Day 128 of 280, second trimester
You are 18 weeks and 2 days
You won't feel it yet, but your baby may start to get hiccups at this stage.
152 days until your due date
Around now your baby may start to hiccup. Like yours, his hiccups are short, strong, jerky contractions of the diaphragm lasting less than a second.
Hiccups often come in quick succession and are often followed by gentle stretching of the limbs. No one knows for sure why babies hiccup; it may be because the nerves to the diaphragm are immature, or because the baby's small stomach quickly gets overfull.
Your baby's ears and eyes are now in their final positions. The ears have moved up from the jawline, and the eyes have moved in from the sides of the head to sit closer together, facing forward. The eyes move under the lids, although not in a coordinated way yet, and will open at around 26 weeks.
Focus on
Nutrition: Not all fat is bad
Many fats are healthy and belong in a heart-healthy diet; the key is choosing the right ones. Unsaturated fats, found in olive oil, canola oil, nuts, and avocados, are good for you and your baby.
Keep saturated fats (in butter and whole milk) and trans fats (chemically altered vegetable oils in many processed foods) to a minimum, and swap bad fats for good:
- Use olive or canola oil for salad dressings and cooking; store-bought dressings are often high in saturated fat.
- Eat nuts and avocados, which are full of healthy fats.
- Choose white meat, which has less saturated fat than red meat.
Explainer
Looking more human
Your baby looks more human and fully formed every day, with well-developed facial features and limbs, and may even get hiccups.
Appointments and key dates around now
- 20-week screening scanBetween 18 and 21 weeks
Read the full 18 weeks pregnant guide
This is general information based on NHS guidance, not medical advice, and every pregnancy is different. Talk to your midwife or GP about anything that worries you. If your baby's movements slow down or change, or you have bleeding, severe pain or leaking fluid, call your maternity unit straight away. In an emergency, call 999.