Your Pregnancy Week by Week: 21 Weeks

The following information -- and much more -- can also be found in the free weekly email Lamaze Pregnancy Week by Week. Sign up now to receive helpful information for your stage of pregnancy. Subscribers will be given the opportunity to complete a Lamaze Parent Satisfaction Survey after their pregnancy and receive a Lamaze Toys coupon. We want to hear about your birth experience and the impact that childbirth education may have had so that we can continue to make sure parents have the information they need for the safest, healthiest birth possible.

You're in week 21 of your pregnancy!

What is it about birth shows that make pregnant women love to watch them? Like other reality shows, they depict only part of the reality. These glimpses of actual births are carefully edited to create exciting scenes that draw in viewers. Pregnant women, beware! Watching birth shows may prepare you for birth, but only if the births depicted are safe and healthy. Notice your response the next time you watch a birth show. Do you feel stressed about giving birth, or confident that you can achieve your ideal birth? Does the show provide inspiration, or does it frighten you? If you don't feel good and confident while you're watching the show, turn it off! Instead, surround yourself with positive images of childbirth that will help empower you to achieve a healthy birth. The Lamaze video Everyday Miracles: A Celebration of Birth is a great, encouraging example.

What's New with Baby

Your baby is surrounded by amniotic fluid, and he has developed the ability to swallow this fluid. Interestingly, the foods you eat will flavor the amniotic fluid that your baby is swallowing. His taste buds are beginning to function, and he can now detect flavors. This is a great thing, too, because your breast milk will also be flavored by what you eat'so your little one will recognize similar flavors after he is born. He's currently about the length of a large sweet potato.

What's New with You

Have you noticed the swelling in your legs and feet at the end of the day? You are not alone! The extra fluid in your body paired with slower blood flow in your legs can contribute to this swelling. Try to put your legs and feet up several times a day. Swimming and treading water in the deep end of the pool can also keep swelling in check and get some exercise at the same time. While minor swelling is normal, check in with your care provider if you notice a sudden change in weight gain (2 or more pounds in a week) accompanied by sudden swelling in one or both legs.

Story from a Mama who has been there

'When I was pregnant, I read a book that said that on the day I would give birth, thousands of other women around the world would be giving birth, too. This was such a powerful image for me. When I felt worried or overwhelmed in labor, I thought about all of those other women. I felt like if they could do it, so could I, and that in some other-worldly way, maybe we could even help each other through labor and birth.'

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