Your Baby

At the fifth month of pregnancy, all of your baby’s major organs are in place. Now the focus of your baby’s growth is making sure these organs function properly. Your baby is getting ready to make his or her entrance in just a few months. During the fifth month of pregnancy, tiny eyebrows and eyelashes are forming around your baby’s eyes. Muscle tissues are forming, and your little one exercises these new muscles by kicking, punching, and even turning a few somersaults. Your baby is sleeping and waking on a regular basis. By the end of this month, your baby will have his or her own fingerprint. At the end of the fifth month, your baby will measure about ten inches long, and will weigh about a pound.

Your Body

You are now about midway through your pregnancy, and you may notice many changes occurring in your body. During the fifth month of pregnancy, it is common to experience an increase in your appetite. As your body increases its blood supply, you may notice changes in your skin. The increased blood flow may also cause you to feel faint. At the fifth month of pregnancy, your body is beginning to store fat in preparation of breastfeeding. If you experience rapid weight gain, you may notice stretch marks forming on your breasts, stomach, thighs, and bottom.

Many women feel their baby’s first movements during the fifth month of pregnancy. These bubbly, fluttering sensations may only be faint at first, but will increase as the weeks go by. If you have not yet felt your baby move at the end of the fifth month, do not despair. If this is your first pregnancy, or if you are overweight, you still may not feel your baby move until the sixth month of pregnancy.

Toward the end of the fifth month of pregnancy, many doctors recommend a routine ultrasound for their prenatal patients. Talk to your doctor about whether this is the right decision for you. If you do choose to have an ultrasound during your fifth month of pregnancy, you may be able to find out whether your baby is a boy or a girl! However, you should keep in mind that gender determination can still be fuzzy at this point. Don’t be surprised if you find out your ultrasound technician was mistaken and your baby is not the gender you expected!

Your Emotions

While you may feel as if your emotions are calming down for the majority of the time, it is still common in the fifth month of pregnancy to experience mood swings, irritability, and doubts about your pregnancy and parenting skills. Being forgetful is a common symptom during the fifth month of pregnancy, so try not to give yourself too much to handle all at once. During the fifth month, many women are able to start wearing maternity clothes, so have fun updating your wardrobe! Feeling your baby move during this month may bring on many feelings, but especially excitement that your baby really will be arriving soon.