Your baby is now the size of a bell pepper. She is 5 1/2 inches long and weighs almost 7 ounces now!

If you are having a boy, his genitals are now noticeable, if he isn’t curled up and hiding them during the ultrasound. If you are having a girl, her uterus is fully formed and in place, along with her fallopian tubes.

Your baby’s skeleton, which up until this point has been made up of flexible cartilage, is now hardening into bone. Myelin, a protective covering around her nerves, has begun to form. Myelin plays an important role in the communication between neurons and it will continue to develop through her first year of life.

At 18 weeks, your baby’s skin is still thin and transparent, so to help protect her, something called the vernix caseosa develops. This is a greasy, cheese-like substance that not only insulates her developing epidermis and dermis from the amniotic fluid; it also makes her nice and slippery for an easier delivery!

Mom

If you are thinking about signing up for a childbirth class, it’s not too soon to start looking around. The best courses may limit their classrooms to 8-10 students and can fill up quickly. There are many different types of childbirth classes available to you, in terms of theoretical orientation and course length. Some last a couple of days, others span a couple of weeks or months. Below you will find a short description of the two most common types of birthing classes: the Lamaze technique and the Bradley method.

Lamaze Technique - This technique teaches that childbirth is a normal, natural and healthy process. It focuses on empowering women through education and support, to help them approach childbirth with confidence. One might say the goal of Lamaze is help women explore all of the ways that they can find strength or comfort during the delivery. Classes may focus on relaxation techniques, but really the course helps you condition your response to pain through training and practice and to eliminate counterproductive responses (like tensing up).

Bradley Method (Husband Coached Birth) - In this method, the emphasis is placed on natural childbirth and the active participation of your partner. The course is traditionally given in 12 sessions with a focus on nutrition, exercise, relaxation techniques, and the importance of trusting your instincts during the birth. The importance of breastfeeding is also stressed.