The fourth month of pregnancy is coming to an end. During this period, a woman becomes a real beauty: her cheeks turn pink from an increase in the amount of blood circulating in the body, the hair becomes strong and shiny, the spectrum of sensations is the widest. This is usually the 16th week of pregnancy. We will tell you in more detail in this material about what new she brings in the development of the baby and the well-being of his mother.
How many months is it?
The gestational age can be counted in different ways. If you use the usual calendar, in which there are more than 4 weeks in each month, you will get one value, but if you take the day of conception as the starting point, then the period will be different.
To make it easier and more understandable for women, and doctors can quickly navigate how long a patient is, it is customary all over the world to count down in obstetric weeks.
To calculate the period, the doctor only needs to know the date of the onset of menstruation, which were the last before pregnancy. The first day of this period is considered the first day of pregnancy. Now the 16th obstetric week is in progress: this means that the 14th embryonic week has gone from conception, and at least 84 days (about 12 weeks) have passed since the start of the delay.
She is in her second trimester of pregnancy and this week ends her fourth obstetric month. There are still six lunar months left before childbirth, each of which has 4 weeks. Pregnancy has not yet reached its "equator", until the middle is exactly one month.
Feelings of a future mother
The woman froze in anticipation - very soon it would be possible to feel the first movements of the crumbs. This is an exciting feeling that is very difficult to compare with anything. Many women, even many years after pregnancy, sometimes experience them in a dream, this is the unique "memory" of the female body.
Primiparas are most likely not feeling anything yet unless they are pregnant with twins.... In women expecting their first child, on average, the first slight movements begin to be felt only by 19-20 weeks. However, if the expectant mother is already in her second or third pregnancy, then the chances that she will feel the first movements right now are quite high - about 30% of expectant mothers who are pregnant again experience the joy of the first movements exactly at 15-16 weeks of pregnancy.
With multiple pregnancies, the movements of the babies are already quite clearly distinguishable. Very thin women who are pregnant for the first time may also have strange sensations, which, due to inexperience, they perceive for intestinal peristalsis, for "gurgling" in the stomach, for fermentation of intestinal gases. In general, the time for active movements has not yet come, and only very sensitive pregnant women can now feel them.
At 16 weeks, the vast majority of pregnant women notice a noticeable improvement in well-being. If earlier a woman experienced toxicosis, could not eat normally, sleep, suffered from headaches, diarrhea, constipation, was capricious and fastidious, now comes the time of relative peace, and not only for the woman herself, but also for her entire family.
The main tests and examinations were left behind, the time for the second screening has not yet come, worries about the child's condition are decreasing every day, and there is more and more confidence that everything will be fine.
Everything that is happening to the baby and the mother now is somehow connected with the level of the main hormones in the mother's body. In the first trimester, poor health, fatigue, increased fatigue, drowsiness and moods were caused by the action on the brain, tissues and cells, the nervous system, muscles of high doses of the hormone progesterone, as well as specific "pregnant" hormones and proteins, for example, chorionic gonadotropin (hCG ). Now these substances have been produced enough to prolong pregnancy, hormonal changes in the body are over.
That is why toxicosis passes, nausea recedes, the inability to adequately perceive certain smells and tastes, the head does not hurt so often, the woman falls asleep better, sleeps better. At 16 weeks appetite begins to increase. Now even those who could not look at food throughout the first trimester want to eat. If you do not monitor your diet now, weight gain will be excessive, and this will greatly complicate the second half of pregnancy.
Psychologically and emotionally, a woman feels calmer and more confident. Of course, this does not completely cancel all her quirks, for example, some continue to want herring with jam or cucumbers with bacon, but the expectant mother has the right to do so. Women who have not been affected by fads and toxicosis usually do not feel anything unusual at 16 weeks, except that vigor and good mood noticeably arrives.
Many pregnant women this week are faced with an eternal female problem - they have nothing to wear. Not because the available things do not suit them, but because everything that fit before pregnancy is now hopelessly small, and the special clothes for pregnant women are still large. This period is not the most suitable for changing wardrobe, because the tummy is growing rapidly. To cope with the problem will help buying ordinary clothes a couple of sizes larger, spacious cut.
This week, women often complain of "droning" pain and tiredness in their legs, even after a short walk. This is due to the fact that the weight is growing, the center of gravity changes due to the enlarged chest and the growing "belly", which creates a significant load on the legs.
The expectant mother, regardless of her build, already feels her own uterus well. Therefore, not all poses for sleep, yoga, gymnastics and sex are already suitable, now you have to choose such positions of the body in which the uterus will be less felt. It is at the 16th week of pregnancy that women develop a waddling gait characteristic of all expectant mothers, which is popularly called the "duck" gait.
Many women in the current period complain that from time to time they pull the lower back, ache in the lower abdomen. A variety of short-term tingling, stretching is quite natural, because along with the dynamic growth of the uterus, the ligaments that hold this organ grow and stretch, which is what the woman eventually feels. Weak aching back pain shouldn't be surprising either - the chest has become heavy, the center of gravity has changed.
At 16 weeks, almost everyone has a physiological runny nose, which was previously caused by edema of the mucous membranes, which became a side effect of progesterone raging in the body. Nasal breathing is restored.
Heartburn, which some pregnant women suffer from, is popularly said to be a sign that hair is growing in the womb.
From the point of view of official medicine, there is no relationship, and the stomach simply begins to press the bottom of the growing uterus from below, which leads to the reflux of part of the gastric juice back into the esophagus.
Changes in the body
The uterus continues to grow. Now the height of its bottom is already 13-14 cm, it changes its shape from rounded to oblong, adjusting to the growing child. The amount of amniotic fluid now reaches 250 ml, this is a whole glass. An already fairly grown baby is comfortably accommodated in it. If you mentally draw a vertical line from the navel to the pubis, then now the uterus will be exactly in the middle between the pubis and the navel... She already very persistently "forces" other organs of the abdominal cavity to move.
The cervix has an average length of 36.2 mm, in pregnant women with the firstborn - 36.5 mm, and in women who have previously given birth - up to 36.8 mm. The location of the main female genital organ is such that there is no longer any doubt for others - the uterus has entered the abdominal cavity, and every day the tummy is rounded more and more, the waist is smoothed out, pregnancy becomes an obvious fact.
A woman can already feel where the uterus is located through the anterior abdominal wall. If your back, lower back hurts and there is no unusual discharge, then you should not worry - the ligaments thicken, get stronger, they have to hold the uterus for quite some time. This process simply cannot be completely painless.
Due to active external changes, in which the butt, chest and abdomen grow most intensively, the first stretch marks on the skin may already appear. Week 16 is a great time to take care of stretch marks prevention if you haven't already.
The blue venous mesh on the chest should not be intimidating, it appears due to increased blood supply, does not threaten anything, it does not need to be treated, after childbirth it will cease to appear so clearly.
As for the weight gain, at 16 weeks it is already quite significant. Skinny women can now add up to 3.6-3.8 kilograms to their original weight. Expectant mothers with normal weight or slightly overweight by the beginning of the 16th week add about 3 kilograms, and expectant mothers with various degrees of obesity before pregnancy now normally add no more than one and a half kilograms.
Controlling your weight is now more important than ever, since the occurrence of edema at the 16th week of pregnancy is not at all uncommon. If a woman begins to notice that the wedding ring has ceased to be removed from the finger, that in the morning the wrists, face and ankles are somewhat swollen, be sure to inform the doctor about thisperhaps these are the first symptoms of gestosis.
Some pregnant women may now experience occasional numbness in their fingers. We are talking about the physiological tunnel syndrome - a pinched median nerve, which becomes possible during pregnancy due to softening of the ligaments and tendons. Usually, after childbirth, the tunnel syndrome recedes completely. But the cramped calf muscles, which often torment pregnant women in the second trimester, are nothing more than a sign of a lack of calcium in the body.
Urination is no longer frequent. If earlier a woman could run to the toilet on small need several times in an hour, now she feels the urge much less often. However, problems with the intestines can persist - the muscle walls of the lower digestive system under the influence of progesterone continue to be relaxed, peristalsis is reduced, and constipation is not excluded.
Outwardly, the expectant mother changes before our eyes - she becomes more rounded. Coupled with a changed and somewhat clumsy gait, it looks pretty touching. Therefore, you should not be surprised if right now the husband begins to show more care, and relatives begin to offer their help in doing household chores. There is no need to refuse - a woman should save her strength.
Many expectant mothers who had moles or freckles before pregnancy may develop age spots. Freckles on the face become bright, and some of them cover the entire back and arms. This is a manifestation of the action of increased formation of melanin pigment - a phenomenon that is quite normal for the middle of pregnancy. There is no need to smear such spots and freckles with anything. They themselves will fade and disappear, but some time after giving birth.
An increase in the amount of blood circulating often leads to a decrease in blood pressure. If a woman does not feel dizziness attacks, does not lose consciousness, there is no need to worry - such a decrease is quite physiological.
In case of obvious manifestations of hypotension (when the head is spinning, nauseous, throws into heat and cold, there is a loss of consciousness and balance), you should consult with your doctor.
The hCG norm for this week is from 6140 to 130,000 Honey / ml. This hormone gradually decreases in the body. It reached its maximum point at 12-13 weeks, now there is a decline that will last until birth.
At 16 weeks, a new circulatory system is fully functioning - "mother-placenta-fetus". The placenta takes care of the baby and fully provides him with everything he needs.
The nature of the discharge should not normally change - it remains moderate, without a sharp unpleasant odor. Any color other than white or light yellowish is not considered normal. Bloody discharge is especially dangerous. When atypical discharge appears, a woman is advised not to wait, but to immediately contact her attending physician.
Baby development
It is a big mistake to call the baby an embryo now. The most important embryonic period ended about seven weeks ago. All organs are formed, and now the crumb is just growing. He is a fruit, and that is how he should be treated.
The baby's weight at 16 weeks reaches 80-115 grams, and his height is 12-16 cm. In size, the baby resembles an avocado or a newly born kitten. The crumb could fit in the palm of an adult.
Appearance
The baby's neck is completing its formation this week, now the baby keeps his head straight and can turn it to the sides. This feature makes him look more and more like a tiny person. True, the baby's head is still larger than the rest of the body, but this imbalance is gradually disappearing, smoothed out. By the time of delivery, the head will occupy only one fifth of the area of the entire body. The face is fully formed.
The eyes are in place, the auricles are formed. This week, the oculomotor muscles begin to work, and the baby begins to rotate his eyeballs, although until he knows how to open his eyes, they are covered with thin eyelids. Eyelashes have appeared on the eyes, there are eyebrows, hair grows on the head of many babies.
Outwardly, your baby is still very thin, covered in folds. The baby's skin, if it could be seen in color and in real time, would surprise with its unusual color - it is saturated red with purple hues. This is due to the fact that the circulatory network shines through the thin, parchment-like skin. As soon as subcutaneous fat begins to be produced, the baby will become more "plump", and the skin - pink.
This week, the body of the baby is covered with lanugo - vellus hair. This is the very first hair, very thin and delicate, it appears as a result of the start of the hair follicles. Lanugo usually completely falls out even before childbirth, less often part of such hairline remains and disappears in the first weeks after the baby is born. The body of the crumbs is covered with original grease, which protects it from the effects of the aquatic environment.
Hands become less long, legs begin to "grow". Previously, the upper limbs were much longer than the lower ones, and because of this, as well as because of the large head, the baby looked like a tadpole. Now the crumbs have all the individual features of their appearance: the little fingers have a unique pattern - prints, the nose - the size and shape inherited from the parents, the height of the forehead, the protrusion of the chin - all the crumbs have their own, individual. He already looks like one of his parents or close relatives, but it's still very difficult to catch this similarity.
Nervous system
A week earlier, the baby's central nervous system began to take control of the body's functioning. His movements have become more coordinated, although he often continues swinging involuntarily with his arms and legs. The formation of the gray matter - the cerebral cortex - is in full swing. The establishment of neural connections continues, now the number of fetal nerve cells is increasing by 5000 per minute.
The red bone marrow already fully supports the production of blood cells. Reflexes are developed and honed.The baby does an excellent job with the process of sucking, swallowing. He grabs with pens what is within reach, reacts to loud sounds, external stimuli.
Muscle and bone
Almost all muscles are formed and are now actively growing. The best of all while the mimic muscles are developed, the baby almost constantly involuntarily winks, frowns, smiles, wrinkles his nose and folds his lips with a tube.
Bones continue to harden. They become more durable, accumulate calcium. At 16 weeks, full-fledged joints appear in the arms and legs of the baby.
Sense organs
The baby's eyesight is not yet developed. Through the tightly covering eyes of the eyelids, he is able to distinguish only bright light and darkness. The next stage will be blinking, he will learn to do this after 28 weeks, when he starts to open his eyes.
Crumbs' hearing continues to form. The external organs have already been formed, now the process of formation of the functionality of the inner ear is underway. As soon as this process is completed, and this will happen in about a month, the baby will begin to hear fully. In the meantime, he hears only the vibration that sound waves create. At the same time, my mother's voice "vibrates" differently than my father's, and the alarm clock of the parents in the morning wakes up the baby in the same way as adults, only it is perceived by him as a high-frequency vibration.
Since the auditory perception is already there, the mother should definitely talk with her baby, sing to him those songs that she will sing after birth - hearing them, the baby will "recognize" the melody and voice and calm down. You can read to the baby, watch good and kind cartoons with him: all this, according to perinatal psychologists, is a great contribution to the formation of the baby's worldview and character.
At the 16th week of pregnancy, the baby has a well-developed sense of touch, he distinguishes the tastes of amniotic fluid, since the taste buds, papillae and nerve endings on the skin "work" already in full force. The sense of smell is still absent - in the aquatic environment, the child cannot breathe through the nose, breathing occurs by obtaining oxygen through the placenta from the mother's blood.
Endocrine system
The baby now has another system functioning - the endocrine system. The endocrine glands begin to work: they produce the hormones necessary for the growth of the baby. Their development and activity are already "directed" by the pituitary gland. The pancreas produces the insulin needed to break down and absorb glucose. The thymus, pineal gland and adrenal glands are being improved.
The adrenal cortex has already begun to produce hormones, and the thyroid gland has long been producing thyroid-stimulating hormones, without which the deposition of calcium in the bones of the baby is impossible, they could not harden.
Internal organs
One of the most important now is the temporary organ - the placenta. The life and development of the child largely depend on her condition and health. The baby is securely connected to the “child's” place by the umbilical cord - it is very strong, now the umbilical cord can theoretically withstand a load of up to 6 kilograms. Its length is almost half a meter, and its diameter is more than 2 centimeters.
All internal organs of the baby “work” tirelessly. The liver, in addition to the hematopoietic function, "connected" to digestion, the gallbladder produces bile, the intestine, thanks to the thin villi on its inner wall and the development of the muscular system, contracts quite often: almost as it will do after the birth of a baby.
The kidneys produce urine, and the bladder stores it and flushes it out through the urethra. Urine enters the amniotic fluid, but it does not become dirty from this, because the membranes of the amnion help the fluid to renew and remain sterile every three hours.
At the 16th week of pregnancy, the child begins to synthesize hemoglobin. The blood already contains monocytes, lymphocytes, erythrocytes. The composition of the fetal blood is almost complete, now his blood group and Rh factor are determined without any problems.
All blood vessels, both small capillaries and large great vessels, have completed their formation, now they simply grow and are already functioning normally.
The heart through the circulatory system pumps up to 24 liters of blood per day. The fetal heart rate is now twice the heart rate of its mother - the average heart rate this week is 150-170 beats per minute. You can listen to the heart not only during a visit to the ultrasound room. A woman may well cope with this at home using the most ordinary phonendoscope.
Small lungs, the formation of which cannot be considered complete until the end of the third trimester, until a sufficient amount of a special substance - a surfactant, has accumulated in them, already have clear outlines, and the bronchial tree has all the necessary branches. The thorax makes movements several dozen times a day that resemble its expansion during inhalation and constriction during exhalation. Of course, this is not breathing yet, but it is its prototype.
Baby gender
The sex of the child is now determined by ultrasound with great accuracy. A prerequisite for successful sexual identification is the location of the baby convenient for examination. If the baby turns its back to the sensor, then, with all the desire, the doctor will not be able to see anything except the priests. In boys and girls, the external genital organs are formed and grown. If the crumb is not one of the "particularly shy", then you can consider the main sexual characteristics of the child on almost any ultrasound machine.
In little girls, the ovaries sank into the small pelvis, because they formed and developed for the time being in the abdominal cavity, there are fallopian tubes, uterus, vagina and two pairs of labia (large and small). There are already about 5 million eggs in the ovaries of babies.
In boys, the testicles are not yet rushing into the scrotum. They are in the abdominal cavity and will begin to descend a little later, the process will finally end before childbirth. In a small percentage of newborn boys, the testicles do not have time to descend, and sometimes this happens after birth.
In boys, the body already produces male sex hormones, in particular testosterone. Girls' own hormones are still minimal, they are content with the maternal hormonal background.
The accuracy of sex determination this week by ultrasound is 85-90%. The non-invasive prenatal DNA test determines the gender of your baby with 99.9% accuracy.
What has the baby learned?
At 16 weeks, the baby learns what parents and educators will stubbornly wean him from later - he masters spitting. Now the baby not only opens his mouth, yawns, swallows and hiccups, but also begins to spit, and this, most likely, gives him pleasure.
The kid is actively spending time outside of sleep. He plays with his legs, catches the umbilical cord, sucks fists, hugs himself by the shoulders. There is still enough room in the womb to swim and tumble. The kid actively uses this, his movements are now very intense and diverse.
Naturally, a woman will not be able to feel everything, the first movements are only quite tangible contacts of the baby with the walls of the uterus, and he can hardly come into contact with them yet, he is spacious.
Kid on ultrasound
At 16 weeks, ultrasound is not routine and mandatory. There are 2-3 weeks left until the second screening, and there is no need to visit a somnologist (ultrasound specialist). Ultrasound by appointment is now done only if the obstetrician-gynecologist has any concerns about the health of the woman and the child. If the pregnancy proceeds without complications and problems, an ultrasound scan can be performed only at the personal request of the woman in a private clinic, and, naturally, at her expense.
If now a woman decides to go for an ultrasound scan and chooses a three-dimensional format (3D-ultrasound) for research, she will have an unforgettable meeting with her own child, who, very likely, will show everything she has learned in her mother's womb. It will be very interesting and touching.
Even if the woman's goal is only to determine the sex of the baby, fetometric measurements are made on ultrasound in any case, so the expectant mother will be very interested in what sizes correspond to the norms for 16 weeks.
Fetometry table at 16 weeks of gestation
The thickness of the placenta at this time is about 18.5 mm. The umbilical cord has three vessels. At this time, unfortunately, it is still very difficult to diagnose by ultrasound some diseases and defects of internal organs, for example, lungs, because their formation is not complete, the kidneys and brain are difficult to assess, but gross malformations, if they occur be already well distinguishable and beyond doubt.
If the doctor now claims that everything is fine, this does not mean that the baby is 100% healthy, but there is a more than 80% probability of the absence of gross anomalies in development.
CTE (coccygeal-parietal size of the fetus) at this time is no longer measured: the baby is too big, other fetometric data come out on top among the indicators of its development. It was possible to establish the term of pregnancy with an accuracy of the day by the CTE earlier, now the doctor will not answer with great certainty what period you have - 15 weeks and 3 or 4 days or 15 weeks and 5 days. He will simply indicate that the size of the baby matches or does not correspond to the gestation period of 15-16 weeks.
Possible complications and risks
Week 16 is not considered dangerous, but a woman must not lose her vigilance: how quickly she can feel the slightest changes in her well-being depends on how quickly qualified medical care will be provided to her. Consider what dangers can threaten mom and baby at this time.
Colds, viral infections
It is quite difficult to hide from a common cold or viral infection during the season of epidemiological trouble. The woman has not yet gone on maternity leave, she is forced to go to work, study, travel by public transport, which only increases the likelihood of contracting the flu or SARS. If this happens, do not worry too much. Now the baby is protected by the placenta, which is a reliable barrier. The baby is formed, and mother's disease can no longer cause irreversible developmental anomalies in him... The consequences of a cold are completely minimized for the baby.
A certain danger is fraught with high fever and uncontrolled medication. Fever and fever can lead to problems with the placenta, so it is important to call your doctor on time and get advice on taking approved antipyretic drugs.
Now a woman should not be afraid of more dangerous complications - angina, otitis media, because a woman can already use antibiotics for treatment. Some of the antibacterial drugs, for example, Flemoxin, are often prescribed to expectant mothers in case of bacterial infections.
Frozen pregnancy and the threat of miscarriage
Week 16 is considered quite dangerous from the point of view of an inexplicable, but not so rare, frozen pregnancy. Even if the mother and baby have successfully overcome other "critical" periods of time (3-4 weeks, 8-10 weeks), then right now it is necessary to make the "last spurt". There is a chance of a miscarriage at 16 obstetric week, but it is very small.
You can guess about a frozen pregnancy at 16 weeks by the disappearance of pregnancy symptoms, primarily movements, if they are already observed. If the woman does not feel any movements yet, it will be quite problematic to establish the moment of death of the crumbs, and the doctor will suspect an undeveloped pregnancy, who will be surprised by the lack of abdominal growth, the height of the bottom of the uterus, and an ultrasound will confirm that the baby does not have a heartbeat and motor activity.
In any case, the expectant mother should pay attention to symptoms such as the appearance of severe pulling pain in the lower back and lower abdomen, unusual (especially bloody) discharge, and a general deterioration in well-being.
Such symptoms should not go unnoticed and medical attention. A woman should take a horizontal position and call an ambulance. Usually, it is possible to save a pregnancy if you asked for help in a timely manner.
Digestive problems
An inattentive attitude to one's own diet, overeating, a sedentary lifestyle at 16 weeks can only aggravate problems that, to one degree or another, can be observed in all pregnant women. Constipation increases the likelihood of developing hemorrhoids, which is desirable to avoid by all means, because treating it to a woman in an "interesting" position is quite problematic - not all medicines for these purposes are allowed for pregnant women.
If a woman has had problems with the health of the digestive system before, be sure to visit a gastroenterologist for personalized nutritional advice and lifestyle based on a specific diagnosis. So, if a woman previously had colitis, then now she should avoid legumes, soy, an abundance of meat food, and during pregnancy after a peptic ulcer, a treatment table should be followed, recommended not for expectant mothers, but for patients with an ulcer, in order to prevent relapse.
It is important not to eat unfamiliar and new products, because now a woman is more likely to develop food allergies with all the ensuing unattractive consequences for her health.
ICN
Isthmico-cervical insufficiency in a woman imposes many restrictions on her. However, forecasts can be positive only in the case of strict adherence to all medical recommendations. A short cervix is not a sentence, but just a feature of this part of the uterus in a particular woman. At 16 weeks, shortening is considered exclusively pathological, it should not be.
Depending on the type of shortening and the reasons that caused this, doctors may decide to apply a pessary or surgical sutures to the cervix to strengthen it, to enable the baby to be delivered to a time when his birth would not pose a threat to survival. Whether now the regime for a woman will be in bed or if she is simply recommended a sparing regime, only the doctor decides.
It is important for a woman to obey the doctor in everything, to avoid situations that can cause the appearance of uterine tone. Now it is not difficult to determine the tone - the stomach becomes hard, aching and pulling.
Inconsistency of the size of the fetus with the terms of ultrasound
Women encounter such a phenomenon quite often, and this causes well-founded anxiety and anxiety in expectant mothers. Doctors warn those wishing to independently decode the ultrasound scan and consult with Internet advisors that a slight deviation of any parameters of the baby from the norm cannot be considered a pathology. In this case mom's experiences will harm the baby more than you might imagine.
A delay of 2 weeks or more is considered significant and requiring further examination. In this case, the doctor makes a preliminary diagnosis of "intrauterine growth retardation", and begins to search for the true cause of the delay. These can be the consequences of viral diseases suffered in the first third of pregnancy, bad habits of the mother, underdevelopment or diseases of the placenta, chromosomal pathologies, Rh-conflict and many other reasons.
After that, treatment is prescribed, supportive vitamin therapy, drugs that improve uteroplacental and fetoplacental blood flow.
Analyzes and examinations
At 18-20 weeks, the woman will go for a second screening ultrasound. But she can get a referral for a blood test, which is included in this screening, right now. This will be a familiar biochemical blood test to determine the concentration of three components - hCG, free estriol and alpha-fetoprotein, the so-called "triple test".
Before the analysis, as in the first screening, you should refrain from eating fatty foods, a large amount of sweet, salty, 10 hours before delivery, you only need to drink water and not eat anything. Blood is taken from a vein in the morning.
The blood test results are no longer so closely related to the ultrasound data, so there is no need to schedule these two tests on the same day.
In addition, at 16 weeks, a woman is recommended to pass a general urine test. Right now, it is important to find out how the kidneys of the expectant mother work, whether she has problems with urination, inflammatory diseases of the urinary system.
Women with a history of adrenal cortex disease, who are now carrying boys, often do a blood test for testosterone, because they may have an "overdose" of this hormone due to its high content in their own body. Other tests for the current week are prescribed only for individual indications.
Recommendations for the expectant mother
The rounded tummy of a pregnant woman now demands from her a more careful attitude towards herself. It is necessary to wear clothes made of natural fabrics, in which the skin can fully "breathe".
It is better to put off shoes with heels until better times and give preference to comfortable, stable shoes with flat soles. It is important to do gymnastics, take daily walks in the fresh air, monitor your diet and weight.
Here are some helpful tips to help make pregnancy safer, easier, and more enjoyable.
Bandage
As an auxiliary tool, the prenatal bandage can significantly facilitate the bearing of the baby. Usually they begin to wear it from 19-20 weeks, but women who are already experiencing heaviness in the back, complain of pain in their legs, can choose and start using such an orthopedic device.
There are many models, any orthopedic salon will offer at least 5 types of bandages. Which one to choose is up to the woman herself, before that you need to try everything on and stop the choice on the one in which it is most convenient. It is important that the belly is gently supported from below, so that the bandage does not rub or press.
Especially strongly, the bandage at 16 weeks is recommended for women with a threat of miscarriage, with cervical insufficiency. This reduces the load on the lower back and legs, the bandage more evenly distributes the weight of the growing tummy.
Its wearing is recommended for women prone to varicose veins, pregnant with twins, large fetuses. The bandage helps in the prevention of abdominal stretch marks. If you want to start wearing it, but there is no strict medical indication for this, be sure to consult with your doctor - usually doctors have nothing against such a useful device.
Courses for pregnant women
A woman can already sign up for free courses for pregnant women, they are available at every antenatal clinic. For the expectant mother, this is a great opportunity to meet other women for the same period, and they will have enough common topics for communication.
It is encouraged if the future dad will also come to the practical sessions on actions in the event of the onset of labor and caring for the newborn. Experienced pediatricians and obstetricians will tell you how, what and when to do it.
Not only pediatricians and gynecologists are involved in the courses with women. Psychologists come to them, including perinatal ones, who talk about how the unborn baby now perceives this world and everything that happens in it.
During the course, a woman will be able to learn how to do gymnastics correctly, which will strengthen the muscles before childbirth, breathe during contractions and attempts, how to eat, what to buy for the baby.
Seat belt and flights
Modern pregnant women are very mobile. An "interesting" situation is not always a reason to postpone travel, vacation, business visits. Flights by air are not considered dangerous in the second trimester, but it is still better to consult with your doctor before them.
If a woman has problems with excess weight, blood pressure, if there is istimico-cervical insufficiency, most likely, the doctor will strongly oppose flights.
When traveling by car or going to work in a private car, it is important for a mother-to-be to remember that opening the windows in the car is not worth it, so she will get a fair amount of exhaust gases, especially if she stays in traffic for half an hour.
The seat belt in the car should fix the tummy from below, and not along the navel line. It is advisable to put a small pillow under the lower back, which will allow the woman to keep her back straight and her knees at a right angle, which will avoid disruption of blood supply to the pelvic area.
Sex
Intimate relationships at 16 weeks are quite acceptable and even welcomed if there are no contraindications, which include pathology of the placenta (its low location, presentation), shortening of the cervix, the threat of termination of pregnancy. If the attending physician has not introduced such a moratorium, a married couple may well live an active sex life.
Naturally, you should follow reasonable security measures, avoid riding pose and other positions in which penetration is too deep. You cannot put pressure on the growing belly. It is not recommended to use sex toys and lubricants with a warming or cooling effect. For intercourse and sleep, it is better to choose a position on your side.
Moreover, in a dream, if a woman sleeps on her right side, her left leg needs to be slightly bent. Because of the grown uterus, the woman has already refused to sleep on her back and stomach, because it causes inconvenience.
Reviews
The features of this week are described by women who left their comments on the Internet as an amazing mixture of emotions and aspirations - they are becoming more and more interested in issues related to home, housekeeping, and raising children. It is most likely too early to talk about the so-called "nesting instinct", which is observed in later periods, but the beginning has already been made - the woman is becoming more economic and domestic.
Women, who have already figured out the sex of the baby by the 16th week, begin to choose a name for him or her, and this question is very serious and even painful for many. Some are already starting to buy things for the baby, so that later they will free up time for themselves and not forget anything.
It is this period that many choose in order to change their eating habits. So, vegetarians are now starting to add fish and milk to the menu to provide the baby with the necessary amino acids. But the diets for weight loss, which are actively discussed by expectant mothers, experts now do not recommend using.
Many are beginning to be bothered by severe itching in the abdomen, thighs, chest. This is how skin stretching manifests itself. Expectant mothers at 16 weeks begin to apply creams and emollient moisturizing foams, hypoallergenic and time-tested.
About what happens to the fetus and the expectant mother at the 16th week of pregnancy, see the next video.
