Another week into my pregnancy journey, and now I’m starting to feel the size of a small house. At week 22 my tummy is stretching even more to accommodate my growing bundle, and my baby is making itself known more and more with those turns, flips and tiny punches.

With a little human growing inside my womb, my body needs to stretch a little to make room. Around the week 22 mark, this might mean my skin will start to feel a tiny bit itchy across my tummy, and that I will feel an odd pain or two. Itching skin is a natural pregnancy symptom, but if it feels too severe, have a chat with your doctor to rule out any potential liver problems.

At this stage my little one is around 27cm long, and loves moving in my warm and cosy womb! They are also much more sensitive, and can start to kick when they hear loud voices or noises. So many new features have been added to my little one: they have fully formed eyes (although without any eye colour yet), and they also have tiny little teeth forming in their jaw for future use. Both organs, the pancreas and the lungs have also formed around this time: what an exciting week for my baby!

As my body is creating enough blood for both me and my baby, I feel more dehydrated than usual. I keep a little bottle to hand and sip throughout the day – even if this results in multiple bathroom trips! Some mums-to-be also have a few dental problems at this time, sensitive teeth or bleeding gums. If you are having a few teething problems of your own, make an appointment with your dentist.