Seventh month of pregnancy

The seventh month of pregnancy brings the expectant mother a lot of trouble - before going on maternity leave, you need to do a lot, including issuing documents for maternity leave. But the month ends with the first week on vacation, the woman gets the opportunity to rest, she does not need to get up early and run to work or school, especially since it is no longer possible to run - it becomes rather difficult to carry a child whose size already resembles an average cabbage forks.

General information about the term

The seventh month opens the final, third trimester of pregnancy for the expectant mother. Now she is entering the home stretch and many are starting to count the time until birth. The month includes 4.5 calendar or 4 obstetric weeks. If you measure the period as doctors do - in obstetric weeks and months, then 7 month will correspond to 26, 27, 28 and 29 weeks. If you count in such months, then in pregnancy it turns out exactly 10 months, in each of which there are 4 weeks.

In the calendar weeks that are more usual for a woman, pregnancy lasts 9 months. And the seventh is 27, 28, 29, 30 weeks and several days from 31 weeks.

The seventh month has long been popularly called "nesting time". Right now, a woman gets more free time in connection with going on maternity leave, many at this stage begin to buy cute children's things, equip the house, nursery, cleanliness and order.

This period does not yet imply a noticeable deterioration in well-being, and therefore all things for a woman are still quite easy and not burdensome, although the first signs of severity are already overtaking the expectant mother.

Baby development

The baby in the womb is growing rapidly and gaining weight, now it is vital, because subcutaneous fat will help the baby to maintain body heat after birth, not to overcool. Mom, on the other hand, will rejoice at cute roundness - cheeks, chubby ass, hands... In the meantime, the child looks still thin, but already very similar to a newborn.

The lungs are actively maturing - a substance accumulates in the alveoli that will allow the baby to breathe on its own after birth - a surfactant. So far, it is not enough for spontaneous breathing, but if childbirth occurs during this month, then the baby has every chance to survive and be healthy. The processes that take place in the development of the fetus at this time are very interesting, and it is worth considering them more closely.

27 week

The time when the child enjoyed free swimming in the amniotic fluid and coups is over. With the onset of the first week of the third trimester the baby grows heavier to almost a kilogram with an increase of 37 centimeters (on average)... There are already larger children, there are those whose weight does not yet reach 900 grams, but all of them, without exception, are getting cramped in the mother's womb. To save space. the child takes a flexion position, which is often called the fetal position - the arms are brought to the chest or crossed on it, the chin is bent down, the back is in an "arc", the legs are bent at the knee joints. In this position, the baby will have to spend all the time remaining before delivery.

From this time on, it becomes quite difficult to determine the sex of the child by ultrasound... The posture in which the baby stays makes the visualization of the external genital organs difficult and the accuracy of determining the sex of the child is noticeably reduced.

At the current time, the child's visual function is improving. This is due to the end of the formation of nerve connections in the optic nerve. Now the fruit can not only distinguish between light and dark, as it did before, but also see color blurred spots... He has already learned to open his eyes. Focusing of vision will begin to appear only in the first months after the baby is born.

If childbirth takes place right now, the forecasts are quite favorable - up to 75% of children successfully survive, however, the baby cannot do without resuscitation medical care.

28 week

Everything is happening in a child's body as in an adult's body, only the lungs are not working yet. And yet every day the baby's internal organs improve in their functional duties: the heart beats rhythmically and supplies blood to the entire child's body, the kidneys produce up to half a liter of urine per day, the bladder is regularly emptied, the pancreas produces insulin, the bone marrow produces blood cells, reproductive glands are sex hormones, and all this is wisely guided by the brain, which has already acquired grooves and convolutions.

It's believed that the baby enters the perinatal period of its development, preceding childbirth. His height reaches 38 centimeters, weight varies from 1100 to one and a half kilograms... How much the fetus should weigh is difficult to say - now everything is purely individual (there are children big and large, there are small, miniature ones). There is a tendency for gender differences in weight - boys are becoming a little heavier than girls.

Eyelashes grow and cheeks are rounded. No chubby priests yet, but it's a matter of time. The color of the iris of the eyes changes from blue to the one provided by the baby's genome. One tenth of the thin, colorless lanugo hair covering the child's body has already fallen out, the rest are striving to do the same. There is almost no physiological need for lanugo and cheese-like lubrication - the skin has become more durable, four-layer. Lubrication is retained only in the folds under the knees, in the groin, in the elbow folds and in the cervical fold. If twins or triplets grow in the mother's womb, then right now the expectant mother goes on maternity leave due to her by law.

If childbirth occurs now, 90% of children survive without significant health consequences.

Week 29

The child keeps getting heavy - now he can already weigh from one and a half kilograms with an increase of 39 centimeters... Subcutaneous fat now makes up about 5% of its total mass, and this is an impressive result for a crumb. His chances of survival in case of premature birth rose to 96-97%. The consequences of childbirth at this time, of course, can be very different, but for most children everything goes well.

At this time, a very significant event occurs - the differentiation of the cerebral cortex is completed, and now the baby interacts more consciously with the world around him... He can catch the umbilical cord, suck his thumb, and knows about 70 more different reflex skills that will help him survive immediately after birth.

30 week

At this time, all pregnant women with one fetus go on maternity leave. A wonderful period begins when a woman can enjoy her position, engage in her favorite hobby, and prepare for the birth of a baby. Anxiety in the current period is the incorrect position of the baby in the uterus. The one that was established by the 30th week is usually already final, and if now the baby is sitting on the priest or lying across, then after a month and a half the doctor will raise the question of prescribing a cesarean section for a woman so as not to expose the child's life and health to an unreasonable risk of birth trauma.

It becomes closer and closer inside the uterus. The movements are still active, but all children are already in the flexion position. The growth of an average baby at 30 weeks is about 40-41 centimeters, a child weighs from 1600 grams.

31 weeks

The beginning of this week ends with the seventh month. By this time the baby came with a height of 42 centimeters, he grew heavier up to 1800 grams, there are already children who weigh under 2 kilograms.

There are no more multiple folds on the skin, almost all the hairs have fallen out - lanugo, the remnants will fall out in the last weeks of pregnancy, and if they do not fall out, the child will get rid of lanugo after birth on its own, without the help of parents and medical workers.

If before the stomach, cheeks, butt were getting better, then arms and legs are now beginning to recover... The ears, represented by a relatively soft cartilaginous tissue, by this time harden somewhat and cease to bristle to the sides, adjoin the head. If a child is born right now, then according to the degree of softness of the auricles, neonatologists will assess the degree of his prematurity. Those born at this time usually survive well without significant consequences for the body., but medical assistance from resuscitators will be required without fail, since the baby will still be considered premature, its lungs are not mature enough.

Babies 7 months pregnant are very emotional... Observant mothers already know what the baby likes and what not, when he is active, and when he sleeps, what sounds scare him.

The activity will soon decline, because there is not enough space in the womb, but while parents can enjoy unforgettable moments: the baby can pound his fist in the stomach in response to the palm laid by his father, he can react to the gentle voice of his mother.

Well-being of the expectant mother

At the very beginning of the seventh month, a woman will not feel any dramatic changes in her well-being beyond what was last month, but by the second half of this period, everything will begin to change, and you need to be prepared for this.

Women often complain of increased sweating... Indeed, in the seventh month, sweating increases, especially if a woman is mobile, walks a lot, works, and it is summer outside. She may start to throw it into the heat, then into the cold - the expectant mother remembers these feelings in the first trimester, in the earliest stages of pregnancy. But then this was due to the action of the hormone progesterone, but now the reason is in a sharp increase in the amount of blood circulating in the female body and an increase in metabolism.

Right now, the liquid can begin to linger in the tissues, and then the gynecologist on the examination will certainly inform that the woman has edema and offer her inpatient or day care supportive care. Edema is not difficult to recognize - in the morning, the face looks like a mask of the Chinese emperor of the Ming dynasty, and a clear mark on the skin remains from a ring or bracelet on the arm. Shoes can feel tight if your feet are swollen.

Edema cannot be considered the norm, and you should not even try to reassure yourself that "everyone has them." Edema is a sign of gestosis... This is the name of late toxicosis. It is more dangerous than the early one because the edema can still be internal. Gestosis can lead to complications during childbirth and even cause the death of a woman and a fetus.

It is from this month that it is recommended to reduce the amount of salt and fluid consumed, adjust your own nutrition and carefully monitor the weight gain.

Allocations

Due to the increased amount of blood in the body, vaginal discharge increases. This is normal, but only if the woman does not have lower abdominal pain, and there is no bloody or brown discharge. Healthy discharge - white or clear, odorless or with a slight kefir smell, no itching.

If pink, beige, heterogeneous discharge with clots, blood discharge of any intensity appear, you need to call an ambulance - it is possible that a woman is threatened with premature birth.

With timely hospitalization, pregnancy can be prolonged in all cases, except for the presence of an ongoing labor process with contractions and outpouring of water.

The cause of green or gray foul-smelling discharge at this time is an infection... White discharge with itching and dryness - thrush. If something like this begins, you need to visit your doctor in order to get an appointment for treatment, since before delivery the genital tract must be clean, free of infections, otherwise the issue of a caesarean section may be considered in order to protect the child from infection.

Stomach

The belly cannot be hidden. He is big and even in loose clothes, anyone can easily determine that a woman is in a position. The uterus has risen above the level of the navel and compresses the diaphragm. Because of this, the woman has a constant feeling that she does not have enough air, that it is difficult to breathe. Your ribs may start to hurt.

It seems to the expectant mother that her belly is already very big, in any case, in order to fasten her boots or tie her laces, she already needs outside help. At the same time, there are women who complain of too small a belly. This makes them worry about the baby's development. There is no reason to think that the baby is bad in a small belly. Just a small belly may be because a woman has a wide pelvis, there are extra pounds, oligohydramnios is diagnosed, the fetus is not large... Just share your experiences with the doctor - he will definitely tell you if everything is in order with the baby.

Many women experience so-called training or false contractions this month. (the abdomen becomes tight, the uterus is toned for a few seconds, and then relaxes again). Such contractions are completely normal, as is the absence of such contractions. False contractions have no effect either on the term of childbirth or on the condition of the baby. It is believed that this is how the body of women prepares for childbirth.

The abdomen must continue to be moisturized and nourished with a fat baby cream or special remedies for stretch marks - the skin stretches too quickly. The weight gain is now between 200 and 400 grams per week, and most of that weight should be attributed to your child's overweight.

Pain

The load on the spine increases. The center of gravity has changed. That is why the back hurts more and more often, especially if you stand or sit for a long time. In some women, the pubic bone begins to hurt. Be sure to inform your doctor about this. The divergence of the pelvic bones before childbirth is a natural mechanism for facilitating the birth process, but excessive divergence can lead to symphysitis.

The rest of the sensations are quite individual: the breast grows, colostrum can be excreted. Some again begin to suffer from insomnia, but now not because of progesterone, but because they have to sleep only on their side, and rolling from side to side can be problematic. Many are tormented by episodic heartburn and diarrhea (the uterus presses on the intestines and stomach).

Particular attention should be paid to your psychological and emotional state - with the development of depression, the likelihood of severe postpartum depression now significantly increases, and therefore it is better to turn to a psychologist or psychotherapist for help right now, if there has been no mood for more than two weeks, if something that was interesting earlier, Has ceased to attract if you do not want anything or there is a strong fear of childbirth.

What is allowed and what is prohibited?

In the seventh month, it is important for a woman to pay special attention to the prevention of premature birth.

Forbidden:

be nervous, be under prolonged stress;
lift weights and harass yourself with workouts in the gym;
experience strong vibrations;
jumping;
alcohol (even champagne, even in small quantities).

Now about what is allowed, but with restrictions.

Sex is not prohibited if the woman has no pathologies of the current pregnancy, if the doctor does not object to the active intimate life of his patient. Sex life will require an attentive and tactful attitude on the part of the partner - the postures should be delicate, you should not put pressure on your stomach. Orgasm helps to improve the emotional state of a woman, and also prepares the muscles of the uterus for childbirth. But everything should be in moderation. There are cases when orgasm led to premature birth.
Treatment... A woman can have her teeth treated, if necessary. Any treatment should be coordinated with an obstetrician-gynecologist, since at this time, colds, tonsillitis, flu, chickenpox and herpes are no longer so dangerous for a baby as unauthorized treatment with medicines and folk remedies.
Travels... A flight at 7 months is allowed, but only if women do not have pathologies of pregnancy, hypertension. It is not recommended to fly to exotic countries, as acclimatization may require too much strength from the female body. From this time on, some airlines ask to show a certificate, certified by a doctor's seal, stating that the doctor does not object to the flight and does not consider it dangerous, before admitting a passenger "in position" on the plane. When purchasing a ticket, check with the representative of the carrier company.
You can dye your hair and extend your nails, but only with the use of the safest formulations.
Calling an ambulance at the 7th month of pregnancy is necessary in cases where bleeding has opened, watery discharge has appeared (water), regular contractions have developed (the abdomen becomes tight at regular intervals, which are getting shorter).
Try to avoid injuries and falls... If this happens, consult a doctor immediately to make sure that everything is fine with the child.