You’re 20 weeks pregnant. Congratulations! You’re halfway through your pregnancy.

Focus on relationships and getting those vital scans and blood tests at 20 weeks pregnant.

Week 20 is also a good time to check in with each other and reconnect – especially if you’ve been really tired until now.

20 weeks pregnant in months

Are you wondering how many months is 20 weeks pregnant? You’re halfway through your pregnancy, in the 5th month of pregnancy, and well into your second trimester.

20 weeks pregnant belly

You’re definitely looking and feeling pregnant now. Your uterus is sitting at the level of your belly button at 20 weeks of pregnancy. As a result, you’re probably finding it harder to bend in the middle.

Your belly button is probably starting to look different as well. From 20 weeks of pregnancy, your doctor or midwife will start to measure your belly. This measurement is your fundal height, which is the distance from your pubic bone to the top of your uterus.

Measuring the fundal height is the way your care provider tracks how your baby is growing and the progress of your pregnancy. Your measurement should match your week of pregnancy, give or take a few centimetres. If the fundal height is too low or too high, it can indicate a pregnancy complication.

This might be gestational diabetes, or possibly your baby not growing as expected. It could be an indication the baby’s position is breech. Your care provider will monitor your fundal height over a number of weeks to see if it catches up. You might have an ultrasound to check all is well.

For more information be sure to read Too Big Or Small For Gestational Dates?

20 weeks pregnant ultrasound

If you haven’t already had your morphology ultrasound, you’ll be due to having it now. It’s also called the anomaly scan, and it’s performed by the ultrasound technician to check your baby’s development and discover any potential problems.

If the scan detects potential problems, you’ll be offered further testing or monitoring. It can be frightening to be told things are not tracking along as expected. You can also identify your baby’s sex during this scan – if you want to know. Some pregnant women worry about having too many ultrasounds during pregnancy.

You might like to read Ultrasounds In Pregnancy – Risks And Benefits to help you make an informed choice.

Just remember to ask your healthcare provider and the ultrasound technician plenty of questions, to make sure you have all the information you need to make the right choices for you.

20 weeks pregnant relationships

Up to now, from your partner’s point of view, pregnancy might seem like a one-sided affair. From the outside, not a lot seems to be going on. But clearly, plenty is happening on the inside.

Your partner might be feeling relieved because your early pregnancy symptoms have eased off, and now he’s really looking forward to feeling your baby’s movements. It’s hard to tell exactly when this will be possible. It varies a great deal between women and between pregnancies.

Any time from now, however, is a good time for your partner to start trying to feel the baby’s movements. Perhaps your partner has been concerned about how to bond with your growing baby. Maybe he has worries about becoming a parent.

Communication between couples about how they see themselves as parents can’t start too early. A weekend away together will give you a chance to take stock of where you are, and how you see the next months unrolling. Involving each other in things outside of the baby’s arrival is important too.

Even snuggling up for a movie night at home can do wonders for your connection.

20 weeks pregnant symptoms

Sorry to break it to you, but at 20 weeks you can still have plenty of pregnancy symptoms. You might find you’re sweating quite a lot now. This is your body’s way of trying to cool off. You are using lots of energy and your metabolism is working harder. Stay well hydrated and don’t allow yourself to get overheated.

Heartburn and indigestion might start to make an appearance as your uterus takes up more room. To help with these tummy troubles, you can chew sugarless gum after a meal. Caffeine intake causes the production of stomach acid, and can also lead to heartburn.

Find out more in Caffeine and Pregnancy – Is Coffee During Pregnancy OK?

Your energy levels should be back to normal now – especially after a good night’s sleep. Make sure you include plenty of protein-rich foods in your diet to keep your energy levels stable.

Protein can be found in pork, lamb, beef, eggs, seafood and chicken. You might also experience edema or swelling of the feet and ankles. This is caused by fluid retention and weight gain, and also by relaxin, a hormone that relaxes ligaments and joints.

Unfortunately, leg cramps can be a common feature of pregnancy now. Stretching your legs and drinking plenty of water will help reduce tightness and discomfort.

It also helps if you eat plenty of magnesium and potassium-rich foods, such as avocados, bananas, and legumes.

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Iron intake at week 20 of pregnancy

It’s really important at week 20 of pregnancy to make sure your diet includes plenty of nutrients, especially iron. Your body needs iron to make haemoglobin – the protein in red blood cells that delivers oxygen around your body.

During pregnancy, your blood volume increases by up to 50% more than usual. This means your iron levels can drop. This is normal, but it can have an impact on how you feel, especially later in pregnancy.

Symptoms of low iron include:

Fatigue
Breathlessness
Anaemia.

It’s now a good time to take a look at your iron intake and find ways to ensure you’re getting enough in your diet.

The best sources of iron are animal-based foods, like meat and eggs. Iron is also found in some plant foods, such as:

Dark green leafy vegetables, such as spinach and kale
Beans and legumes
Dried fruit, such as raisins, apricots, and peaches.
Iron-fortified cereals, bread and pasta.

Try to combine iron-rich foods with foods high in vitamin C. This vitamin helps boost iron absorption.

More information can be found in Anaemia During Pregnancy | Causes, Symptoms and Treatment | BellyBelly.

Stretch marks at pregnancy 20 weeks

Your skin is doing some mighty work, as it stretches to accommodate your growing belly. As a result, you might feel like it is tight, dry, and very itchy. This is often more pronounced at the end of the day, especially if you have worn tight clothes on a particular area.

Try rubbing a pregnancy-friendly lotion on your stomach and abdomen area a couple of times a day. This will help keep it softer and less prone to drying out and becoming itchy. You might also notice some stretch marks in the area of your belly or breasts.

Stretch marks happen when the supportive tissue under your skin is torn as it stretches. They can look like red, pink, or purple streaks that appear as the skin stretches. They might fade after the baby is born, but for many mothers, they don’t go away completely.

Rapid weight gain can make stretch marks more noticeable. It’s a good idea to eat a healthy diet and do some exercise, so your weight gain is slow and steady.

20 weeks of pregnancy urinary tract infections

Most women are prone to urinary tract infections (UTI) in their first trimester because the smooth muscles in the urinary tract have relaxed due to the hormone relaxin produced in pregnancy. But you might still experience UTIs into the second trimester as well.

Keep an eye out for symptoms such as pain or burning when you urinate. Needing to pee frequently is another symptom but it’s also common during pregnancy. Speak to your doctor if you suspect you have a UTI. If left untreated, UTIs can lead to more serious problems, like kidney infections and premature labor.

Your doctor might have to prescribe antibiotics, which isn’t ideal during pregnancy as they can have an impact on your baby’s future health.

Check out Antibiotics During Pregnancy Increase Infection Risk For Babies for more information.

Preventative action is always better than treatment. Try increasing your fluid intake and peeing frequently, to flush out any lingering bacteria. Unsweetened cranberry or cranberry pills are said to help prevent UTIs as well.

If you have any pain or burning when you urinate, it’s a good idea to contact your ob-gyn or health caregiver for an assessment and more information.

What is the baby doing at 20 weeks?

At 20 weeks pregnant, your baby is growing fast but still has plenty of room to move about. Not only can your baby hear your voice, but he can also now recognize it and distinguish it from other people’s voices.

If you haven’t already started talking to the baby, now is a good time. He might be startled by sudden, loud noises such as a slammed door or a car horn. Listening to classical music at the end of the day might be soothing for both you and the baby, especially if you take a warm bath at the same time. Just remember not to use water that’s too hot.

Your growing baby now has a sucking reflex and can suck his thumb. The taste buds of your growing baby are also improving nicely. The growth of hair and nails continues.

If the fetus is a girl, her uterus is already fully developed this week. The vaginal canal is still developing. If the fetus is a boy, the testicles are starting to develop. The scrotum has already finished developing by week 16.

What does my baby look like in the womb at 20 weeks?

In pregnancy week 20, your baby’s skin is thickening and layers are forming as well. The skin is protected from the amniotic fluid by vernix, which is a waxy coating all over the baby’s body.

Rapid brain growth continues for your baby, particularly in the nerve centres dedicated to the senses. Your baby is swallowing plenty of amniotic fluid now. It’s being filtered through your baby’s digestive system and particles left behind become meconium.

Meconium is a thick, tar-like substance that fills the intestines. It will be your baby’s first bowel movement after birth.

20 weeks pregnant baby movement

At week 20 most mothers have felt a flutter that soon turns in movements and kicking. From around 20 weeks, babies develop their own pattern of movement and this will be normal for them. Some babies will move more in the evening, and others more in the morning. You will become familiar with your little one’s activity.

If you feel the pattern has changed, or the movement of the baby is reduced, you should contact your doctor or healthcare provider for an assessment.

Read Baby Kicking – 9 Important Facts You Need To Know for more information.