Week 21: Where will you have your baby?
Image: @theycallmecomet
Welcome to week 21 of the Happy Parents Happy Baby guide to pregnancy, birth and beyond.
This week we'll be covering:
We hope you enjoy it!
Choosing where to give birth
You may have been asked early on in your pregnancy where you would like to give birth and this can feel overwhelming to start with. You don’t have to decide straight away and you can change your mind at any time. Discuss and consider the options available with your birth partner and choose the place which feels right for you.
Home
Some women choose to give birth at home. Being in your own environment, in familiar surroundings, can feel comforting and relaxing - helping your birth hormones to be released. You will have two midwives with you for the birth. They may even be part of the team who saw you for your antenatal appointments depending on where you live.
Birth centre
This is a midwife led unit- sometimes in a hospital and sometimes a stand alone unit (check and see what your local one is like). They’re usually set up as ‘home from home’ environments designed to relax you and to make you as comfortable as possible. They often have birthing pools in the rooms as well as equipment like birthing balls, stools, beanbags etc. The birth centre is normally recommended for women with no complications in their pregnancy.
Labour ward/delivery suite
Usually located in the maternity unit of a hospital. You will be looked after by midwives as with a home or birth centre birth but doctors will be available if you need their help.
Some women choose to give birth on a labour ward/delivery suite for further reassurance/support or it may be recommended by the team providing your care if there are complications in your pregnancy and you require additional support or monitoring during birth.
The rooms can be made into relaxing environments and you will be encouraged to be mobile and upright as you would be at home or in the birth centre. Some rooms will have birthing pools in them if you wish to use one.
:: You can read more about choices around where to give birth here
Your baby’s development in week 21
Size of a banana
Weighs around 350g
From week 21 the way we measure a foetus changes from head to bottom to head to heel instead. It is also from this stage that your baby will weigh more than the placenta for the first time. While the placenta does keep growing throughout your pregnancy, it won’t catch up with your baby.
It is also from five months that your baby becomes covered in very fine hair called lanugo. It’s not known why but some experts think it’s to keep them at the right temperature. The hair has usually gone before the birth.
Week 21 Checklist
You might like to:
Eat nuts. Nuts are a great source of protein, fibre, healthy fat and minerals and are also very filling. Walnuts contain omega-3 fatty acids which will help with your baby’s brain development and can be a good option if you’re a vegetarian and don’t eat oily fish. There is no need to avoid eating peanuts while you’re pregnant unless you’ve been advised to by your doctor.
Talk to friends about any anxiety. Pregnancy can be an anxious time and even though you’re over halfway there now, you might still be feeling trepidation about labour or becoming a parent. Talk to your friends and family about how you’re feeling.
Elevate your feet to avoid swelling. If you spend a lot of time on your feet at work or doing other activities you might have started to notice your ankles or feet swelling. Take the weight off and make sure you spend 20 minutes or so, a few times a day with your feet elevated to help reduce this swelling.
Spotlight on: Hair changes
Each week we'll be delving into the common symptoms of pregnancy and bringing you top tips for managing them from our team of specialists and parent community.
How’s your hair looking?
In week 17 we discussed the skin changes you may have noticed since you got pregnant but what about your hair? Does it feel thicker and more glossy? Or perhaps it’s thinner and oilier…
Why?
The reason your hair might be feeling thicker is down to the hormone oestrogen. As your body produces more of it, it changes the cycle of your hair growth. This means your hair stays longer in its growth stage and takes longer to fall out so you have more hairs on your head at one time, compared to when you’re not pregnant.
Some women may experience their hair falling out during pregnancy and this is due to a drop in oestrogen levels. This might occur if you’ve had a stillbirth or miscarriage or if you have a hormone imbalance.
Hair loss after pregnancy is very common because this is when your oestrogen levels return to normal. Your hair should have returned to normal by the time your baby is a year old but speak to your doctor if it hasn’t.
Finding hair on other parts of your body is also a common symptom of pregnancy. This could be your upper lip, nipples or cheeks. There’s no reason why this hair can’t be removed in the same way you would have before you were pregnant. However, laser removal or electrolysis are not recommended as not enough research has been done into how safe they are when pregnant.
Top tips:
It’s safe to dye your hair during pregnancy although some women choose to wait until after their 12-week scan because there isn’t a lot of research into the risks. If you’re dyeing it yourself always make sure you don’t leave the dye on for too long and do an allergy (patch) test before you use a product. If you’re not sure about a hair treatment, speak to your GP or midwife.
Tweezing, threading and waxing are all fine to do during pregnancy, as long as you’re not finding your skin sensitivity has increased too much. Ouch!
If your hair is more oily than usual try not to wash it too much and skip products which contain silicon, oils or lanolin. If your hair is more dry and brittle than usual then try to wash and condition it more gently and avoid using a hairdryer if you can.
You might also notice that your nails have changed since you became pregnant. They might be growing faster and feeling stronger or in some cases they might feel more brittle and weak. If this is the case, it could be an indication that you don’t have enough biotin in your diet. Try eating more nuts, eggs, oats, spinach, broccoli, bananas and whole grains as this will improve your nail strength and keep your hair and skin looking healthy.
Birth story of the week
Joanna and her partner Miles share the birth of their son Xander
“As soon as I found out I was pregnant I decided that I really didn’t want an epidural, an episiotomy or assisted birth. Will explained all the birthing options and scenarios so well during the sessions that I was no longer afraid of these options as I now knew the reasons that they were used. My contractions started 4 hours after I finished my last day at work at 1 am (8 days before my due date) so I had no rest and no sleep! Miles had downloaded a contraction timer app that he had been told about during the sessions and used that to time my contractions. He was amazing and I felt that the birth partner session during the course really helped him to know how to handle the situation. My contractions came on really strong and really close together from the start and within a few hours we were in hospital at the birthing centre. After a long labour I ended up asking for an epidural so was transferred to a delivery suite. 22.5hours later our baby boy was born with the help of an episiotomy and a ventouse. We were both calm throughout and I felt that the sessions with HPHB really contributed to this!”
We’re so pleased we could be part of Xander’s birth story!
Treat of the week
Have you started looking at sleep options for your baby already? This week’s treat is the SnuzPod⁴ Bedside Crib.
It’s perfect for keeping your baby nearby, for a safe bonding experience. The SnuzPod attaches to the side of your bed and has an easy zip down wall making access to them for night feeds and cuddles even easier.
Products are based on suggestions from our specialists and community of parents. We may earn commission from shopping links.
Join our community
Happy Parents Happy Baby is here to support you through every step of your pregnancy, birth and parenting journey.
Connect with other parents-to-be and learn everything you need to know, by joining our award-winning antenatal classes.
That's all for now...
Thank you so much for joining us!
Have a great week.
Team HPHB x
Information you
can trust
Our articles are based on the latest-evidence based guidelines and scientific research and are written by our team of medical experts.
Coming up
next week
What to look for in maternity clothes
Spotlight on: thrush
Check out our Instagram page for extra resources from our team of experts and for free live events, such as pregnancy relaxation sessions
Follow us @happyparents.happybaby
