Never again will there be so many changes in a child in a limited amount of time as now, when the first trimester of pregnancy is underway. At 7 obstetric weeks, the baby changes daily, constantly, every minute.
The processes that take place inside the mother's womb can be compared to magic or miracle. About how the baby has become by this time, and what awaits him in the next seven days, we will tell in this material.
Baby's age - two views on the term
7 obstetric week corresponds to the full 4 weeks of the baby's life from the moment of conception. The fifth week has gone. Since ovulation in different women occurs at different times, but in most cases in the very middle of the cycle, it is more convenient for obstetricians to calculate the period from the first day of the last menstruation to simplify the task. Therefore, a woman may be confused, because she is used to counting the embryonic term.
In fact, all medical examinations, all ultrasound standards and test results are always indicated in obstetric weeks, and therefore now, when a little more than 4 weeks have occurred since conception, and after a delay of only 2 full weeks, it is the seventh week of pregnancy.
If 7 weeks have passed since the conception of your baby, then we are talking about a completely different period - it is 9 weeks of pregnancy.
Embryo development
At 7 weeks, it is believed that the most critical period in terms of the likelihood of losing a baby is already behind. In fact, the threat of termination of pregnancy is still very high, because the baby is very vulnerable, any unfavorable factor can affect its development.
While your baby is still considered an embryo. In fact, a transitional neo-fetal period begins, which will last 2 weeks. At the 9th week of pregnancy, the fetal period of intrauterine development will begin, and then everyone will officially call the baby a fetus, and not an embryo.
Now the baby is in a transitional stage - in fact, he is no longer an embryo, but not yet a fetus. Therefore, it can be called both an embryo and a fetus. Many doctors are inclined to believe that the baby is already worthy of being called a fetus, therefore, in the conclusion of an ultrasound scan at this time, they already write that it is the fetus that is visualized inside the uterus.
The early embryonic period was left behind, when the baby was an accumulation of cells that were dividing. Now it has acquired a shape similar to human, and this similarity is increasing every day.
Height and weight
A little more than four weeks have passed since the moment of conception, but the crumb has increased from the day of conception by about 10 thousand times! The embryo-fetus is growing very intensively, and at the very beginning of this week its growth will be about half as much as at its end.
At 6-7 obstetric weeks, the baby's height is about 2 centimeters. At the end of the week, growth will increase to 5 centimeters. The weight does not come so quickly, the stage at which the child begins to gain grams has not yet started. In the meantime, the baby's weight is slightly less than a gram, on average - 0.8 grams.
The size of the crumbs can now be compared with the solid size of the beans. But this is its entire size - along with the membranes. Mom's uterus has already grown one and a half times, and now it is the size of an orange. The kid-"bean" is still very comfortable and spacious in it, there is enough space in the uterine cavity.
Nervous system
The baby's body at this time looks disproportionate. The largest part of his body is his head. It is not yet even, not round, drop-shaped, but its impressive size is not a whim of nature, but an urgent need for that.
Now the baby looks like a tadpole because its brain grows more intensively than all other organs. At week 7, the brain is already divided into two hemispheres - left and right. The brain substance is formed at a rapid pace.
These days, a lot is decided for the baby, since five cavities resembling bubbles are formed in his head. It is these cavities that are destined to soon become parts of the brain.
Each “bubble” will correspond to one of the brain regions. The neural tube is not closed yet the development of the nervous system is very intensive.
It is during these seven days, which belong to the seventh obstetric week, that the formation and development of the network of nerve fibers begins. It is they who will soon have to connect the brain and spinal cord with all internal organs.
If the network is formed correctly and accurately, the baby should not have problems with the functioning of the central nervous system, but if negative factors now intervene in this process, then serious malformations are not excluded - microcephaly (decrease in the size of the brain), hydrocephalus (dropsy of the brain ), anencephaly (absence of the brain), various neural tube defects. In most cases, such vices are not compatible with life.
Often they accompany the fetus with chromosomal pathologies, and it is the anomaly at the level of the chromosomal set in this case that is the main negative factor that "interferes" with the formation of the nervous system and the brain at 6-7 obstetric weeks.
Everything that is happening to the expectant mother and baby now can be described in a nutshell - a global restructuring. That is why now a woman should be especially careful and attentive to her health, not to be exposed to tobacco smoke, the smell of paints, varnishes, radiation, not to be in places with strong vibration, not to take medicines and other substances without medical evidence.
Internal organs
The baby's body does not yet look like a human in our usual sense, but it does not even resemble the embryo of an animal. Through the translucent shells and transparent skin, internal organs are visible, which are already beginning to take their place.
So, this week the only intestine is still undergoing transformations. It is divided into three main sections - the stomach, larynx and esophagus. The upper part of the intestine is connected to the only organ of the respiratory system so far - the trachea. The lower one from this week begins to turn into the urogenital sinus.
The rectum and appendix are forming. The middle of the intestine extends into the umbilical cord. These days, the laying of the biliary tract has begun, and the emerging pancreas begins to produce its own insulin.
As already stated, the respiratory organs are still few in number - only the trachea is present, but this week the formation of the lungs and bronchi begins, a start has already been made. It is in the fifth embryonic week that vision begins to form.
The convex part of the anterior cerebral bladder begins to protrude forward, it is from this that the development of the optic nerves and retina begins. The eyes are still similar to dark dots located on the sides of the head. Over time, they will begin to approach the center of the face to their proper place.
This week, the heart of the baby becomes four-chambered, it pumps blood throughout the small body. In this he is helped by blood vessels, which are also actively developing. Large blood vessels grow especially actively this week.
Baby gender
The sex of the child is determined immediately at the moment of conception and remains a big secret until a certain date. 7 obstetric week is no exception. The gender is not yet distinguishable. It is not possible to define it.
The embryo develops regardless of gender. However, it is this week that the genital ridges are already forming, which will soon become the sex glands.
Where the genitals will soon be located, a genital tubercle appears this week. A little later, in boys, it will turn into a penis, and in girls, into the labia. In the meantime, the bumps in babies of both sexes look the same. It is impossible to find out the sex of the child from them. Sex hormones are not yet produced in the child's body.
Methods for determining sex by fetal heartbeat, by blood updates, by parental blood group are not reliable from the point of view of official medicine and are more reminiscent of fortune-telling on coffee grounds - matches are possible with a probability of 50% - either a boy or a girl.
Appearance
The appearance of the baby is still not very human, but every day the baby is becoming more and more like him. The baby has a nose bud this week. And if not for the wide-set eyes, the face of the crumbs would already resemble a human face.
This week the inner ear begins to form and the auricles begin to form. While they look only like small seals of cartilaginous tissue, but soon they will become our usual ears, and the baby will be able to hear.
The laying of milk teeth begins, the upper and lower jaws are formed. The spinal column is formed, and the baby these days "will receive" the first cervical bend at his full disposal. From the inherent position of the embryo - bent - the baby gradually begins to emerge. This week he will begin to unbend his body like a caterpillar.
There are no feet on the legs yet, but their rudiments have already appeared, and where there will soon be heels, there are seals - future marigolds, which will move to the toes immediately after their formation.
All embryos have a tail. At week 7, it is shortened almost twice, after a week or two it will become a rudiment and turn into a tailbone. The lower limbs in children at this gestational age develop much more slowly than the arms.
His upper limbs now look like oars or shoulder blades - this is how the hands are formed. The fingers have not yet separated, there is a dense skin membrane between them, but very soon they can be counted on an ultrasound scan.
The umbilical cord is becoming denser, this week it becomes a connecting link between the young, barely formed placenta, which is now only a little over a centimeter thick, and the baby. The uteroplacental blood flow begins to debug, but the placenta is still far from full work. While the main work on feeding the child is done by the yolk sac.
What can a kid do?
The baby begins to move at 7 weeks. Naturally, the expectant mother cannot feel this. There is still enough time until the moment when she begins to feel the movements of her son or daughter. However, the absence of sensation does not mean the absence of movement.
At 7 weeks obstetric measurement and at 5 embryonic weeks, the baby begins to bend and unbend the handles - the paddles in the wrist area. These are his first movements, which by the end of the week are already given easily and naturally.
A new skill that allows the baby to unbend the body can be noted on an ultrasound scan if a woman goes to it at this time. At the moment of maximum extension, they usually begin to measure the so-called CTE - the coccygeal-parietal size.
Ultrasound at 7 weeks
An ultrasound scan this week is not considered mandatory and is not recommended. If the state of health of the expectant mother does not cause anxiety and fear, she does not have pain, unusual discharge, then there is no need for ultrasound scanning.
The effect of ultrasound waves on a growing fetus is not fully understood, and therefore doctors recommend not to abuse this simple and indicative diagnosis.
The doctor may recommend an ultrasound scan at this time only in certain situations when there are very specific indications for conducting a study, without waiting for the first screening prenatal examination, which usually takes place from 10-11 weeks to 13 weeks of pregnancy, inclusive.
A woman will have to go to ultrasound diagnostics right now if, when registering in a consultation with a gynecologist, some doubts, concerns and questions arise. So, ultrasound is now shown:
- to confirm the fact of pregnancy;
- to establish the fact of an ectopic, frozen pregnancy;
- to confirm or refute multiple pregnancies;
- to examine the pelvic organs for signs of a threat of spontaneous abortion;
- to clarify the duration of pregnancy;
- to exclude complications of pregnancy with recurrent miscarriage;
- to obtain information about the peculiarities of pregnancy, which has occurred due to reproductive techniques, for example, IVF.
Ultrasound at this time is most often performed with an intravaginal sensor, since the fetus is still very small so that it can be seen through the denser anterior abdominal wall. The procedure does not take more than 15 minutes and is painless.
The doctor-somnologist this week necessarily assesses the viability of the fetus, specifies the number of fetuses, compares the size of the ovum with the norms for a given period. So far, only two parameters are used for this. One of them is measured between the inner walls of the membranes. It is called the average inner diameter of the ovum:
The average inner diameter of the ovum at 7 weeks of gestation:
A very important indicator is the outline of the ovum. If they are even, oval or round, of the correct shape, then the development of the baby does not cause questions. An egg that has undergone deformation, which has asymmetrical, uneven edges, can indicate both a threat of miscarriage and an ongoing miscarriage.
To clarify the time, now that the baby has learned to unbend, the coccygeal-parietal size can be used, although it is still so small that not every ultrasound machine is able to fix it.
State-of-the-art high-resolution machines, expert-grade machines, and an experienced examiner are the keys to a successful CTE measurement this week. Its norms are as follows.
Parietal-coccygeal size at 7 weeks of gestation:
The fetal heartbeat at 7 obstetric week sounds quite clear, the expectant mother will be able to experience incomparable sensations when the doctor will let her listen to the heart of her baby, who is only four actual weeks old. Heart rate (heart rate) is now in the range of 129-146 beats per minute.
On the monitor of an ultrasound scanner, a woman until she sees her baby in all its glory. But she will be shown a fertilized egg, which contains a tiny fetus, which looks like a dark spot in the uterine cavity with heterogeneous spots inside.
If an expert-grade apparatus is used, the outline of the head and rudiments of the hands can be seen.
Threats and risks
The most real threat this week is the threat of termination of pregnancy. Also, pregnancy may turn out to be ectopic or freeze, stop development. Some early pathologies are accompanied by severe symptoms - abdominal pain, the appearance of unusual discharge.
If a woman noticed something like this in herself, you should immediately consult a doctor to prevent miscarriage, detachment of the placenta.
Despite the fact that the risk of losing a baby is still great, in the overwhelming majority of cases, doctors manage to provide the necessary assistance to a pregnant woman, and in more than 85% of cases it is possible to maintain a pregnancy.
You shouldn't hesitate with registration. This week is the best time to contact an obstetrician-gynecologist, undergo an examination, pass mandatory tests and additional, if necessary (for example, determine the level of hCG as an indicator of the development of a baby), get an exchange card in your hands.
For more information on fetal development at week 7, see the video below.
