Your Pregnancy Week-by-Week - 18 Weeks Pregnant

Your infant could be big enough for you to feel her twisting, spinning, slapping, and punching her way through the womb now or anywhere in the next few weeks, at 512 inches long from crown to rump and 5 to 612 ounces in weight — about the size of the boneless chicken breast you're preparing for dinner.

And now for the talent of the week: your baby has perfected the art of yawning, as well as hiccupping, which you will notice soon! In fact, at your ultrasound this month, you could catch a glimpse of that cute yawn and all those other fetal movements.

18 weeks pregnant is how many months?

You're in month 5 of your pregnancy if you're 18 weeks pregnant. There are just four months left!

The nervous system of your infant, which is gradually maturing when you're 18 weeks pregnant, is something you won't see on the ultrasound but will discover is in working order. A network of nerves is creating more intricate connections, thanks to a material called myelin that helps accelerate signals from nerve cell to nerve cell.

The ones in the brain that represent the senses of touch, taste, scent, sight, and hearing are also evolving. Your baby's hearing is improving, allowing him or her to be more aware of sounds coming from inside your body — which means you might both be listening to each other hiccup!

Is it a female? Is it a boy? Consider a large fruit or vegetable. Your infant is around the size of a cucumber at 18 weeks, and your uterus is around the size of a sweet potato — see how you're making your way around the produce section? That's about 112 inches below your belly button, so feel it out.

Since your baby and uterus are quickly developing, you'll most likely appear pregnant when you're 18 weeks pregnant. But bear in mind that each woman and each pregnancy are special, so some women can still have tiny bumps while others have popped a lot.

At 18 weeks pregnant, all baby bumps are good and natural, but they may differ depending on how much weight you and your baby are gaining, your height and build, and whether or not this is your first pregnancy.

Just don't compare your 18-week-pregnant belly to that of your pregnant friends at the same point, and don't be concerned that you're measuring too big or too short. You should still speak to your practitioner if you're particularly worried, but if you and your baby are tracking normally at your prenatal appointments, things should be perfect.

Just a slice of toast will set your stomach on fire these days, so forget about the burrito with extra jalapeos. It's the issue with heartburn, which is an all-too-common symptom that can last the entire pregnancy. It's possible that an ounce of protection is worth a pound of Tums — but you may want to have those on hand as well, as they'll relieve the pain while increasing the calcium intake.

To begin, take your time and chew thoroughly. Eat smaller meals and drinks rather than five-alarm gut rockets, and don't eat lunch on the go or eat dinner standing up.

When you've finished sleeping, stand up for a few hours, just as long as you can without falling into bed, and sleep with your head raised to reduce snoring. Even, something on the menu with an image of a blaze next to it should be avoided!