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Your Pregnancy Fetal Development: Week 20


Hooray! You're halfway there! And in case you don't believe 20 weeks is a milestone worth celebrating, consider that it's longer than a semester at college—or any relationship you had in high school. Congrats! This is also the week your bambino is able to flash you on the sonogram, revealing what exactly he or she is packing. Why not celebrate with a bottle of sparkling grapefruit juice? It's not as sexy as champagne, but it's got bubbles, and that counts for something, right? What You're Thinking: "Twenty down, 20 to go!!"

Your Baby


This is the week most women get that ever-important gender-revealing ultrasound. If your baby isn't shy, the genitals can be clearly seen at this point. Will the baby pee standing up or sitting down? Well, that depends on how you potty train—but if you're interested, you could leave the appointment knowing if you're carrying a boy or a girl. Other highlights this week:

  • Your baby has established sleep patterns akin to a newborn now. Many babies even have a favorite sleep position already. Some snooze with their chins resting on their chests, while others nap with their head flung back. Many babies at this age fall into noticeable cycles of sleep and activity, so you may know before she arrives whether you have a night owl or an early bird.

  • If your baby is a boy, the testes have begun descending from the pelvis into the scrotum. If it's a girl, her uterus is completely formed and the rest of her "parts" are in development. (Is that TMI?)
  • From this point forward, your baby will put most of her energy into gaining weight and, not coincidentally, so will you! Right now your baby weighs approximately 10 1/2 ounces and is about 6 1/2 inches long, about the size of a can of Red Bull (which has way too much caffeine for a pregnant woman to be drinking).
  • Your Body

    • Stretch marks are the battle scars of pregnancy. Think of those tiny lines on your belly, breasts and butt with pride, not embarrassment. They're caused by your skin stretching to accommodate your growing belly—a necessary evil!

  • The truth is stretch marks are difficult if not impossible to avoid. But, hey, even if cocoa butter isn't a wonder cure, it sure does feel good going on ... especially if your partner does it for you! And it makes you smell like a freshly baked chocolate cake! And the good news? A dermatologist can help lessen the appearance of stretch marks after your pregnancy.
  • And it doesn't stop there. Other skin changes like acne and rashes are also common while pregnant. So if you're breaking out all over, you're not alone and it will go away.
  • Your Life

    • You've been meaning to organize that box of vacation pictures into photo albums for years. And you really want to create files that are so easy you can find your Visa bill from May 2004 in mere seconds. Give up those dreams. Now's the time to focus on having an organized nursery.

  • Take the time to shop for the best organization tools, containers and systems you can afford at a store dedicated to storage stuff, like Ikea, The Container Store, Target or Hold Everything.
  • If you don't already have one, consider buying a label maker. It's an organizer's must-have tool and labeling will help keep things organized after you've finished getting it that way.
  • Just because you already have a million photos that need organizing, now's not the time to put a moratorium on picture taking. Sure, it's great to have things neat and sorted, but it'll be even better to look back at pictures of your pregnancy and smile (or at least gape in awe). Take a few of your growing (gorgeous) bod and upload them to your LifeBook! Don't have one? Start one today!
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