Week Twenty Pregnancy

The Baby –

• Your baby is as big as a banana or a carrot (possibly). 
• Measured from head to toe from this week, rather than head to rump. 
• You can hear the heartbeat with just an old stethoscope instead of a fancy Doppler. 
• Is practicing and swallowing various digestive skills and can be producing meconium. 

You –

• You are halfway there and you may be happy though. 
• Your skin is the worst hit during pregnancy, i.e. from itching to stretch marks to rashes to breakouts. 

First of all, you can’t do anything to avoid stretch marks and no cocoa butter will change that. Applying a mild lotion can help lower stretch marks. There is no specific method to prevent them completely. Around 90% of women get some pregnancy marks, especially in the third trimester. 

Next up, the chloasma or pregnancy mask usually covers up during the second trimester. It consists of yellow or brown patches which can show up in any area of your skin. It is noticed most commonly on t-zone and upper cheeks. Pregnancy hormones stimulate additional production of melanin in the skin and creates a blotchy look on the face. You can wear sunscreen on your face to avoid exposure to UVA and UVB rays but you can do nothing to keep it from happening.