20 Weeks Pregnant

Halfway through the pregnancy, your baby is about the size of a banana — 10 ounces or so in weight, 6 and a half inches long. A wax-like coating called vernix begins to cover every inch of the head and body. Vernix protects your baby's skin from being chapped by the amniotic fluid.

As with your skin, pregnancy brings changes to your hair. For one thing, your hair is growing faster. It's also falling out less. These are temporary effects of hormonal changes.

You may also notice changes in your hair's texture and color. Your hair may be curlier, oilier, dryer, straighter, more coarse, more reddish…. Women report a variety of surprising new hairstyles in pregnancy.

Choose a variety of healthy foods to get the protein, carbohydrates, vitamins, minerals and fat you need during pregnancy. Select less-processed foods to get the most nutrition from every bite. For starters, adopt these two “half measures”:

• Half of your grains should be whole grains (e.g. oatmeal, whole grain bread, brown rice).
• Half of your plate should be filled with vegetables and fruits at most meals.