Hiccups and Braxton Hicks contractions may become a part of your daily life around this week. Not every day, but both occur for many from now on. You will be able to feel the fetus hiccuping from now on as small movements from the uterus.
The fetus blinks and hiccups
From this week, the small eyelids open and can now open and close. The fetus does this among other times when it is sleeping, which is an indication that your baby is dreaming. This shows that the baby already has high brain activity at this stage of the pregnancy.
The little person in your uterus already has proportions very similar to those of a newborn. Previously, the fetus had quite different proportions, and especially the head was oversized, but that is no longer the case now.
Another little human thing that the fetus is starting to do now is to have hiccups. It is completely harmless and can simply be a pleasant sign of activity in your uterus for you as a pregnant woman.
Braxton Hicks contractions and birth preparation
If you are considering birth preparation, it is really beneficial for many and provides a particular sense of security regarding the upcoming birth. In fact, your body is already preparing for birth. This is shown by the tightening and subsequent relaxation of the uterus, which is called Braxton Hicks contractions.
This is not a movement that you can control but is an indication that your uterus is preparing for labor. Some feel nothing from it, while others can clearly sense it. Common to all is that it should not be painful and that it should not be regular; if this causes concern or discomfort for you, you should contact your midwife.
Regular or painful Braxton Hicks contractions can be a sign that your uterus is maturing too early, which in some rare cases can result in premature labor, which is not desirable. But if you only feel the small contractions as irregular and not associated with pain, it is completely normal and a harmless and necessary part of pregnancy.
Size of the fetus
The fetus that is kicking, moving, sucking its thumb, looking, and blinking is now about 27 cm long and weighs around 500 grams.
It is now roughly the size of a celeriac, and if you stand in the supermarket holding one, it will surely make sense to you what the bulge in your belly is about - and perhaps also the force that can gradually be felt behind the movements from within.
Advice for the partner
A good piece of advice at this stage of the pregnancy for you as a partner would be to understand what is happening in your partner's body and what occurs leading up to a birth.
Your support and knowledge will be important for your partner, and it may also make several things make better sense for you. For example, if your girlfriend needs extra sleep or when she asks you to talk to the growing belly.
This can create a stronger bond both with your partner and also with your upcoming child, who, if you start talking to him or her now, will find comfort in your voice after birth. But it can also give you a greater feeling of being an important part of the pregnancy, despite it being difficult as a partner.
