PREGNANCY
18 Weeks Pregnant: Should You Get Vaccinated?
Your baby is developing her sleep and wake cycle—and she doesn’t even need an alarm clock to do so!
Written by
Dr. Harvey Karp
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PREGNANCY
Written by
Dr. Harvey Karp
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Bestsellers
Your baby is beginning to settle into a sleep and wake cycle—though no alarm clock needed! They may even have a favourite snoozing spot…like right on top of your bladder. When awake, their kicks and wriggles are getting stronger, so those once-delicate flutters might now feel like proper thumps.
Even though your baby’s eyelids are still fused shut, their little eyes are making blink-like movements. Meanwhile, their nervous system continues to develop as their nerves become wrapped in a protective fatty layer called myelin—think of it as insulation around copper wiring. They’re also developing fat stores, including an essential type called brown fat, which acts like an internal candle to help keep them warm once they’re born.
All babies, regardless of sex, start out with the same basic structures. By now, girls will have a uterus and fallopian tubes in place, while boys’ penises are developed, though the testes haven’t yet dropped into the scrotum (sometimes this can take months—or even years—after birth).
Eighteen weeks pregnant is just over four months along.
At 18 weeks, your baby is about the size of a sweet potato.
Welcome to the sweet spot of the second trimester! Many expectant parents notice they’re finally regaining energy, enjoying more balanced meals again (veggies and protein, welcome back!), and feeling more inclined to exercise.
It’s also time to start thinking about vaccinations. Both the flu jab and the whooping cough (pertussis) vaccine are recommended during pregnancy and considered safe.
"The moment a child is born, the mother is also born. She never existed before. The woman existed, but the mother, never. A mother is something absolutely new." —Rajneesh
Disclaimer: The information on our site is NOT medical advice for any specific person or condition. It is only meant as general information. If you have any medical questions and concerns about your child or yourself, please contact your health provider. Breastmilk is the best source of nutrition for babies. It is important that, in preparation for and during breastfeeding, mothers eat a healthy, balanced diet. Combined breast- and bottle-feeding in the first weeks of life may reduce the supply of a mother's breastmilk and reversing the decision not to breastfeed is difficult. If you do decide to use infant formula, you should follow instructions carefully.
