22 WEEKS PREGNANT

• With the baby crouched and the legs pulled in toward the chest, you can almost see his/her complete profile.
• Now that the baby is more than 8 inches in length, it's hard to capture the image of baby's entire body..
• Your baby is about to experience a dramatic weight gain in the coming weeks.
• For now, he/she is still relatively thin.

• Your little one is already about 11 inches and a half. Every new week your baby looks more and more like an actual infant.
• Your baby now weighs about 450 grams as he/she is accumulating fat all over. Your baby is not the only one who has put on weight though. You too have probably put on about eight kilograms by now.
• We are confident that by now you have been feeling your little one move and wriggle around inside your body.
• We are also assuming that you have figured out your baby's sleeping pattern by now. Studies have shown that most babies continue to follow the patterns they observe inside the womb even after they are born.
• Although their skin is still very translucent and saggy, it will soon start getting thicker. Your baby's skin which appears reddish at this point in time is growing faster than the fat.
• Your baby is also learning to practice breathing this week onwards as blood vessels in his/her little lungs continue to develop, and the nostrils have two distinct holes on them.
• Your baby's bone marrow now assumes the responsibility of making blood cells. Up until this point, this task was carried out by the liver and spleen.
• Your little one's heart, which has been quite famous for beating twice as fast as yours, is growing stronger every day. This ensures that blood is being pumped and circulated throughout his/her entire body.

• Skin discoloration : Either you are having that radiant pregnancy glow or you might suddenly notice that your face has dark patches! Your skin will be quite sensitive and will react to even minor changes in your surroundings. You may notice small growths and thicker moles on your skin, and certain areas like arms and inner thighs may become darker than the usual color. Your breasts may have become darker too if you notice. Apart from hormonal changes, your diet is also a deciding factor for these symptoms. Most of these marks will disappear after delivery.
• Bleeding gums : Go easy on sugar, mainly chewing gums and sweets. Do remember to brush twice a day and maintain good dental hygiene.
• Tingling hands : This is mainly due to the swelling during pregnancy. Do learn to relax your hands if you're at work for too long. Keep changing positions and see if you will like some stressbuster toys for your palms.
• Bloating : Do you know that pregnancy hormones have an impact on your whole body's functions? The increased production of pregnancy hormones causes the gastrointestinal tract to relax and this slows down digestion. Though this allows the nutrients enough time to get to the baby, you may start feeling bloated because of this. Water intake is key here.
• Healthy appetite : Do you feel like you can empty your whole fridge just in one meal? Of course, you may be feeling so. Remember to eat right and exercise regularly. Avoid junk food as much as you can.

Mylo's solution to your skin needs

• The 22nd week of pregnancy does bring in some changes as well.
• You may have noticed that your face now features dark patches.
• This is called 'chloasma.' Chloasma can be attributed to the hormonal changes in your body as well as to exposure to sunlight.
• These marks tend to disappear after delivery, so don't worry about them.