Your Pregnancy Week 25

At week 25, your baby is now approximately the size of an aubergine. Around now, your little one now measures anywhere between 34 to 38 cm (13 to 15 inches) long and weighs around 680 grammes to 1kg (2.5 to 3.8 pounds) – quite a bit of growth since just last week.

 

The irises of your baby’s eyes are not quite complete yet, but the rest of your baby’s eyes are fully formed. It’s believed that if a light were held against your stomach at this point, your baby could see it from inside the womb! Another exciting development is that the heartbeat is now so strong that if someone were to put their ear on your tummy, they will be able to hear it!

 

Your baby’s immune system is getting ready to face the outside world. A certain amount of natural immunity is delivered to your baby from your body. This is called passive immunity. Once your baby is born, her own immunity system will be stimulated by germs around the sixth day of her life, and she will begin to produce antibodies that will protect her from disease and illness. The maternal immunity that you have passed to your baby will start to fade and by the time she is 12 months old, she will have a complete immune system of her own.

 

The fine details of your baby’s spine are developing now as well and blood vessels in the lungs are growing. Bones continue to harden and the nostrils of your baby’s nose are opening now.

At 25 weeks, your baby’s taste buds are developed to the point that she can taste the amniotic fluid that she swallows. The amniotic fluid is known to be affected by what you eat. So, your baby may be able to sample what you had for dinner!

Although there is still a lot of room left in your womb, it is probably beginning to feel pretty crowded in there. At 25 weeks gestation, your baby’s activity level is increasing. You are far enough along now that you can more than likely watch your tummy move as your baby kicks, punches, and squirms.

 

Mood swings may hit you late in your second trimester. Most women will experience mood swings early on in the first trimester, only for them to go away during the second trimester, but as the end of the third trimester approaches, they are known to resurface. If they do, try not to worry about it. It is normal. After all, your hormone levels are rising more and more as you get closer to your big day. Try to focus on the joys of your pregnancy and what the future holds. You should also have someone to talk to, whether that is a relative or a girlfriend. If you feel that your mood swings are extreme, mention it to your doctor. There are cases where severe mood swings are actually a form of clinical depression. To gauge whether your mood swings are severe, answer the following questions:

 

If your answer was ‘yes’ to any of these questions, you should talk to your doctor about how you are feeling. In severe cases, there are anti-depressant medications that are safe to take during pregnancy and will help you get back to feeling like your old self again.