Week 22 of Your Pregnancy
Baby’s Development
Pay close attention to when your fetus is active and when it is quiet. At this time, your baby’s sleep patterns are ‘set’ and after it is born, they will remain similar. If your baby moves a great deal in the early evening and in the middle of the night, you can be assured that he will be crawling about the crib at those times in the future. Try to get accustomed to your little one’s schedule now.
Your fetus is finally proportioned like a baby! Up to now, it’s seemed to be comprised of mostly head with a scrawny body trailing behind. From now on, your baby will start to collect as much fat as it can and its physical proportions will become increasingly child like.
The lips become distinct this week as well and even though the eyes are fully formed, the iris is still colorless. Your baby may start exploring his developing little face with his newly acquired sense of touch. These gentle caresses will no doubt be taken over by you in only a matter of weeks.
Your Body and Emotions
You simply can’t hide the fact that you’re pregnant any more. Your partner’s t-shirts and old yoga pants simply aren’t cutting it and there’s just nothing attractive about having your burgeoning belly sticking out from under your half tops. Now that your belly button may have popped out this week, it may be time to consider investing in a maternity wardrobe, if you haven’t already.
Like any clothing purchase, you’re going to want to be sure that your maternity clothes are good quality so that they’ll last throughout your pregnancy. Some maternity stores have designs that enable you to wear them in the first few months postpartum as well. It’s worth it to invest in these kinds of pieces so that you don’t have to resort to buying an entirely different set of post pregnancy clothes at the same time.
Rules for maternity fashion are the same as any other time in your life. Wear what suits you. Wear what you’re comfortable in. Dress for yourself. Your mother may love you in a floral tunic or a cutesy dress with a large bow at your belly, but if you fancied yourself sleek and modern before pregnancy, don’t give up on that image now. A lot of today’s maternity fashions are made with lycra and are cut in a way that they stay close to the body and are much more modern and flattering.
You deserve to feel good about yourself. You’ve made it almost half way through your pregnancy and treating yourself to some clothes that showcase your belly without making your feel awkward or silly is an indulgence worth taking.
Dad’s Tips
Now that you’ve felt your baby kicking, seen him or her on a screen perhaps even a few times, the reality of the fact that you are going to be a father may be starting to kick in. Many men panic at this point, wondering what it means to be a dad and worrying about their ability to parent properly. No one is born a parent. It’s a skill that requires work and which you will fail at on occasion. With this forgiving mindset, look back at your own father and think about what you would like to do the same and what you would change. Perhaps you would change nothing or perhaps you want to be a completely different type of dad. The choice is yours. Educate yourself on the various parenting philosophies and by combining your new knowledge with your experiences from your own childhood, you should be able to develop a fatherhood style that suits you and your family the best. |
