Week23
At the 23rd week, baby will start kicking, hitting, or punching more often. As the stomach muscles continue to stretch, the uterus rises about 1 ½ inches above the belly button. Depending on what the weight was last week, one may have gained up to a pound by now. The increase in blood volume in the lower part of the body will cause to feel like one need to use the restroom more frequently. The increased amount of blood flow will also cause some women to experience vaginal discharge, although in most cases, this is normal.
The baby can hear sounds from outside the body now, the wave-like movements that propel food along the digestive tract (peristalsis) begin. As with swallowing, it’s just practices for the baby’s system at this point since there’s no actual food to move. The baby is about the size of a large mango, length is 11 ½ inches and weighs 1 pound.
Swollen ankles, swollen hands and face are seen in this week.
