5 Month Pregnant: What to Expect?

If you are five months pregnant, which is around twenty weeks, you would be midway through and in the middle of the second trimester. When compared to the first and third trimesters, you will experience much less pregnancy symptoms. Of course, the symptoms will vary among women and might differ for different pregnancies.

Fifth Month of Pregnancy – What to Expect

Heartburn: This is one of the few pregnancy symptoms that you can experience from beginning to end. When you reach twenty weeks, the growing baby will start to push up on your stomach area because he or she is at your navel.

This increase intra-abdominal pressure will cause reflux of stomach content into lower esophagus, overcoming the tonic contraction of lower esophageal sphincter. Since stomach contents are highly acidic, their entry into esophagus will manifest as retrosternal burning. [1]

Fetal movement: You will start to feel your baby moving between the sixteenth and twentieth week, which is one of the most exciting pregnancy symptoms. Your baby will be big enough for you to feel movement but not big enough to pressure your joints and organs. [2]

Breast changes: You will notice that your breasts get bigger throughout pregnancy. They will start to produce the yellowish, thick fluid that nourishes the baby after birth at around week twenty. This fluid doesn’t usually flow as free as the breast milk, but it is possible to get a few drops out. Your breast nipples will still darken with the small bumps around them enlarging. You might see prominent veins beneath the skin as well as stretch marks developing. [3]

Skin changes: About 90% of pregnant women will notice that different areas of their skin get darker. This is because the levels of estrogen, progesterone and melanin production increases. You might notice dark areas around your cheeks, nose, or forehead, plus a dark line extending from your pubic bone to the navel region.

Oral changes: All your body tissues, including the ones in your mouth, will be affected by pregnancy. Pregnancy gingivitis, which is a gum inflammation related to high estrogen levels, can cause gum bleeding at about twenty weeks.

Other physical symptoms include:

constipation
fatigue
gas or flatulence
increased appetite
nose bleeds or nasal congestion
swollen ankles
varicose veins
achy feet
white vaginal discharge
backache
stretch marks
absentmindedness
breathlessness
changes in skin pigmentation

Your heart rate will begin to rise to supply more blood to satisfy your baby’s need for oxygen early this month. You will start to gain weight in your abdomen and buttocks.
The hormones in your body might cause the peripheral veins to appear swollen and your legs to ache. You could put your feet up when possible and avoid standing up for long periods in order to reduce the varicose veins.

In addition to aching legs, your ankles and feet might start to swell up because the body has more fluid than normal. To get relief, you can wear comfortable footwear. You need to tell your physician about any form of swelling if it’s accompanied by visual changes, headaches, or abdominal pain because this might be an indication of hypertension induced by pregnancy. [4]

Hormones can also cause your eyesight to be less sharp and some contact lenses might be uncomfortable to wear. You should get back your normal vision after giving birth. For this reason, it will be a good idea not to buy brand-new contact lenses or glasses during pregnancy.

During week twenty, your belly button might pop outwards as the uterus compress upwards. Your growing uterus will push up on your lungs and press out your tummy. You might find it difficult to breathe because your lungs are cramped with the other internal organs. The size of your belly might make it very uncomfortable for you to wear seat belt when riding in or driving in a car. A good recommendation would be for you to fasten the seat belt under your belly, going across your upper thighs and pelvis.

You might experience insomnia during the fifth month, as well as for the remainder of your pregnancy due to frequent visits to the bathroom and difficulty sleeping comfortable at night. You should consult your physician if you are experiencing excessive fatigue because this could be a symptom of anemia.

You might notice that the area around your enlarged stomach starts to itch in about the middle of the fifth month. For this, you could try wearing only loose fitting clothing made from natural fibers as well as use calamine lotion to get relief.

You could start to ache more when it’s near to the end of this month. The growing baby and your expanding uterus might push out the lower ribs slightly to cause pain.

As mentioned above, you can expect to feel your baby moving during the fifth month of pregnancy as he or she becomes a lot more active, especially in the evenings. You might notice that your baby is more active whenever you are trying to get some rest. However, this will change by the end of this month as your baby settles into a regular sleep and activity pattern.