At 23 weeks of gestation, the baby starts training to breathe out of the belly! The alveoli are less pressured for the baby to be able to make the training movement in the lung, the hormone responsible for the baby’s first breath outside the uterus is the surfactant.

Another organ that comes into activity is the pancreas, now it produces insulin and the baby’s eye movements also begin , it is a kind of rapid movements like the sleep movement, the fetal development that is advancing every week is more than evident.

Baby Development

At 23 weeks of pregnancy, it is already possible for the baby to feel all the mother’s movements, including listening and identifying the sound of the mother’s voice. It’s a great time to start talking to your baby, put on quiet music and even start to identify the sound of Daddy’s voice . Over time he will start giving signals that he recognizes the tone of the voice he is hearing and moving in his belly to show it.

With 23 weeks of pregnancy the baby’s skin starts to get more wrinkled and reddish every day , which will be the color that will be born. This color occurs due to the large number of blood vessels clearly visible by the baby’s sensitive and almost transparent skin. His little eyes, which were formed before, but did not open, begin to move constantly.

At 23 weeks he can measure about 28.9 cm and weigh around 501 grams . These measures will change each week more and more, because now the main focus will be your growth and weight gain until birth. Another important milestone for this week is the functioning of your pancreas, which will be able to produce the necessary insulin for the body.

How is Mom Feeling …

With each passing day, the mother feels fuller and more fulfilled, the skin of the pregnant woman has the tendency to become more and more beautiful, because the hormones make her more full of life and shine . It is not uncommon for Mom to hear that her hair is shiny, soft and silky, they are also better during pregnancy. Have you heard of the black line ?

It may be that you already have it, it is that darker line that appears vertically, right in the center of the belly dividing it in half, and you know why that happens? It happens due to the separation of the belly muscles, now at 23 weeks of gestation, the baby needs more space to accommodate himself better.

At 23 weeks of pregnancy more pigmentation may also appear in some areas of the pregnant woman’s body such as the armpits, groin, back, and to the horror of some women on the face! The black line has the tendency to fade gradually after delivery , but what most frightens future mothers are the spots on the face, today it has very effective treatments, just look for a trusted dermatologist to start the treatment.

Another very common fact occurring in this gestational stage is the dreaded stretch marks and they appear accompanied by an unexplained itch normally in the areas of the breasts, belly, back and buttocks. If you were not already using creams, oils and moisturizers to avoid them, start using them now to decrease the chances of development, in addition to smoothing out the symptoms.

At 23 weeks it is very common for women to begin to feel “strange” with the center of gravity. So be careful of possible falls and accidents at this stage. Small bleeding gums are also very common during this period.

External factors…

Your body has been changing and gaining new curves every week more . To sleep , walk and do activities so routine now there is some difficulty due to the weight of the belly that is already starting to make it difficult.

Back pain and lack of balance are common at this stage and even if pregnancy is not a sign of inability to perform any activity, if you feel difficulty ask for help. Better to sin from excess than from lack of care and perhaps the pride of performing all your duties normally, isn’t it?

Photos: Pawel Loj, sabianmaggy