Your baby is now five and a half inches in size and weighs about 200 grams. Your little soldier is now growing rapidly, is he not? The nerves in his brain have now advanced to a stage wherein it leads to the baby figuring out the five senses! If at week 16 he was able to hear your muffled voice, at week 18, your baby can clearly hear things. Since your baby is still rather small and your uterus big enough, your baby is freely moving about and his movements have increased. You may have already started sensing them and may have been able to distinguish your baby's movements from a mere gas bubble. Just so you know, your baby now has 300 bones in the body. By the time your baby comes out into the real world, the bones would have merged and come down to a total of 206 bones. At this point of time, your baby is also as big as the placenta. The very same placenta which still provides him with oxygen and nutrients. The placenta also acts as waste disposal system. It takes your baby's waste and brings it into your bloodstream. This is where it gets filtered through your kidneys and liver.

• You're almost halfway through your pregnancy, and your health care provider may request an ultrasound to evaluate your baby's size and anatomy.
• This image shows a cross sectional view of baby's head.
• The sonographer will measure baby-to-be's head circumference or biparietal diameter (BPD).

• Leg cramps Here they are again!
• The much-talked about cramps.
• Do you feel them more towards evenings?
• Remember that your leg muscles are probably exhausted of carrying your growing belly all through the day.
• Put your feet up and just rest when you feel too tired.
• Fetal movement You may just mistake the movement for gas bubbles at this stage.
• Even if you do not feel any movement now, don't you worry.
• You are going to feel them soon! Bloating Feeling gassy or bloated is a common symptom.
• While the hormone called progesterone is essential for a healthy pregnancy, it also relaxes the smooth muscle tissues, including the gastrointestinal tract.
• As the muscles are relaxed, your digestion may slow down though this is to ensure the nutrients are reaching your baby.
• But remember that slower digestion also means bloating and gas.
• So, there you have it! Fatigue Your body is constantly producing and pumping more blood so that the baby gets enough nutrients.
• Your blood pressure and sugar levels are significantly lower in pregnancy.
• All these combined with hormonal changes (eg: increased progesterone levels) and other symptoms such as nausea are considered the main cause of fatigue.

• Listen to your body's demands and do whatever it takes to keep stress away.
• If you have the time and space to fit in a quick nap into your daily routine, go ahead and take a nap.
• Another good news coming your way, it is likely that you will now sense your baby move.
• Remember, that some may feel the baby move by 22-23 weeks as well.