22 Weeks Pregnant: Intimacy and Pregnancy

22 Weeks Pregnant

In this article

• Pregnancy Week 22: All About You
• Pregnancy Week 22: All About Baby
• How Big Is Baby?
• Most Common Pregnancy Questions
• Multiple Madness
• For Your Partner
• Fun Fact

At 22 weeks pregnant, chances are that your lingering morning sickness is beginning to subside. So, are you starting to feel amorous and frisky yet?

Pregnancy Week 22: All About You

You're probably feeling fetal movement throughout the day now that your baby's getting bigger. And as she grows, your body has to make room. Your stomach will have less space to expand, meaning you may suffer heartburn and indigestion, especially at night. Add to that the fact that pregnancy hormones can slow digestion making your tummy troubles even worse. Slight swelling may make your shoes uncomfortable. Your back may also ache with the added weight of your baby bump. Your bladder is also suffering from the space crunch, so expect plenty of potty breaks.

Intimacy and Pregnancy
Some women experience big bonuses along with their pregnancy—larger breasts, glowing skin, and a slight baby bump—if you're part of this group, chances are you feel more attractive than ever. On the flip side, if your pregnancy has been mostly about enduring nausea and fatigue, your libido may have taken a nosedive. No matter what your circumstance, the changes taking place in your body will undoubtedly affect how you and your partner feel about intimacy.

Why you may feel more attractive

Changes in your appearance: One of the first signs of pregnancy is an increased cup size. If you normally have smaller breasts, your new fuller breasts may make you feel more desirable. Couple that with an increased blood flow, which leaves you with rosier cheeks, and you might be downright irresistible.

Fluctuations in hormone levels: Pregnancy hormones may have you craving everything from pickles and ice cream to more intimacy. Keep in mind that the effects of these hormones vary for every woman, and your moods may change daily (sometimes hourly!).

Free of pressure to conceive: Perhaps you've been trying for months to get pregnant. Now that the pressure is off, intimacy may become more enjoyable and less of a task.

Why you may not feel interested

Tenderness: Your breasts and abdomen are going through quite a growth spurt, which may leave you sore. Intimacy may be uncomfortable, especially during your first and last trimesters.

Fatigue and nausea: If you've suffered strong bouts of nausea, intimacy may be the last thing on your mind. Fatigue may further zap any other desires.

Weight gain: As you've watched the scale tip upwards, you may feel frumpy.

Why intimacy is important
Intimacy allows you and your partner to express your love and concern for each other. It's a physical closeness that can reinforce your emotional connection to your partner. A gentle massage, cuddling, and kissing, can help erase some of the day-to-day pains of pregnancy and let you know your partner is there for you.

Worrying about the Baby
"Unless you have a specific medical issues like multiple births, placenta previa, or another high-risk condition, sexual intercourse won't hurt your baby," explains Dr. William Camann, MD, director of obstetric anesthesia at the Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston, Massachusetts, and coauthor of Easy Labor.

He notes, however, that you may notice some contractions after lovemaking—that's normal. Unless your cervix is already starting to dilate, there's little reason to worry that these contractions will lead to labor.

If you have any unexplained bleeding after intimacy, or sex is extremely uncomfortable, talk to your healthcare provider about your concerns.

Pregnancy Week 22: All About Baby

Your baby's brain is growing daily. Her senses are also starting develop. She can hear the sound of your heart along with your breathing. As she wiggles her fingers, she may touch her face or even suck her thumb. Her lungs are becoming more mature, and she even goes through the motions of breathing. She can also swallow, although she won't have her first real meal until delivery day.

How Big Is Baby?

Your baby-to-be reaches about 10.5 to 11 inches (crown to heel) and weighs in at just over 15 ounces.

Most Common Pregnancy Questions

I've been told I need to schedule a gestational diabetes test. What is it and when should I take it?
A gestational diabetes test (also known as an oral glucose tolerance test or OGTT) is done as a routine screening for all pregnant women. Your doctor will let you know when it is appropriate for you. It is routinely done between weeks 24 and 28 of your pregnancy. This test looks at how well your body copes with glucose (or sugar levels).

Diabetes occurs when your body cannot process circulating sugar in an efficient way. Insulin, a naturally occurring substance produced by your pancreas, helps your cells utilize this sugar to give you energy. When appropriate amounts of insulin are made, this helps to keep the circulating blood sugar at a healthy level. However, for those with diabetes, the amount of insulin produced may not be enough. Over time, high levels of circulating glucose can lead to problems with blood circulation, wound healing, eyesight, and can also cause damage to your organs.

Gestational diabetes is a form of diabetes that happens when you are pregnant and will usually resolve itself right after your baby is born. Pregnancy hormones make it difficult for insulin to do its job. Most women can produce enough insulin to keep levels stable, but for unknown reasons, certain women's bodies can't keep up with this demand. In the case of pregnancy, one of the risks of being undiagnosed is having a baby who is too large. Babies that are LGA (large for gestational age) can pose problems for mom hoping to deliver vaginally. These babies may also have issues after birth, such as difficulties maintaining their own blood sugar and other complications.

Risk factors for developing gestational diabetes include:

• Race (Hispanic, black and Asian women tend to be at higher risk)
• Prepregnancy weight
• Age (above age 25)
• Family history
• Your history (you are more likely to develop this in subsequent pregnancies)

How the OGTT is performed: You will be given a sweet drink one hour before having some blood drawn. The lab then looks at how much glucose is circulating. If it is normal, then you have no worries. If the levels are high, a second test will be done to confirm the diagnosis. The second test involves fasting over night (this usually means no food after midnight). When you arrive at your OB's office for the test you will again be given a sweet drink. Your blood will be drawn at one-, two-, and three-hour intervals after you drink the solution. If two of the three levels are elevated, then you are considered to have gestational diabetes.

So what does this mean? You will be counseled on dietary modifications. Your doctor may refer you to a nutritionist that specializes in dealing with pregnant women and their nutritional needs. You may also be asked to monitor your blood sugar three to five times a day. Many hospitals have diabetes educators that can teach you how to monitor your blood sugar. Exercise is also an important part of keeping your sugar under control. In some cases, diet and exercise may not be enough and some women need to take oral medication or injectable insulin to keep your sugar in a healthy range. This diagnosis is one that is very manageable for most women. With proper management and monitoring, the end result is a healthy mom and a healthy baby!

Multiple Madness

Getting Intimate
I chuckle when women hint at questions about intimacy during pregnancy because, let's face it, we're not talking about intimacy. We're talking about the other "i" word: intercourse.

Intimacy is easy: Rent a movie, hold hands at the mall, share your deepest dreams over a candlelit dinner as you swallow a strawberry and pronounce yourself full since that's all that will fit in your stomach.

Intercourse is not so easy. If your doctor allows it, and if you allow it, it is possible. According to Dr. Susan Warhus, MD, an obstetrician and author of Countdown to Baby if a woman is on bed rest, she is also on pelvic rest, which means nothing should go into the vagina. This means no intercourse, tampons, douches, etc.," says Dr. Warhus. "If a woman is not on bed rest and has been given the go-ahead by her doctor, intercourse during a multiple pregnancy is safe. If, however, it leads to any cramping or spotting, the doctor should be called immediately."

If you have the green light from your doctor, congratulations! Enjoy some alone time together. Some positions work better than others. Obviously, missionary position is almost surely off limits. You will likely have to experiment a bit to find a position that's comfortable. And don't be surprised if it involves unimaginable propping of this limb or that!

Remember, it doesn't have to be an all-or-nothing approach. The most important thing is to keep your connection with your spouse as you await the arrival of your babies.

Whatever activity satisfies both of you is one worth pursuing.

For Your Partner

Staying Connected
Intimacy is a wonderful thing. It is not just about sex, but about physical and emotional closeness between you and your partner. Some men are uncomfortable having sex while their partners are pregnant, but as long as the doctor says it is safe (and usually it is), by all means, enjoy it. These are the last months you will have a chance to be intimate without worrying about another little being in your life, so take advantage of it!

Once your baby is born you will most likely find yourselves too tired and too focused on other things (like Baby!) to make time for sex. But it is incredibly important to remember that intimacy between you and your partner is vital to the health and success of your relationship. While sex certainly can be a form of intimacy, your relationship doesn't always have to include sex. Sometimes intimacy can be cuddling together, talking with each other, sharing your time and experiences, reading together, or indulging in a late morning in bed while doing crosswords or Sudoku together.

They key is to practice and be creative in your intimacy now so when things get chaotic after your baby is born, you'll already know tried-and-true ways to bring you and your partner together, despite all that is going on around you both.

Fun Fact

"Today, twins are born once in every 41 births," according to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG). With two babies you can expect to gain more weight. With a single birth, women gain between 25 to 35 pounds; with twins that amount increases to 35 to 45 pounds. ACOG researchers have found tall and obese women have a higher incidence of conceiving fraternal twins.

Respected Readers: Need your help to keep the site up and running. please donate ! Any help is appreciated.