Pregnancy Symptoms
Few of the symptoms which you may notice at 23 weeks are:
Back Pain
As your uterus expands, it shifts your center of gravity and also stretches out (and weakens) your abdominal muscles, affecting your posture and putting strain on your back. It may also cause back pain if it's pressing on a nerve
Headache
Headaches at this stage can be due to multiple factors. Increasing blood volume in your body, changes in blood pressure, hormonal spikes, can all play a role. In addition, the stress and excitement of pregnancy can add to the existing headaches. Some women have cold and blocked nose as pregnancy symptoms. This can also trigger a sinus-like headache. Taking rest, short power naps is possible, avoiding headache triggers such as caffeine, and relaxing with the help of meditation and relaxation exercises can provide some relief.
Bleeding Gums
Bleeding gums are caused by a build-up of plaque on the teeth. Hormonal changes during pregnancy can make your gums more vulnerable to plaque, leading to inflammation and bleeding.
Braxton Hicks Contractions
A few women start feeling Braxton Hicks contractions from around now. These are 'practice' contractions, and feel a bit like a band of muscle tightening across your belly. Some women feel them later. Some women don't feel them at all.
Baby's Development
How big is your baby?
Baby’s Length: 11.4 inches(28.9cms)
Baby’s Weight: 0.49 kgs
Your baby is now the size of a Grapefruit. The fluid surrounding the amniotic sac creates a perfect environment for your baby to grow inside the womb. Drinking lots of water during pregnancy helps form an amniotic fluid which is consumed by the baby frequently. Following are the development of your fetus this week.
This week the baby’s movements may increase. It’s busy packing punches and kicks inside and you may feel all this activity by way of increased movements. Expect this party in your tummy to grow louder and harder in the coming weeks.
The placenta is now completely developed. It continues to supply nutrients and oxygen to the fetus and also works to eliminate the waste products.
At this point in time, baby’s skin is still translucent, so much so that one can make out their bones and organs underneath. But it will not remain like this. Thanks to the budding presence of Keratin, a protective protein, being added to the skin. In the coming weeks, it will start turning opaque, and also it will stop looking so wrinkly as fat deposits begin forming under the skin.
Baby’s skin colour is pinkish-red now, despite what colour it may turn out to be at the time of birth. This reddish hue in the skin is due to the developing blood vessels i.e., arteries and veins underneath.
So far you may have heard the baby’s heartbeat multiple times during your doctor’s visits. They would use a Doppler to listen to it. But from this week the doctor may also be able to hear the heartbeat using a stethoscope!
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