6 Months Pregnant

You're six months pregnant. Can you believe it?

If you are starting to feel more stressed or anxious than you have been during your pregnancy, this may be normal at six months pregnant. However, excessive amounts of stress and anxiety could potentially affect you and your baby. Complications like premature birth and low birth weight can be risk factors for very high stress levels. Try and make time to rest and relax when you can. Keeping up regular light exercise could be a good way to keep your stress levels at bay as well.

At this stage of pregnancy, many women can also begin to feel self-consciously big. Remember though that your baby bump doesn't mean you can t be stylish. Your body shape may have changed but there are still so many ways to make yourself feel beautiful and relaxed. Treat yourself to a gorgeous piece of maternity evening wear, flaunt your baby belly with a fitted t-shirt or indulge in a calming massage you deserve it!

You at 6 months pregnant

Your growth-boosting pregnancy hormones might be causing unwanted hairs to sprout up on your face and body. It's ok to remove them but stick to plucking, waxing and shaving. Many hair bleaches contain chemicals that are potentially unsafe to use during pregnancy.

Your libido may also be on the back burner for a while. Don t feel feel alone, for many pregnant women their growing belly and achy body mean that sex is often the last thing on their mind. If you are one of the few women who are experiencing a healthy sex drive during your pregnancy, don t be afraid to indulge. Sex during pregnancy is generally healthy and safe.

There might also be days when your emotions get the better of you and cause you to cry at the drop of a hat. Try talking to other expecting mums and you'll see that these feelings can be a very normal part of being pregnant.

Your baby at 6 months pregnant

Your little one is getting cleverer by the day. Their brain is developing rapidly with thousands of brain cells forming every minute.

Their growing brain is also helping him or her to refine their sense of touch. In an ultrasound, you might see your baby experimenting by touching their face or anything else in arms reach.

Your baby's inner ear has also developed now. This means that your baby knows when he or she is upside down or the right way up. Moving around takes on a whole new meaning for your little one.

Your baby's eyebrows, eyelashes and hair on their head will start sprouting too. However, hair growth varies greatly from baby to baby. Depending mostly on genetics and individual characteristics, your baby could be born with a full head of hair or pop out rather bald.

Things to think about

If you are starting to experience cramping in your feet and legs, try adding more calcium and potassium-rich foods to your pregnancy diet such as, milk, yoghurt, bananas, oranges and grapefruits. If you do get a cramp, try sitting down and holding your legs out straight while flexing your ankles back and forth to relieve the muscle contraction.

You might also notice that you get itchy skin during pregnancy. This is because as your skin stretches, it can become dry, which makes it itch. Keeping hydrated by drinking water and using moisturiser can help.

Whether or not you know the sex of your baby at this point, you and your partner can still have fun discussing baby names and planning what your nursery design will be.

The next three months could fly by. Track your pregnancy week by week with Huggies so you don t miss a thing.