18 Weeks Pregnant

Baby at 18 Weeks Pregnant 🚼

Baby isn't just creating fat to fill out those adorable, chubby thighs, she's also adding plenty of fat to her brain. In fact, the brain is made up of 60% fat!

This week, what's happening upstairs for baby is that she is developing neurons in charge of her five senses that will allow her to learn and interact with her environment:

1. Sight
2. Touch
3. Taste
4. Smell
5. Hearing

She's also started to lay down myelin, a white, fatty coating of insulation for nerve fibers in the brain. The "myelination" process is just beginning now and will continue well into her twenties! Myelination enables nerve fibers to transmit signals quickly—without it, brain cells just don't communicate that well.

And, it's a slow process, which is why it takes about a year for a human being to learn to walk, whereas horses, who are born with much more myelin, are up and about within hours after birth (no fair).

Interesting to note, one of the last places myelination occurs is in the brain's frontal lobe, which is responsible for decision making and sound logic. No wonder teenagers can be so impulsive!

You at 18 Weeks Pregnant 🚺

To support your baby's growing brain, be sure to get in healthy fats each and every day. By eating healthy fats, you are supporting your baby's budding brain, not to mention your own satiety or feeling of fullness.

Some easy ways to enjoy healthy fats include:

• throw some nuts and seeds in your salad or smoothie
• pair your morning eggs (the yolk too please!) with avocado—and salsa!
• put a teaspoon or two of virgin coconut oil in your red raspberry leaf tea
• drizzle your salads with plenty of extra-virgin olive oil
• roast veggies in the oven with ghee, butter, olive oil, or coconut oil (better yet, rotate your fats for a wider variety of benefits)

You also can support baby's smarts with exercise! Yes, just 20 minutes a day a few times a week can boost your baby's IQ (who knew?). I loved taking a daily walk to boost my mood and metabolism. The important thing is to find some gentle exercise that you love... and stick with it.

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