18 Weeks Pregnant - Natural Pregnancy Week-By-Week

Links Mentioned 🌟

Mama Natural Birth Course: https://mamanaturalbirth.com
Birthing Classes: Everything You Need to Know: https://www.mamanatural.com/birthing-...
Week 18 Post: https://www.mamanatural.com/pregnancy...
Mama Natural Affirmation Cards:
http://mamanaturalcards.com


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Week 18 of Pregnancy 🤰 18 weeks pregnant, 18 week pregnancy, week 18 pregnancy, 18th week of pregnancy

You won’t believe what’s going on in baby’s brain this week! Plus, one of the most important ways to prepare for a natural childbirth.

Baby at 18 Weeks Pregnant 🚼 18 weeks baby in womb, baby at 18 weeks in womb, 18 weeks pregnant inside the womb, 18 weeks pregnant baby position, 18 weeks pregnant baby moving

Baby isn't just creating fat to fill out those adorable, chubby thighs, she's also adding plenty of fat to her brain. In fact, the brain is made up of 60% fat!
This week, what's happening upstairs for baby is that she is developing neurons in charge of her five senses that will allow her to learn and interact with her environment:
Sight
Touch
Taste
Smell
Hearing
She's also started to lay down myelin, a white, fatty coating of insulation for nerve fibers in the brain. The "myelination" process is just beginning now and will continue well into her twenties! Myelination enables nerve fibers to transmit signals quickly—without it, brain cells just don't communicate that well.
And, it's a slow process, which is why it takes about a year for a human being to learn to walk, whereas horses, who are born with much more myelin, are up and about within hours after birth (no fair).
Interesting to note, one of the last places myelination occurs is in the brain's frontal lobe, which is responsible for decision making and sound logic. No wonder teenagers can be so impulsive!

You at 18 Weeks Pregnant 🚺

To support your baby's growing brain, be sure to get in healthy fats each and every day. By eating healthy fats, you are supporting your baby's budding brain, not to mention your own satiety or feeling of fullness.
Some easy ways to enjoy healthy fats include:
throw some nuts and seeds in your salad or smoothie
pair your morning eggs (the yolk too please!) with avocado—and salsa!
put a teaspoon or two of virgin coconut oil in your red raspberry leaf tea
drizzle your salads with plenty of extra-virgin olive oil
roast veggies in the oven with ghee, butter, olive oil, or coconut oil (better yet, rotate your fats for a wider variety of benefits)
You also can support baby's smarts with exercise! Yes, just 20 minutes a day a few times a week can boost your baby's IQ (who knew?). I loved taking a daily walk to boost my mood and metabolism. The important thing is to find some gentle exercise that you love... and stick with it.

Birthing Classes 💡

Babies don’t come with instructional manuals, but thankfully there are resources out there that help us become the parent we were meant to be.
Birth doesn’t come with a predictable and duplicable instruction manual either (I wish!). That’s why it’s important to educate and empower yourself regarding the biological, emotional, mental, and even spiritual aspects of birth.
Taking an out-of-hospital childbirth education class is essential if you want to go natural. This will give you the tools you'll need to walk through one of the most intense experiences of your life.
The out-of-hospital part of that phrase is key, as the hospital courses mostly teach you how to be a good patient.
Because this is such a passion of mine, I joined forces with my friend Maura, who is a registered nurse, doula, lactation consultant, and midwife in training, to create the Mama Natural Birth Course

Pregnancy Week 18 To-Dos ✅

Be sure you’re doing your optimal baby position exercises at least 5 times a week
See if friends or family members have baby clothes they can give you