21 Weeks Pregnant: What To Expect?

July 8, 2019

21 Weeks Pregnant: What To Expect?

The day you meet your little bundle of joy is getting closer. You’ll feel your baby more than usual at the 21 weeks pregnant. You’ll also start experiencing a few more symptoms that you need some relief for. Here is a list of suggestions and answers to all your questions about your 21st week.

Baby’s Growth During Pregnancy – Week 21

Your child will start tasting his or her food at week 21 as the taste buds begin. While your baby gets nutrition by swallowing amniotic fluid, the fluid itself will taste what you eat. Some studies have demonstrated that babies prefer the same foods their moms ate during pregnancy. As well as taste, your baby has now developed its limbs accordingly, allowing you to control moves, which you will experience as a kick or push. Because the fetus is still rather small, you won’t be able to tell which part of your body is pushing your belly against. Developing senses such as sight and sound will make your baby aware of your everyday habits and may even recognize your voice. There have been eyebrows, eyelashes, and eyelids, although the irises have not yet had their color in them.

What is Baby’s Size?

Baby is as big as an endive head at 21 weeks of pregnancy. Baby’s big enough at 10.5 inches and about 12.7 ounces now that you’ve probably felt more and more of his or her fetal movements lately.

21-week Symptoms of Pregnancy

Common 21 weeks of pregnant symptoms are like a third-trimester sneak preview. Here’s what you might feel about your pregnancy at week 21:

Heartburn and/or indigestion: Avoid foods and other triggers that are spicy and greasy. If the source of your discomfort is a mystery, it might help you figure it out by keeping a food diary.
Braxton Hicks contractions: Occasionally, your uterus may feel tight as it works for labor. This is completely normal as long as you switch positions away from the contractions. Let your doctor know about any unstoppable pain or contractions.
Leaky boobs: By the end of this trimester your milk ducts will be fully developed — just in the event of early arrival.
Dry, itchy skin: Your skin is stretching over your growing bump, making it more irritated by the day. Lather up with pregnancy-safe body oil or lotion to help your skin stay moisturized and hopefully less itchy. Also, if you develop a rash, let your doctor know right away since that could be a sign of an annoying pregnancy condition called PUPPP.

Stretch marks: As the baby grows, your skin gets pulled thinner, causing tiny tears under your skin’s surface. For some women, stretch marks are more common simply due to family history or sudden weight gain. They are also more common among women who are pregnant with twins for 21 weeks. There is no real way to get rid of stretch marks, but after birth, they should fade substantially.

21 weeks pregnant belly

You might look in the mirror this week and wonder, “Where did I go?! “You may have gained about 13 to 14 pounds when you reach 21 weeks pregnant, and about 21 pounds if you are 21 weeks pregnant with twins.

You may feel super sexy and confident about your newly found curves— after all, you’re the focus of attention wherever you go! But you may also feel the extra weight… fat. Remember, you should gain this weight! (You’re not— you’re pregnant!) For you and the baby, it’s good.

In fact, not just padding for baby is all the weight you gain during pregnancy — it serves a really important purpose. Here’s a logical way to think about it: there’s a lot more than fat out of the approximately 30 pounds you’re gaining throughout your pregnancy. Here’s what that weight makes up:

An average full-term baby = 7.5 pounds
Placenta = 1.5 pounds
Uterus = 2 pounds
Amniotic fluid = 2 pounds
Maternal stores of fat, protein, and other nutrients (needed for breastfeeding!) = 7 pounds
Breast tissue (also of course for BFing) = 2 pounds
An increased volume of fluid = 4 pounds
An increased volume of blood = 4 pounds

Look? All those pounds do a lot of good, keeping the baby alive and healthy— and storing good stuff after birth to feed him or her. Whenever you feel a little meh about your body, think about all the wonderful things it does! Now, at 21 weeks, there’s a noticeable fetal movement — and baby also has reflexes! You may feel a little push back if you press your palm gently on your belly. So cool!

21 Weeks Ultrasound

What’s happening to your 21-week-old fetus? As the baby’s digestive system prepares for the outside world, meconium is produced by him or her — the tarry black substance you will find in the first dirty diaper.

Bet you hadn’t even considered future grandchildren yet, but the reproductive system is also developing. If it’s a girl, in her womb she already has a lifetime supply of eggs— about six million! Do you have a boy? His testes are still in his abdomen but will drop after the scrotum develops in the coming weeks.

If you have your mid-pregnancy ultrasound this week, you will get a glimpse of that cute little 21-week fetus. This ultrasound of 21 weeks is going to surprise you! Not only will you see the baby on the screen, but you will also see some amazing details such as the heart’s brain hemispheres and chambers. Let your technician know if you want to know the gender of the baby or not.

It’s a really exciting moment to find out if it’s a boy or a girl! But if you want to, you can also save that moment later. Some parents are waiting to know the sex until the baby is born. Or you might ask the technician to write down the gender of the baby and put it in an envelope to take it home.

Ask for lots of image prints, because if you have an uncomplicated pregnancy, this may be the last ultrasound you will get during pregnancy.