Week 23 the baby's hearing is well established. Loud noises that the baby hears in the uterus such as the dog barking, a door slamming or a vacuum cleaner won't bother him/her in the outside world.
Fetus
Your baby weighs approximately 500g and measures around 29cm from head to heel.
Skin is being produced at a higher rate than the fat is, so the skin hangs loosely. The baby looks red because the skin is losing its transparency and pigment is beginning to form.
The baby's eyelids can now open, but your baby cannot see much as her visual range is limited until a few weeks after birth.
The baby's hearing is now well established. Loud noises that the baby hears in the uterus such as the dog barking, a door slamming or a vacuum cleaner won't bother him/her when the baby hears the noise outside the womb.
If your baby was to be born at 23 weeks with the right care it would have a 16% survival rate. Everyday that passes where the baby is in the womb increases the baby's survival rate. At 24 weeks the survival rate is approximately 44%.
Mother
As your size increases, it is common for your skin to feel dry and itchy. Try using a good moisturiser with vitamin E in or if you want to be natural olive oil is renowned for its skin soothing effects.
You might notice some Braxton-Hicks contractions around this time. These are not regular contractions and are not painful. Braxton-Hicks contractions prepare your body for labour and they will get stronger as your pregnancy progresses.
Health
Studies have shown that oily fish in your diet could help boost your baby's health. (Women who eat oily fish while pregnant have children with better visual development, a major study at Bristol University suggests.)
My Experience at 23 weeks
During my first pregnancy I began to feel my baby move about quite frequently. It usually happened when I was lying in bed in the evening relaxing.
With my second pregnancy I hardly felt my little one move at all he was a lot calmer in the womb than my first baby.
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