Your pregnancy is starting to become more obvious, and if you’re trying to conceal your bump, you may start finding this more difficult. Inside your body, you may feel your little one moving inside of you – you may even notice that the movements are in response to noises as your baby can start to register sounds.
Your body at week 18
You may have started to notice dizziness when you stand up. To lessen this, get up gently when you stand from sitting or lying down. Your back may be feeling increasingly achey, so avoid doing activities that aggravates it. You may also notice swelling in your hands and feet, as well as increasingly difficulty to get to sleep.
Your baby at week 18
Your baby is now the size of an artichoke or a red bell pepper, and it’s around this time you’ll start to notice your baby moving around inside you. You may have noticed this previously, especially if you’ve had a baby before – but this is the time that little one’s movements become more distinct. However, they’ll feel more like a flutter than a strong kick, so don’t be concerned if you’re unsure of what you’re feeling at first.
Things to remember at week 18
Although pregnancy is a happy and exciting time for many moms-to-be, it can also be very stressful. Antenatal anxiety is both fairly common during pregnancy, especially if your pregnancy is unplanned, you have external stresses such as financial strain, or you experienced depression and anxiety prior to pregnancy.
A bit of worry during this time is normal, as you are going through many new experiences. However, if you feel like your worry is crippling and you can’t enjoy day-to-day life, then you may be experiencing antenatal anxiety. This is nothing to be ashamed of, and seeking medical guidance can help make your pregnancy easier and happier.
Administered by Medscheme Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Bonitas aims to make quality
healthcare accessible to all South Africans and offers a wide range of plans that are simple to understand and easy to use. The Fund has the largest GP
network in South Africa, a Specialist Network and a host of supplementary
benefits paid from risk and carefully crafted managed care programmes to
cover chronic conditions, cancer, diabetes and HIV/AIDS. This allows members to derive real value for money and stretch their benefits as far as possible
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