Gestational diabetes: the test, food and after the birth
Who is most at risk, how the glucose test works, how to eat without giving up the Albanian table and what happens after the birth.
4 min read
Second trimester
Week 18 of pregnancy
Your baby is the size of a pomegranate. The ears are in place and the baby can hear the sounds of your body.
Your baby is the size of a pomegranate
- Length, head to bottom
- ≈ 14.2 cm
- Weight
- ≈ 190 g
Your baby this week
- The ears have reached their final position and the baby starts to hear your heartbeat and the sounds of digestion.
- The baby yawns, has hiccups and moves a lot.
- The nerves are wrapped in a protective layer, myelin, which makes signals travel faster.
Your body this week
- The anomaly scan, which checks how the baby is developing, is usually done between weeks 18 and 21.
- Blood pressure is often lower at this stage, so you may feel dizzy if you get up quickly.
- Leg cramps, especially at night, are common.
Follow your own pregnancy week by week
Enter your due date and we will show you your week every time you visit, and email you each new week as it arrives. Free.
Not sure of your due date? Work it out Already have an account? Sign in
Read more for this stage
Your baby’s movements in pregnancy
When you first feel your baby move, what it feels like, why you do not need to count kicks and when to call straight away.
3 min read
Ultrasound scans in pregnancy
The dating scan and the anomaly scan: when they happen, what they check, what they feel like and whether they are safe.
3 min read
General information written by the mam.al editors. Every pregnancy is different and sizes are averages; it does not replace advice from your doctor or midwife. Sources include the NHS week-by-week guide to pregnancy. NHS. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.