Pregnancy week 23: wrinkled skin, fully drawn face

Skin first, stuffing later

Scans at this stage show a lean, wrinkled baby — as if the tailor cut the suit two sizes large. That's precisely what happened: the skin is complete at full size; the fat beneath it is still filling in.

The coming weeks' main work is that filling. By birth the wrinkled suit fills into the roundness everyone waits for — and the stuffing ships from your plate.

Meanwhile the nostrils — sealed until now — open, and the breathing rehearsals deepen. The underwater 'breaths' are massage for the lungs; the real air is far off, but the rehearsals are in earnest.

Your baby this week

The baby is brinjal-sized (the big one) — about twenty-nine centimetres, touching five hundred grams. Half a kilo — the first time the weight talks in kilo language.

Hearing keeps sharpening — the baby now visibly responds to familiar voices. The heartbeat can be heard through a stethoscope now; the machines are becoming optional.

Surfactant — the slick that keeps air sacs from sticking shut — has started forming in the lungs. That one substance becomes the measure of readiness for the outside world in the weeks ahead.

Changes in your body

Weight is entering its fastest phase — about half a kilo a week from here is standard. The appetite will match; feed it the trio, not the fryer.

Shoe size may actually change — pregnancy feet spread (relaxin again), and for some the new size is permanent. Swollen evening ankles make it worse; the stool under the feet is the cheap fix.

Sleep is becoming a project — heavy bump, back off-limits, bladder on night duty. Build the pillow fort now (knees + bump + back); it's the architecture of the next four months' sleep.

What to do this week

GTT next week or soon after — date fixed? For the nervous: it's a sweet drink and timed blood draws; the needle is the whole hardship.

If baby shopping begins, open the family cupboard first — cousins' outgrown newborn clothes are the correct supply chain. Buy little in 'newborn' size; babies exit it in weeks.

Recheck the water habit — cutting water to cut swelling is upside-down; less water means more retention. Sips all day, thirst never ignored.

The maternity-leave paperwork gets filed this month — most offices want eight weeks' notice. Decide the start date too: the law allows up to eight weeks pre-delivery; when to take it depends on your body and your commute.

Week 23 at a glance

The week's essentials in one place. Your doctor may adjust these for your situation.

When to see a doctor at once

The standing list — bleeding, persistent pain, high fever, urinary burning, sudden watery discharge, calf swelling, the triad, rhythmic tightening: same-day.

Itching on the palms and soles — rash-free, worse at night — is not ordinary dry-skin itching; it points to a liver condition of pregnancy (cholestasis) and gets tested. Don't sit on it till the next visit.

This article is general information only and no substitute for personal medical advice. The person who can advise you knowing your health, your medicines and your previous pregnancies is your obstetrician, or the doctor at your nearest health centre.

Work out your due date

Enter the first day of your last period and your cycle length — your estimated due date, this week's count and the anomaly scan window all appear right here.

It is only an estimate — most babies aren't born on the exact date. A first-trimester scan dates a pregnancy more accurately; in the end, your doctor's date is the one that counts.

Frequently asked questions