Pregnancy Week 16 DevelopmentHelp your baby develop in the sixteenth week of your pregnancy

Week 16 is around the time when your baby is beginning to make coordinated movements.

What’s happening this week?

Over the last few weeks, your baby has been practicing his or her motor skills and he or she can now make coordinated movements that can be detected in an ultrasoundi. Your baby can now close his or her hands into tiny little fists!

Your little one’s facial muscles are forming as wellii. He or she can squint, grimace and frown. Now, his or her head and neck are held straighter and the eyes have moved to the front of the faceiii. Your baby measures about four and a third to two-thirds of an inch (10.8 to 11.6 centimeters) and weighs about 2.75 ounces (80 grams) this weekiv.

What can you expect? 

Due to hormonal changes during pregnancy, the body could produce more hair. While you may love the lush growth of hair on your head – which will fall out three to six months after you give birthv -- you may not feel the same way about excess body hair

Use these tips to help you feel good about your changing body and pregnancy:

  • Shave or wax. These are safe methods for hair removal during pregnancyvi.
  • Stay away from chemical hair-removal products, such as depilatory creams. The chemicals can be absorbed into your bloodstream.

What can you do to support your pregnancy?

Keep your baby’s cognitive and overall development healthy and on track by consuming adequate DHA (found especially in fatty fish like salmon and sardines).

Mums-to-be, soon your baby will be able to hear your voice, so keep singing and talking to him or her; knowing that in a few weeks, he or she will actually respond to you with excited movements!

Your baby is also developing the sense of taste during this periodvii.

Continue to eat a healthy diet containing a variety of foods. Not only will this nourish your baby’s development, the food you eat during pregnancy will also influence the food that your baby will like for years to come.

As your pregnancy progresses, you will increasingly enjoy interacting with your baby. Without even noticing, you are strengthening your bond.

 

 

 

 
References:
 
i     Fetal development: The 2nd trimester. (n.d.). Retrieved April 22, 2017, from    
ii    You and your baby at 13-16 weeks pregnant. (2017, February 28). Retrieved March 20, 2017, from      
iii    Fetal development: The 2nd trimester. (n.d.). Retrieved March 21, 2017, from      
iv   Curtis, G. B., & Schuler, J. (2016). Your Pregnancy Week by Week (8th ed.). Philadelphia, PA: Da Capo Press.
v    Postpartum care: After a vaginal delivery. (2015, March 24). Retrieved April 19, 2017, from    
vi   Patel, S. (2015, July 21). Be safe when pampering yourself during pregnancy. Retrieved April 10,      
vii  Witt, M., & Reutter, K. (1996, December). Embryonic and early fetal development of human taste buds: a transmission    
      electron microscopical study. Retrieved April 19, 2017, from https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/8955790