The Pregnant Belly At Week 18: What Is Your Baby Doing?

Your baby’s development

Lots of growing going on: You say toe-may-toe.

By the 18th week, your baby is about 14 cm long, or about the length of a large tomato.

Baby’s number 1 priority this week is growing. You might even feel her start to move, which can feel like flutters, known as quickening. At your next doctor’s appointment, let him or her know about any fetal movement.

Your baby’s skeleton continues to ossify (harden) – beginning with her leg bones and inner ear bones.

By now, your baby can hear. She might hear your heartbeat or your tummy gurgle. She might even hear loud sounds coming from outside the womb.

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Your nutrition and health

Make every bite count.

Just because you’re pregnant doesn’t mean you need to eat for two. But it is important to eat right every day. Here’s a reminder of what – you should be eating:

calcium-rich foods, such as low-fat milk, yogurt, and cottage cheese
vegetables, including folate-rich options like broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or spinach
fruit, such as apples, pears, and strawberries
whole grains, including whole-wheat bread, oatmeal, or wild rice
lean protein and legumes, such as lean ground beef, chicken breast, almonds, and lentils

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Things to think about now

What to expect at your next checkup?

During your next prenatal doctor’s visit, your doctor will check your weight, blood pressure, urine and other vitals. This is a good time to review your current diet and evaluate if you should increase or decrease any particular nutrients.

Let your doctor know if you’ve felt your baby move. Knowing when your baby started moving and the frequency of his kicks can help your doctor estimate your baby’s fetal age and your due date more accurately.

During this month of pregnancy, you might have an ultrasound, which is also called a sonogram. An ultrasound is a medical imaging tool that uses high-frequency sound waves to safely view internal images of you and your baby. By your eighteenth week of pregnancy, an ultrasound can reveal:

Whether you’re having a boy, a girl, or more than 1 baby
Your baby’s fetal age
Location of your placenta
Fetal position, movement, breathing, and heartbeat
Amount of amniotic fluid
Length of your cervix

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What happens next week?

Doing the neuron dance!

Your baby’s brain is making millions of motor neurons – the nerves that tell the muscles how and when to move.

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18 Weeks Pregnant

Your baby’s top priority: GROW.

Your baby’s development

Your nutrition and health

Things to think about now

What happens next week?

Breastfeeding Disclaimer