Many pregnant women report stretch marks during week 21. If you haven’t noticed any on your body, then it’s time to gear up on some coconut butter or another collagen-enriched moisturizer to help prevent them. When you're 21 weeks pregnant,your baby is growing very fast, and he’s already the size of a grapefruit. The bad news? From this week and until birth, you will keep gaining weight as your baby — and belly — grows. Below you’ll find everything you need to know about week 21 of pregnancy.
Pregnancy Symptoms at 21 weeks
What to expect at 21 weeks pregnant? Well, it comes with comfort and a sense of well-being for most mommies-to-be. Morning sickness (with its nausea and vomiting) and mood swings are no longer bothering you at this point. Relax and enjoy your good time while you can — the third trimester is known for bringing along a myriad of bothersome symptoms, plus severe belly pain!
How big is a baby at 21 weeks? Your baby size is about 10 1/2 inches long and already the size of a grapefruit — that’s quite a growth spurt! Your baby is now starting to gain weight and pile on fat, which will give him that adorable chubby appearance at birth. His eyebrows and eyelids are fully formed — and he can even blink, although his eyes are still fused shut. Even more interesting is that your little one has his own taste buds right now, and if he could eat, he would taste a variety of different flavors!
His skin is still covered with vernix caseosa, that gooey substance that’s made up of lanugo, oil from the baby’s glands, and dead skin cells. If you could peek up inside of your womb, you would see that, instead of transparent, his skin is rather white. As wacky as this might sound, this “varnish” has a protective role that prevents the effects of his little body soaking amniotic fluid. Without it, his skin would look wrinkly — much like yours if you bathed for nine months! During week 21, your baby sleeps about 12-14 hours a day. That’s quite some time, right? Now if only you could get some sleep too...