Bump Update: Week 22

Bump Update: Week 22

While baby is reaching close to a pound now, she is also getting stronger and her hearing is beginning to become more sensitive. She is also working on her grip, and while her eyes won't open for another few weeks, her vision is developing. While your babe is growing, you're probably experiencing some similar growth. Swelling can occur, especially in your hands and feet, and your new puffy bod may be making it a little difficult for you to get around!

Usually you'll experience swelling (edema) near the end of the day once your body has had a chance to relax and hold on to the majority of water and salt that you had that day. Do your best to cut down on the sodium if you're finding the swelling to be particularly annoying, but don't get too nervous about the swelling unless it happens suddenly or is very painful. Many pregnant women may also find that their foot size is getting bigger. Sometimes this swelling/growth will go back to normal after you give birth, but sometimes it can actually change your foot size. You can thank the hormone relaxin. That same relaxin, the one helping your body to accept the excess weight that's being put on your limbs, is allowing for swelling in your feet and making you feel like flip flops and slippers may be the only shoes for you now! Thanks to the added swelling, and the fact that your uterus is now growing, you're bumping into just about everything. This clumsiness probably won't get much better the bigger you get, unfortunately.  

By now, your baby has legs and arms that are proportional to the rest of their body, and now that things are developed, your little one is starting to put on some baby weight! Your babe is now just under a pound, around the weight of a fig, and measures just over 10 inches long! He is working on those new limbs, and they are getting stronger, which is probably why you may start to feel little kicks or pokes when you take a minute to lie down. His grip is also tightening, and babes can be seen in ultrasounds making fists (usually kept up by their face) and even grabbing onto the umbilical cord (nothing to worry about). Babe's sensory development is also still being fine-tuned, vision and hearing particularly. He is able to distinguish between light and dark, he is getting used to the sound of mama's voice, and the sound of your heart beat. (Might be a reason why they love the white noises once they're born!)  

Try out different carriers before your belly gets too big!

Back to blog

Leave a comment

Please note, comments need to be approved before they are published.