Prenatal Development: Week 20

A few interesting things may happen during when you are 20 weeks pregnant. Firstly, since your uterus is pressing outwards and up, your may discover that your belly button "pops out." Don't worry - it's not permanent. It will be an 'outy' until your baby drops down into the pelvic area.

Boy or Girl?
At this stage, your health care provider may recommend that you get an ultrasound. Ultrasounds are usually done around the twentieth week of pregnancy and are used to determine the size and position of the fetus. They can uncover any structural abnormalities of bones and organs that are visible by this time. It can also determine the sex of your baby, depending on the position of the fetus. The ultrasound also examines the umbilical cord, placenta and amniotic fluid. Your health care provider can tell you about the advantages as well as any risk involved in this test.

Cramped Living Quarters
This week, your fetus weighs around 10.6 ounces (300 grams) and measures just over 6 inches (15.3 centimeters) from crown to rump. Your baby's growth is taking up more and more room in the uterus. As it continues to grow, there will be more pressure put on mom's lungs, stomach, kidneys and bladder.

Now your baby's skin is thickening under the vernix caseosa (this is a protective, waxy coating). The skin is also developing layers which include the dermis, epidermis and subcutaneous layer. Baby's hair and nails also continue to grow this week.

Select a week of development to read detailed information:

Week 1	Week 11	Week 21	Week 31
Week 2	Week 12	Week 22	Week 32
Week 3	Week 13	Week 23	Week 33
Week 4	Week 14	Week 24	Week 34
Week 5	Week 15	Week 25	Week 35
Week 6	Week 16	Week 26	Week 36
Week 7	Week 17	Week 27	Week 37
Week 8	Week 18	Week 28	Week 38
Week 9	Week 19	Week 29	Week 39
Week 10	Week 20	Week 30	Week 40

Nervous about getting an ultrasound? Pose your questions to other women in the forum