Pregnancy week 20

Foetus development at week 20 of being pregnant - Lines on the end of her fingertips start to form so your baby now has unique fingertips.

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Week by week pregnancy guide > Pregnancy week 20

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You

You are now at the halfway stage of your pregnancy. You may have an ultrasound scan lthis week, if you didn't have one last week. You are probably feeling well with more energy than you've had for a while. Your extra energy may produce a greater libido, though not all women experience this.

You will steadily put on weight from now on. Most women gain between one to three stone. Your navel may flatten and pop inside out until after the birth. High levels of oestrogen and progesterone circulate in your body to soften and swell your cervix for childbirth, and can have the same effect on the mucus membranes of your nose causing stuffiness and nosebleeds.

Your baby

Your baby's muscular and nervous systems will have developed sufficiently to be stretching her limbs, though you will not be able to feel this yet. Your baby's growth rate begins to slow down. Lines on the end of her fingertips start to form so your baby now has unique fingertips. Your baby's growth rate slows to allow her lungs, digestive and immune systems to mature. Your baby is now a size that would fit comfortably in your cupped hand.