Pregnancy Month 6 What to Expect and What Actually Happens

You're officially six months pregnant. Your baby's growing fast and so are your symptoms. This is when things get real. From kicks to coping tips to what your OB really is checking this month. Here's everything you need to know about this month of pregnancy. But first, if you are new here, my name is Diana. I'm a physician assistant specialized in women's health and gynecology. And on this channel, we talk about pregnancy, women's health and newborn stuff. So make sure to hit subscribe and also let me know in the comment section how far along you are or your loved one is. And now let's jump into the video because there is so much to cover this month. We'll be talking about baby development, common symptoms that you will likely be experiencing, what's gonna happen at your next OB appointment and what you need to start doing to prepare for the arrival of this little human being that you're making. And I also have a really big announcement that I'm super excited to share with you. So we will be talking about that later in the video. Now, six months is from 21 weeks to 24 weeks of pregnancy. And by the end of 24 weeks, your baby is around the size of an ear of corn, about 12 inches long and weighs about 1.5 to two pounds. And now first off, their skin, which is still pretty thin and translucent, has fat starting to build underneath the surface. That fat is what makes those two baby cheeks so darn kissable. The baby's lungs are developing rapidly and they are making practice breathing motion. So they're moving amniotic fluid in and out of their lungs. And as impressive as this is, if you look closer inside the lungs, tiny air sacs called alveoli are forming and a substance called surfactant is beginning to develop. Surfactant helps keep the lungs from collapsing and it's really critical for breathing after your baby is born. Their brain development also amazes me. Right now, a massive neural growth spurt is underway. Cerebral cortex is maturing, which controls conscious thought, memory, and language. Fun fact, researchers have found that babies startle in response to loud noises and can even recognize lullabies repeated over time. So go ahead, sing to your bump because your baby is listening. You're also gonna start to notice more baby movements because your baby's kicks are gonna be getting stronger. But you also might notice more rhythmic movements too, which doesn't mean that they are kicking to a beat. What they do is get the hiccups and you can feel that. Another thing you might notice is patterns of more movement and then less movement throughout the day. That's because your baby is going through sleep cycles. So they are actively moving when they are awake and of course not moving when they are asleep. Problem is, is that when we move around throughout the day, our movements tend to rock them to sleep. And then when we lay down at night to go to sleep ourselves, that's when they are often awake. And in fact, are most active. Sometimes they kept me awake at night, but honestly, looking back, one of the things that I miss most about being pregnant is feeling those baby kicks because it's unlike anything else in this world, feeling a life moving inside you. Okay, pause because this next part is really important. At the end of 24 weeks, they also passed a huge milestone, which is called the age of viability. Not sure what that means? Let me explain. Age of viability means that if your baby were to be born around 24 weeks with intensive medical support, they could survive outside the womb. That being said, survival rate at this stage is still pretty low and babies born this early face significant risks. The chance of survival is around 50 to 60%. And many who do survive may face long-term complications, especially related to breathing, brain development, vision, and also digestion. Survival improves dramatically with each additional week inside the womb, but I think that this is a powerful reminder of just how much development is happening right now with your baby. I think it's amazing to see how much your baby is growing and changing, but as your baby develops, you're changing too, physically, emotionally, and also mentally. And that part can really feel overwhelming. You're tired, your body's changing fast, and even though you're reading and probably Googling and watching everything you can, you still don't feel truly ready for birth. You're not alone. This is how I felt too, even after working in women's health, taking care of pregnant women, and having four babies of my own. And that is why I am building something that I wish that I had when I was pregnant. It's called Own My Birth, and it's more than a birth class. It's a complete birth preparation course, and it's designed to shift your mindset and give you a real plan. So you know what to expect, how to advocate for yourself, and how to stay calm and in control, even when things don't go according to plan. You'll learn how to make informed decisions during labor, how to handle fear and anxiety, how to use proven comfort techniques, and how to build a birth support team that actually supports you. So this course is for you if you want to walk into labor feeling informed, confident, and actually ready, not just hoping for the best. Now, right now I'm opening early access to a small group of mamas to go through the course with me live. So if you've been searching for something that cuts through the noise and helps you feel in control of your birth, this is it. Okay, now that you know how to prepare for the big day, let's talk about the symptoms that you might be feeling at six months of pregnancy, and what they actually mean, starting off with your uterus, which is now the size of a soccer ball, and it's making its presence known. It's going to get harder for you to tie your shoes, or even see your shoes for that matter. Comfy supportive slip-ons were a must for me, but this month is when I started experiencing the belly bumps. Belly bumps are when your belly starts to bump into things that it didn't used to bump into, like when you try to pass behind a chair or close the door, and my now bigger tummy would be in the way and get bumped. Now, small bumps like that do not hurt the baby, but they're always a reminder that, you know, your tummy is getting bigger now, and as your tummy gets bigger, it actually shifts your center of gravity forward, and to adjust for that, your body automatically leans back to keep yourself from falling forward, and that change of position is one of the things that can cause back pain. That, plus one of the pregnancy hormones called relaxin, which cause your tendons to loosen a little to help your pelvis to be able to adjust when the baby is delivered, but the relaxed tendons and ligaments can also lead to back pain and hip pain throughout your pregnancy. There's also something called round ligament pain, which I talked about in month five video. If you missed that, I'm gonna link to that right up here, but in short, if you started to notice a quick, sharp pain on one side of your uterus or on the other with certain movements, you're probably feeling the round ligament stretch. So the round ligament supports your uterus, and as your uterus grows, the round ligament stretches, and sometimes that stretching can cause a sharp pain. Round ligament pain is pretty common, and it is not anything that's dangerous, so any kind of quick, sharp pain with movement is most likely round ligament pain. You might also notice random tightening or squeezing in your belly, and these are known as Braxton Hicks contractions or practice contractions. They're not painful, and they aren't regular as compared to real contractions that are obviously really painful and get more and more regular and more intense over time. Now, I told my patients that if they're having a lot of Braxton Hicks contractions, then drink a big glass of water and then lay down and rest. Braxton Hicks contractions will go away, and if they don't, after a couple of hours, to call. Now I'm gonna take you back to a common occurrence that happened with all four of my pregnancies. So it's the middle of the night, I'm resting soundly, and then suddenly, out of a deep sleep, leg cramps. Oh, leg cramps. I personally got them horribly. Not everyone does, but for anyone who gets leg cramps, regularly stretching the calf muscles before bed, staying hydrated, and then gentle daily exercise can help prevent leg cramps. But when someone actually wakes up with leg cramps, straightening the leg and then pulling the foot towards your knee can help the cramps to let go. And at six months, you actually might be able to do that by yourself. Problem is, when you are further along and your tummy is bigger, you're not gonna be able to reach those toes, not with your legs straight anyways. If that happens and you have somebody around, they can help you straighten your knee and then flex those feet towards your knee. But if you're alone, you can use a towel, hold onto each end, and then loop the middle over your foot and then use that to pull your foot towards you. If you get your calcium or magnesium levels checked and they're actually low, calcium or magnesium supplements might help. So if you get really bad leg cramps like I did, you could consider talking to your OB about checking your levels. Okay, moving on. Anybody have weird dreams yet? Comment below if you've had weird pregnancy dreams. They get kooky sometimes. We think that they happen for a couple of reasons. First, the pregnancy hormone progesterone affects our sleep cycle. We also tend to wake up more often during the night when we're pregnant, which makes it easier to remember our dreams. That, and then add in how we often feel heightened emotions like anxiety about pregnancy, labor, and motherhood. Well, you get weird dreams and it's normal. Now, at 20 weeks, the uterus is about the same level as your belly button. And what's cool is every week further along, you get your uterus measures about a centimeter bigger. So at 24 weeks, the uterus measures about 24 centimeters, two to four centimeters above your belly button. This is big enough that your other organs are being pushed out of the way to make room for your uterus. And you might start to notice symptoms from that. For example, as your uterus grows upward, it leaves less room for your lungs to fully expand when you breathe in. That means that you're not getting quite as much air with each breath, which makes it easier to feel winded, even with simple activities like walking up a flight of stairs or even talking a lot. Heartburn is also pretty common. Well, we've talked about that already in pregnancy month four and five videos. But to summarize, pregnancy hormones relax the muscles at the bottom of your esophagus. So stomach acids can more easily make its way up into the esophagus, plus slow digestion. And then plus, again, that uterus getting bigger, squishing the other organs like the stomach. All of that together can cause some pretty wicked heartburn. But essentially you want to eat smaller frequent meals, avoid trigger foods. So anything that tends to cause you to have more heartburn. Don't lie down right after eating. It's better to wait a couple of hours and then chewing gum can help. Tums and Pepcid are generally considered safe, but as always, make sure to consult your OB before taking any over-the-counter medications. You can also get frequent urination, leaky breasts and lightning crotch, which I will be covering more in depth with month seven pregnancy video. So stay tuned for that. Now, there are more serious symptoms to watch for. So be sure to talk to your OB right away if you have one-sided leg or ankle swelling, chest pain, persistent swelling in your hands or face, severe headache or vision changes. Also any type of vaginal bleeding, any kind of fluid leaking or strong regular contractions. Okay, now that you know a few things to look out for, let's talk about what actually helps you with your pregnancy symptoms. So first tip, which I may have said a few times in my previous videos, getting plenty of hydration, be sure to be drinking a lot of water, drink plenty of water, staying hydrated, to be sure to be drinking a lot of water, drink lots of water, drink lots of water, stay hydrated. Dehydration makes legs cramps, Braxton Hicks and swelling worse. So make sure to stay hydrated. Some people find comfort using a belly band to support your growing belly. When you can, try to elevate your feet. And if you do have swelling, compression stockings can help with that. Warm baths and prenatal yoga really help to relax tight muscles. And then if you want to, get a pregnancy pillow. Some people swear by them. I personally didn't use them, but a lot of people really, really love them. And then finally, if something feels off, trust your gut. You know your body better than anyone else. So any questions or concerns that you might have, make sure to talk to your OB or your midwife. You can call them, you can make an appointment to see them at any time, but you will also have a scheduled checkup. And this appointment is an important one. And I know I probably say that about every single appointment, but this one really is important because you're likely going to be getting checked or screened for gestational diabetes. Gestational diabetes is diabetes just during your pregnancy, but here's what you can expect. So they're going to give you a super sweet, thick flavored drink. That reminded me of like a off-brand flat soda pop. After one hour, they're going to draw your blood to check how you are processing the sugar. Now, if your results are borderline or high, you may need a three-hour follow-up test and they will let you know if that's something that you need to do. Now, pro tip, you might want to bring snacks for after the blood test. Now, your OB is also going to check your urine, looking for protein, sugar, and infection. They're going to check your baby's heartbeat either by ultrasound or Doppler. And I always love hearing the whoosh of the baby's heart every visit. It was always such a beautiful sound. Now, these visits are short, but they're really packed with a lot of important information so make sure to write down any questions that you have so that you remember all of them while you were at the appointment. Sometimes we tend to forget in the moment. But OB appointment, glucose tests, and belly measurements aside, let's shift gears from monitoring your pregnancy to preparing for birth. Month six is kind of a sweet spot for getting ahead and getting ready for this baby. So you've still got a lot of energy and you've still got time to prepare, but I wouldn't put these preparations off much longer. So here's what to focus on. Number one, schedule a tour of your hospital or birth center so that you know where to go and what to expect. You'll want to check with your insurance to make sure to pick a facility that they cover. Number two, begin outlining your birth preferences. Think of it like a really flexible game plan. What's most important to you? Who do you want in the room? How do you want to be supported? These are all things that you want to start thinking about. Next, be sure to learn early signs of labor and practice timing contractions so it feels familiar when the time comes. I've done a video all about what contractions feel like, which I will link to up here. Next, line up childcare for your older kids, whether it's grandma, a neighbor, or a trusted sitter. Also start gathering your postpartum recovery supplies now while you're still feeling motivated. And then finally, start researching birth classes now, ideally something that's evidence-based and realistic that prepares you for all outcomes. And you'll want to start looking at it now because you're going to want to have time to finish the course without cramming it all at the end. And if you're not sure where to start, this is exactly what I walk you through inside my online course, Own My Birth. It's a complete roadmap that helps you prepare for labor with calmness, confidence, and also clarity. Whether you're hoping for an unmedicated birth, planning a C-section, or you just want to understand your options, I'll show you how to create a birth plan that's flexible, that informed, and how to actually feel ready when the big day comes. Now, month six is a big month. Your baby's brain is really developing, your body is stretching, and honestly, the finish line is finally in sight. The good news is you're not behind. You're right on time. Now, if this video helped you, hit like and also subscribe, and then share it with a friend who is pregnant too. And drop a comment below of the weirdest pregnancy symptom that you've had so far. Mine was definitely my leg cramps. It woke me up multiple times throughout the night, every night. Let us all know what yours is. And if you're ready to start preparing for birth with calmness, clarity, and a support guide, you know where to find me, Own My Birth is open. Now, if you did like this video, but you would like to know even more detail about what happens week by week, I have made a pregnancy series where I walk you through pregnancy week by week. I go over everything that we talked about in this video, but in more detail. I'm gonna link to that playlist right here. Go click on it, find the week that you're at, maybe watch a few of the earlier videos just to catch yourself up. Click on this right here, and I will see you over there.