You might be starting to feel more frequent little butterflies in your stomach as your baby moves about more. It varies when pregnant women feel their baby’s movements because it depends on what position your baby is in and if the placenta is located on the front (anterior) or back (posterior) wall of the uterus.

How your baby is growing when 18 Weeks Pregnant?

Your baby now measures 14cm from head to bottom and weighs about 200gm. Meconium (a baby’s first poo) starts to fill their bowel; it is dark and sticky and forms due to everything they ingest while in the womb. Your baby is moving around quite a bit now and often likes to play while you are resting, which may be your best chance of feeling those flutters for the first time.

What You May Feel

From 18 to 20 weeks, you have the choice to book a morphology scan, and you may wish to discuss this option with your midwife or doctor. The scan looks for abnormalities in your baby’s structural development or growth. Additionally, it is also the scan when parents find out the sex of their baby. However, although this scan can identify many congenital disabilities, there are many that it can’t detect.

Tips when you are 18 Weeks Pregnant

If you have a partner, it is time to discuss whether you want to go ahead with the morphology scan and whether you want to know the sex of your baby. Again, this is a joint decision you both need to be comfortable with, so make sure you talk it out and listen to each other.

Potential side effects of the ultrasound may be of concern to you. Ultrasound means “beyond sound”; it uses sound waves that are too high-pitched for us to hear. The machine measures how the sound waves bounce back from your body and create a picture. In 2009, TheWorld Health Organisation (WHO) reviewed 61 studies concerning the safety of ultrasound scans in pregnancy. It found no side effects for mothers or babies, for example, issues with brain development or brain health.

Scientifically, we can’t say an ultrasound doesn’t cause side effects. There are concerns about the potential biological effects on the body, as ultrasounds can heat tissue, but the significance is currently unknown. Also, there’s a lack of high-quality scientific studies looking at the effect of modern high-powered ultrasound machines on babies.

Some people that have a scan choose to have the baby’s sex written down and, for example, placed in a sealed envelope. They then have a gender reveal party with family and friends, which may add another element of fun and excitement to your pregnancy.

Page published 11th March 2022