Pregnancy Week 25

How big is yourbaby? The measurement is now at around 13.62 inches (34.6cm) and your baby is nowweighing approximately 1.46 pounds (660g). How big are you? Your uterus now measures 9.84 inches (25cm) from the pubic symphysis to thetop of your uterus, and would probably be about the size of a small soccer ballby now. How is your baby developing and growing If you were to go into labor now, your baby would have a strong chance of surviving. Some of thegreatest advances in medicine over the past years has been the care of premature babies. Your baby is still extremely small and although there are chances of him/her survivingshould he be born now, he/she would probably spend several months in hospital. The smallest of the blood vessels are now starting to form underneath your babiesskin now, and as they begin to fill with blood, your babys skin takes on a pinkishappearance.

Changes In You One of the common symptoms you may experience through this stage of your pregnancyis itching. Although there are no rashes, bumps or lesions on the skin, your skinmay just feel itchy all over. This symptom doesn’t and wont present any risk toeither you or your baby. As your uterus and stomach have stretched with your growingbaby, so your skin has also stretched, and the itchiness that you may feel as a result is only natural. You should ask your healthcare provider to recommend a lotion to help reduce theitching. Try not to scratch your skin too much, as that will only make it worsefor you and may lead to possible scaring. If you do experience any rashes, bumps or lesions then you may be suffering a rarecondition known as PUPPS.PUPPS affects about 1% of all pregnant women. “kankles” and other side effect of swelling and bloating during pregnancy, especially in the hot summer months,can be really uncomfortable. This uncomfortable symptom can be alleviated by eatingfoods which has a natural diuretic nature, drinking fluids and putting your feetup as much as you can. You may also want to use this as an excuse to get your partnerto rub your feet for you. Your Nutrition Pregnancy increases your need for vitamins and minerals, and it is best if you canmeet these needs through foods rather than through prenatal vitamins and supplements, although it may be unrealistic to assumethat this is an easy task, and that is why your doctor prescribes prenatal vitamins. Bladder Infections It is not uncommon for pregnant women to suffer from bladder infections as their pregnancy progresses. This is generally causedby pressure being applied to the urethra and blocking the flow of urine. If yoususpect you have a bladder infection, you should seek medical help as soon as possible. Visit our Media Center for pictures of your growing baby