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 21 of pregnancy
Your baby is the size of a carrot. Kicks get stronger, and the baby tastes the flavours of your food in the amniotic fluid.
Your baby is the size of a carrot
- Length, head to heel
- ≈ 26.7 cm
- Weight
- ≈ 360 g
Your baby this week
- Movements become stronger and more frequent; you may feel clear kicks.
- The taste buds work and the baby tastes flavours from what you eat, which pass into the amniotic fluid.
- The bone marrow starts to make blood cells.
Your body this week
- You may feel short, painless tightenings of your tummy, Braxton Hicks contractions; they are your womb practising.
- Your feet and ankles may swell a little, especially at the end of the day.
- Varicose veins may appear on your legs.
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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.