✓ Twenty-second week of pregnancy

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Twenty-second week of pregnancy

We enter the sixth month of pregnancy and the weight of the baby becomes more and more burdensome. With the scientific advice of the gynecologist Elisabetta Canitano, president of the non-profit association Vita di donna, let's see what happens to the woman's body and that of the child during the twenty-second week of pregnancy.

Read also: Twenty-first week of pregnancy

Symptoms of the XNUMXnd week of pregnancy

With the twenty-second week the weight of the belly is more and more important and therefore shortness of breath e fatigue conditions will be increasingly common at this point in pregnancy. The important thing is that this condition does not lead to too debilitating anemia. A hand in this sense can be given to a diet rich in iron and vitamin C, as well as, of course, a good rest.

The hormonal "storm" then continues to affect the future mother's daily life and it is not uncommon to suffer from heartburn ed hemorrhoids due to the relaxation of muscles and blood vessels caused by the action of progesterone. Even the mouth and gums are negatively affected by the "crazy" hormones typical of gestation.

At this stage of pregnancy, other frequent symptoms can be:

headache
constipation
dizziness
cramps in the lower limbs
epistaxis (nosebleeds)

Read also: Pregnancy hormones: what they are and how they work

Health advice in the XNUMXnd week of pregnancy

Skin spots

They do not come to all women, but generally only to those with darker skin and appear following exposure to the sun. They are called "pregnancy mask" or "chloasma gravidicum" and they are small dark spots that form on the face, preferably around the mouth, sometimes arranging themselves so close that they appear as a single patch. I'm affected by hormonal changes typical of pregnancy which, in predisposed women, stimulate an overproduction of melanin, the substance responsible for tanning. However, this is an imperfection, not significant for the health of mother and child.

Advice: The best strategy is the prevention, which consists in applying "total screen" sun products throughout the summer and, in any case, in limiting exposure to sunlight as much as possible. After pregnancy, the spots tend to fade, sometimes even completely disappearing. Other times they remain for a long time.

Read also: Pregnancy, remedies for spots and couperose

Weight gain in pregnancy at the 22th week

Minimum: 4,2 kg; maximum: 6,2 kg

How much weight to take depending on the trimester of pregnancy

Here are the indications if you start from a normal weight situation.

First trimester of pregnancy: there is no need to eat for two and the weight gain should be minimal. A milestone could be around 1 and 2 kg, although many women sometimes lose weight due to nausea and morning sickness. Others exceed this value because they often try to fight nausea with starchy, high-calorie foods.
Second trimester of pregnancy: the baby begins to grow more and more and you too will gain a total of 5-7 kg.
Third trimester of pregnancy: about 0,5 kg per week with a net increase of 3,5-4,5 kg.

It is not a perfect pattern to follow, as long as the increase is slow and steady, both for you and for your baby.

Morphological ultrasound at 22 weeks?

L'morphological ultrasound is performed between 19 and 21 weeks and it is one of the most important ultrasound scans of all pregnancy. Sometimes, it can be done up to the 22nd week of pregnancy. If you haven't done so yet, contact your gynecologist or the doctor who is following you.

Traveling by plane: is it possible?

Traveling by plane while pregnant is possible, with some precautions. The problem is that Air travel lasting more than 4 hours increases the risk of thrombus formationi (blood clots) in the lower limbs. This is generally true, while it has never been clarified whether the danger increases in pregnancy. Responsible for this fearful occurrence is immobility. Wear compression stockings; get up often; drink a lot of water; do not take alcohol (after all, prohibited in pregnancy) nor caffeine these are precautions that reduce the danger in the general population, and therefore all the more reason they should be adopted during pregnancy.

It should be borne in mind that the Airlines do not welcome future mothers beyond a certain period of pregnancy and that others still want a certificate from the attending physician certifying their eligibility to fly: at the time of booking the flight it is advisable to inquire about the requests of the chosen company.

Read also: Taking the plane during pregnancy and after childbirth: the company guide by company

The fetus in the XNUMXnd week of pregnancy

La skin of the child becomes day after day less thin and transparent, but the underlying veins can still be seen clearly. In addition, the skin may appear a little wrinkled due to the still low amount of subcutaneous fat present.

The fingernails are now well developed. The body is covered with a very fine fluff and in boys i testicles begin to descend into the scrotum.

Il fetus now weighs about 460 grams and it is 27-28cm long.

Gestational age: six months (DPP CALCULATION - Expected date of delivery)

FONTI: NHS; BabyCenter

Fetus image at 22 weeks

Fonte: shutterstock

Questions and answers

What month are we in the XNUMXnd week of pregnancy?

The sixth month begins

How much does the fetus weigh at the XNUMXnd week of pregnancy?

Usually the fetus weighs between 360 and 380 grams

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