Your Pregnancy at Week 20

Now you're halfway, you may be starting to feel a little more breathless as your uterus pushes up towards your lungs and pushes your abdomen forward to make your bump more prominent. 

Throughout pregnancy, your red blood volume increases significantly, and you are at risk of becoming anaemic, so ensure that your diet includes a good source of iron, as this is needed for haemoglobin, that carries the oxygen around your body. Kidney beans, and green leafy vegetables are all high in iron.

Now is a great time to get booked onto your chosen antenatal course if you haven't done so already.

Innie becoming an outie: Around this time, many expectant mums notice their belly button protruding outward as the uterus expands and pushes against the abdomen. This change is entirely normal and usually temporary.

Swelling in ankles or feet: Increased blood volume and fluid retention, coupled with the pressure from the growing uterus, can cause swelling, particularly in the ankles and feet. This swelling is common in the latter stages of pregnancy but may start to appear around week 20. Here’s how to reduce ankle swelling.

Dizziness: Due to hormonal changes and increased blood volume, you may feel dizzy or faint during week 20. Try to avoid sudden movements, stay hydrated, and eat regular, balanced meals to help manage these symptoms.

Leg cramps: As the uterus grows, it may put pressure on nerves and blood vessels in the legs, leading to occasional leg cramps. Staying hydrated, stretching regularly, and avoiding standing or sitting for extended periods can help alleviate these cramps. Here’s how to ease pregnancy aches and pains.

Frequent nighttime wakings: As your pregnancy progresses, there are lots of things that can disrupt your sleep! The most common culprits include discomfort, frequent urination, and hormonal changes. Try to establishing a relaxing bedtime routine and invest in a good pregnancy pillow if you’re struggling to get comfy.

Crazy dreams: Hormonal fluctuations during pregnancy can contribute to vivid and sometimes bizarre dreams. These dreams are entirely normal and usually harmless, often reflecting the expectant mother's subconscious thoughts and anxieties about pregnancy and parenthood. Here’s a guide to pregnancy dreams.

Weight gain: By week 20, most women will have gained some weight as the baby continues to grow and develop. Healthy weight gain during pregnancy is essential for the well-being of both the mother and the baby, so don’t be too hard on yourself or think negatively about this. Check out what to expect from pregnancy weight gain

Is getting out of bed a challenge? If it isn't hard yet, it could well be quite soon. To make it a bit easier, roll over to your side, and then tip your feet down to the floor. Once your feet touch the floor, use your arms to push yourself into a seated position, and stand up! Take a pregnancy side profile picture and write in your pregnancy journal.

Finding Out The Gender

If you don’t want to wait to find learn if your little one is a boy or girl, now's the time to ask your midwife to give you the news at your 20 week scan! Unsure if you want to find out your baby's sex? There is no right or wrong decision. 

It's completely personal - up to you (and your partner if you have one). Remember that even if you do find out the sex of your baby during the ultrasound, sonographers don't always get it right. This means that even if you are told the sex of your little one, you (and your partner) should be a wee-bit prepared for surprise. Maybe have a name for each sex picked out, just in case.

Thinking About Names

Speaking of names, it's time to narrow down your choices, if you haven’t already. If you need a little boost of unusual-birth-name confidence, glance at some of the lesser popular names on any lists. Because the truth is this, no name is off limits.

Children are named after family history, television and book characters, cars, numbers, foods, days of the week... Having an offbeat name sort of means you'll fit right in, nowadays. Of course, there are still classics. And popular names are used again and again (hence, popular). Where will your name fit in?

If you and your partner, or you and other family members or friends, find yourselves disagreeing over certain name choices, or you're still looking for a winning name for your little one altogether, here are two things to try:

1. Create a list of names you will not use, under any circumstances.

This can include names of ex-romantic partners, family pets, coworkers and teachers, generally horrible persons, that one kid who made your school life tricky... you and your partner can add names to this list whenever the crawly skin feelings take strike.

Names added to the list are immediately out of the running. It's important both you and your partner respect each other’s feelings on this and not try to convince each other to change your mind on a name. You both might be surprised about and happy to learn each other's reasons.

2. Create your own lists

You and your partner should write down your top five names. Trade lists with each other and put a star next to the ones you like, or a frowny face by the ones you hate. For every name crossed off, the owner of that list can add a new name in its place. Continue this process, adding and subtracting names from each other's list, until you find your common ground.

If you are lucky enough to stumble upon a name loved by the only ones who matter (only mum and dad of baby should really have any say), be careful of who you tell! It can go so many ways. Maybe your friend, who is also expecting and has a due date sooner than yours and presently no clue what to name her little one, is suspect. She could love it, too. And can you blame her? Or... she could say, "You like Vienna? Well, let's hope she isn’t chubby. Because Vienna Sausages!"

Once you love a name, you may also start to hear it more often. Everywhere. Don't panic. This is just because you are paying attention now. Just like when you bought a new car and suddenly saw that car everywhere. If you love a name, really love a name, it doesn't matter how many Heathers, Toms, Davids, or Lemons there are out there. Yours will be your one and only.

Head here for more on your 20-week scan.