18 Weeks Pregnant: Symptoms and What to Expect

By Brian Price

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Your Growing Fetus at 18 Weeks

You’re almost halfway through your pregnancy. At 18 weeks, your baby is 5.6” and weighs around 6.70 ounces.

Your baby is currently the size of a Nintendo controller. Get ready for the Mario Bros game called your life.

Here’s the scoop on your little bean at week 18

Your baby can now hear! Better yet, your beating heart is the loudest thing they hear.
Their nerves are working on developing Myelin, which is the fatty substance that insulates them.
Myelination will continue to occur throughout your baby’s first year, as the process will help learn to crawl and walk.

Pregnancy Superfood for Week 18

Our superfood this week comes in the form of a vegan gluten-free powder. The Vitamineral Green Mix is rich in nutrients and minerals! Grasses, freshwater algae, ginger root, herbs, land and sea vegetables, and amla berry are all found in this GMO-free powder.

The formula literally covers all of the nutritional bases. The Vitamineral mix was first created in 1990 and has been all the rage ever since. When beginning to consume this mix, you should start with one teaspoon per day and over the course of two weeks increase to two tablespoons.

There are a variety of ways to consume this mix. You can toss it into water, juices, applesauce, yogurt or smoothies. You can even it raw if you prefer it that way. Many women experience more energy when taking this mix. To get you started on mixing this into your drinks here is a quick and easy smoothie recipe.

Ingredients:

½ blueberries, frozen
½ water
-½ mango, frozen
2 large bananas
½ cup pineapple
1 teaspoon of vitamineral green (if not a beginner you can increase your amount)

Blend everything together for about a minute. You should get a smooth and creamy consistency. If you would like the smoothie to be thicker add more ingredients and less water. The more fruit you add the more sweetness you have to combat the flavor of the powder. So fruit to taste!

Top Tip for Week Eighteen

As you begin to wind down for bed turn off your cell phone, computer, and TV. Kindles, tablets, and anything else with a screen should be shut off or at least put away for the night.

The light from the screens actually disturbs your sleep patterns. Turning everything off as early as an hour before bed will allow you to rest more peacefully.

Inspirational Message of the Week from Already Moms

“There will be so many times you’ll feel you’ve failed, but in the eyes, heart, and mind of your child, you are Super Mom!”- Stephanie Precourt

Big Efforts from your Co Creator

By now you’ve dealt with mood swings, crazy pregnancy cravings and sat through tons of pregnancy pictures. Those go with the flow actions, won’t compare to what we ask you to do this week. Ready?

Actually take a seat first! We need you to let your girl hog the bed. We know you have to be up early for work and need your sleep but she can no longer sleep on her back. She can only sleep on her side and will probably be sprawled out in the craziest positions to get comfortable.

On top of that, she may not be getting enough sleep due to insomnia and back pain caused by her pregnancy. If she is sleeping comfortably and just so happens to be on your side of the bed (as well as hers) don’t move her.

Let her sleep! Find a spot to squeeze in or maybe ride the couch for the night. You’re the father of her child, but this small action will make you her hero!

This Art of Allowing

Calling all my fitness addicted mom to be’s, pay close attention. Your belly is growing bigger so you will need to tone down your exercises. No more bouncing and try to avoid quick changes of positions.

You can still exercise but stick with light and moderate levels. Also, it is now officially time for you to quit sleeping on your back. Lying flat on your back can cause your uterus to compress a major vein.

When your vain compresses it will decrease the blood return to your heart. We don’t that, so lie on your side or at least tilted to one side.

Pregnancy Symptoms of Week Eighteen

Wouldn’t it be nice to be able to enjoy your pregnancy without any negative symptoms? Hey, a girl can dream! Here are the symptoms you may experience this week.

Swollen hands, feet, or both: Unfortunately swelling is a common pregnancy symptom. Your body is producing more blood and fluid thus your body expands. You may experience swelling in your hands, legs, feet, ankles, and face.

This symptom is also referred to as Edema. Avoid standing or sitting for long periods of time to reduce the water retention in your feet. Keeping your legs elevated when you are seated also will help.

Leg Cramps: This symptom can easily be prevented. Leg cramps are typically caused by dehydration. Drink lots of water, your body needs it!

Nosebleeds: Try not to freak out. Nosebleeds are common during pregnancy because there is increased pressure on the veins in your nose. If you are experiencing nosebleeds, apply an ice pack or pinch your nose for up to ten minutes to stop the bleeding.

Back Pain: As you continue to grow, your center of gravity continues to shift. Your lower back is pulled forward and is causing your muscles to ache.

Insomnia: Back pain, heartburn, frequent urination basically any of your other pregnancy symptoms can lead to insomnia. Keep reading, we will help you try to manage it.

Your Body will Change and It’s Necessary

During the 18th week of pregnancy more is happening to your baby than to you. However, your uterus is officially the size of a cantaloupe, or about that. Touch about one and a half inches below your belly button, that’s your uterus.

As your baby grows your uterus expands to make room. Your stomach has become more rounded and your bump is more prominent. No more passing it off as a food baby.

Our Recommended Remedy for Week 18

We’re touching a lot on insomnia this week so we figured we would give you a few smoothie recipes to help you sleep a little better. Smoothies are great snack for pregnant women because they are tasty and nutritious.

Bananas Before Bedtime Smoothie:

Bananas contain two very important elements that will help you sleep, magnesium and tryptophan. Lack of magnesium leads to insomnia and tryptophan breaks down into melatonin and serotonin. Nutmeg also aids inducing sleep, which makes this smoothie a great before bed drink.

What You Need:

ice1 banana, unpeeled
¼ tsp nutmeg, fresh is better
1 cup milk (Can use almond or coconut milk if preferred)
2 tbsp. honey

Throw all the ingredients into a blender and blend until creamy. It’s that easy!

Cherry Sleep Smoothie:

This smoothie is full of tart cherries and kiwi. The cherries contain melatonin and the kiwi contain serotonin

What You Need:

ice
8-10 cherries
1 cup milk
1 banana
2 tbsp honey
1 kiwi fruit

As with the last smoothie, toss all the ingredients into the blender, blend and enjoy.

Berry smoothie:

This smoothie will have you getting the berry best sleep (HA HA). Most of these ingredients contain tryptophan.

What You Need:

¼ cup strawberries, frozen
2 tbsp raw honey
¼ cup blueberries, frozen
½ banana
½ cup spinach
A handful of walnuts

Don’t be put off by the spinach included in this smoothie. There are so many fruits blended around it you won’t even be able to taste. However, since spinach is jammed packed tryptophan while you may not be able to taste it you will definitely feel its effects.

Our Best Advice to Soothe The Uncomfortable

Which girl doesn’t love to curl up in a big cozy blanket and sink into her bed for a nice cat nap or even a full night’s rest? Exactly, every girl does. Unfortunately, as you advance in your pregnancy journey sleeping will become more difficult. While pregnancy can make you feel exhausted all day, it can also cause insomnia.

You can’t win, we know! Intense back pain can also account for sleepless nights. While we may not be able to provide you with a perfect night’s rest, we can give you some tips on how you may be able to get one. For starters, follow the tip of the week and ditch the screens at least an hour before bedtime.

Get into a routine and set your bedtime for the same time every night of the week. Yes, this includes weekends as well. No more binge watching netflix until 2 a.m. Taking a bath before bed will help relax you, especially if you get fancy and throw in a lavender bath bomb. If you must eat before bed, choose a small snack not a whole meal. Make sure your bedroom is cool and dark.

Get a body pillow, there are some made especially for pregnant women, cuddle the fluff out of it. Many women find that the pillows help with back pain, and makes sleeping on your side easier. Enjoy a peaceful night’s sleep.

Creating Memories for Your Soon to Be

If getting crafty isn’t your thing, don’t worry. We have a super easy way for you to document your journey. Pregnancy silhouettes offer a beautiful way for you to track the growth of your bump.

You also don’t have to worry about shelling out hundreds of dollars for a photographer because you can have your partner take the pictures with their phone. If your partner isn’t around, just use your camera’s timer. You can choose any background you would like but a sheer curtain adds a gorgeous elegant feel to the picture.

Dress in a snug dark colored tank top and bottoms. Leggings, tights, and yoga pants all work great. The goal is to show off your curves so make sure the clothes are snug. We recommend wearing your hair in a messy bun or ponytail. Stand to the side and then snap the picture. You can use any photo editing app to turn the picture into black and white.

Preparation for Motherhood

Make a baby playlist and put the headphones on your stomach. Give baby something nice to listen to now that they can hear.
Sleep on your side rather than your back
If you have other children, start preparing them for the arrival of their sibling.