Now that you’re a big pregnant lady, your baby is large enough to be examined by ultrasound for normal growth and development and... yes... sex! This mid-point ultrasound usually happens between weeks 18 and 20. Maybe you’re relishing the opportunity to drive your in-laws crazy and waiting until the birth to find out your baby’s gender. If relations with the in-laws are pleasant and you do choose the path of enlightenment, don’t go painting that nursery hot pink yet: ultrasounds are not 100% accurate at determining sex. Baby’s position and level of activity can make tough work for a sonographer. And don’t harass the ultrasound technician! Only once a radiologist has examined the evidence can the results be relayed to you via your doctor or midwife.
That baby who looks so tiny in your ultrasound photos is... still pretty tiny. She’s 5 ½ inches long and weighs about 6 ounces – around the height of a grande mochaccino... decaf, of course. Baby has as many nerve cells as an adult now and she’s beginning to form a protective coating of myelin around the nerves which will continue to develop into her first year of life. Nerves, huh? Interesting. But not cute. What’s cute are the perfectly formed little ears now popping out from the sides of your baby’s head. The better to hear you with, mommy. And everything you drop.
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Our pregnancy calendar is researched & written by our Pregnancy Editor, Dara Duff-Bergeron. Although she rocks, she is not a health care professional. It's just for entertainment purposes and any recommendations or information provided should not be used as a substitute for the real deal - a trained medical professional.
