pregnancy | week by week

A cantaloupe

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Week 25: Baby Uses Her Hands

Learn how your little one is getting more coordinated in the womb.

During your 25th week of pregnancy, your baby uses her tiny developing hands to learn about herself and her environment. Here’s what else is going on:

• Baby’s hands have developed to the point that she can make a fist.
• Your baby weighs about 1 1/2 pounds and is about the length of a small cantaloupe.
• Blood vessels in your baby’s lungs also are growing and developing in preparation for breathing.
• The nerve connections in baby’s hands continue to develop when you’re 25 weeks pregnant.
• Your baby is doing somersaults and twists. She is small enough to move around in your uterus, so she will occasionally explore her environment.
• At 25 weeks, baby’s leg muscles have developed enough to enable her to kick.

Calcium Is Key

Bone up on this important mineral for pregnancy.

By eating calcium-rich foods, you help ensure that your baby continues to get stronger every day. If your calcium intake is low, your baby will actually draw from the calcium in your bones and teeth, which could set you up for developing osteoporosis later in life. So make sure you’re getting enough calcium for both of you.

To meet your daily calcium requirement of 1,200 milligrams, consider eating four or more of the following foods every day:

• 1 cup of low-fat or fat-free milk
• 1 cup of low-fat yogurt
• 1 cup of low-fat cottage cheese
• 1/4 cup of low-fat grated cheese
• 1 1/2 cups of bok choy
• 1 1/2 cups of edamame
• 1 cup of calcium-fortified orange juice
• 1 cup of calcium- and vitamin D–fortified soy milk
• 1 cup of milk-based soup