What to expect at 18 weeks pregnant
Your baby
This week your baby is about 190 grams, a little over 14 cm long and is getting more and more active now. You might notice your little one tend to do most of its activity at night while you’re trying to sleep!
If you are expecting a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are now formed and in place, and if you’re having a boy, his genitals are noticeable now too – but they may still be hard to see in an ultrasound.
How you’re feeling
You might notice your appetite has seriously increased now (especially if you lost it in the first trimester) as well as cravings or food aversions kicking in too – if they haven’t already.
You can thank your hormones for this one! As you’ve heard, hormones affect pretty much everything when it comes to pregnancy, including what food you want to eat.
One theory that you crave the things your body is missing during pregnancy. It could be a way of your body signalling that you need some more minerals or nutrients in these foods. It’s not quite clear how mac n cheese or nachos can do this, but your body is a mysterious beast!
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Weekly tip
While it doesn’t hurt to indulge yourself (and baby) in a little treat every now and then, try and stick with healthy and nutritious foods to ensure your growing baby is getting everything they need to survive and thrive.
Try to get into the habit of always carrying snacks and water in your bag so that you have healthy options at the ready for when the hunger strikes -and it WILL strike hard and fast! That way you don’t have to turn to unhealthy options on the go.
As much as these cravings might feel like they control your life at times, don’t fret – they will end soon enough. For now, embrace the wacky pairings and ask your friends what wacky combinations they’ve tried. It’s just another weird and entertaining part of pregnancy!
What’s happening with your pregnancy next week…
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Dr Christine Catling Follow +
Dr Christine Catling, a midwife for over 25 years, is the Director of Midwifery Studies at UTS. She believes research, innovation and good quality midwifery are pivotal to the well-being of mothers and young families. Christine has extensive experience in antenatal education, policy development and research, and has published on workforce issues, homebirth, vaginal birth...
