a considerable amount of calcium

pregnancy healthy salad

4. Food with high fiber content:

It is important to ensure sufficient quantities of fiber rich food are included in your daily menu to reduce the chances of constipation.

- Fruits, vegetables, barley, oats, nuts, and wheat are rich in fiber content

5. Increase the intake of fluid:

Intake of fluid should be increased during the fifth month of pregnancy. Always remember to stay well hydrated. Drinking plenty of water will help to keep constipation at bay. Drink 6 to 8 glasses of water day by day. Drinking water likewise helps in preventing UTI, which is very common among the expecting mothers. Drinking fresh juice and water helps in detoxifying the body of the pregnant woman. Have plenty of sugarcane and mango juices, which contain healthy carbohydrates and lots of dietary fiber. Moreover, mango is extremely rich in iron

6. Eat lots of salads:

Making it a habit of having a bowl of mixed greens using fresh vegetables like cabbage, romaine lettuce, carrots, crisp tomatoes, tender rocket leaves, and beetroot will help to incorporate essential minerals and fiber in your eating routine. Note that, it is not recommended to use the salad dressing and pickled vegetables like capers, radish, and olives since they are high in sodium content

7. Consume different varieties of fruits:

Fruits are packed with vitamins and minerals and they taste heavenly as well. You can never get tired with consuming fruits, as you never run out of options. There is a wide range of fruits, like apples, avocados, grapes, banana, pears, litchi, cantaloupe, kiwis, oranges, berries, and currants, to choose from. Why not mix some fruits into yogurt and fresh cream for a desert

8. Include lots of greens:

Include lots of green to your everyday menu. Fenugreek leaves, palak, broccoli, turnip leaves, romaine lettuce, etc. are loaded with minerals and vitamins that are essential during the fifth month of pregnancy
As always, avoiding junk food, under-cooked fish and meat and other unhealthy food choices is a must during the gestation period.

Editorial Team,

With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.

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