There is already quite a bit of time left before the baby is born. This article will tell you about the characteristics of fetal development at 33 weeks.
Anatomical features
Fetometric indicators are important clinical markers to assess the intensity of intrauterine development of the fetus. They provide the doctor with information about the size of the fetus. With the help of such a simple test, the doctor can assess the parameters of the baby's torso, and also suspect the presence of any emerging pathologies in him.
Fetometry is the most important diagnostic test used all over the world. For its implementation, special ultrasonic devices are used. Modern devices make it possible to obtain an image of the fetus and study the basic parameters of its body quite easily. The research results that are carried out on such equipment are quite accurate.
The main parameters studied are body length and body weight. For each period of intrauterine life, their normal values are different. In their work, doctors use a special table. It contains all the normal values of the studied parameters characteristic of each week of pregnancy. Such a table is presented below.
After the fetometry, the expectant mother should definitely consult a doctor. By itself, a fetometric conclusion is not a diagnosis. Only an obstetrician-gynecologist who observes the development of a particular pregnancy can assess the intensity of intrauterine development of the fetus.
How is it developing?
There are only a few weeks left before the baby is born. In this short time, the child's body must have time to prepare for this important event. Most of the internal organs and systems have already been formed, but they are not yet functioning at full strength. The organs will truly begin to carry out their work after the baby is born.
About the nervous system
Quite specific changes take place in the PNS: every day the work of receptors, which are present in large numbers in the child's body, is improving. The active development of the baby's sense organs contributes to the fact that he has his own feelings.
A baby at 32-33 weeks already distinguishes tastes quite well. The fetus has such an opportunity due to the fact that there are quite a few receptors - papillae - on its tongue. The amniotic fluid, when it gets on the tongue when swallowed, causes a certain taste in the baby: it can be sweet, salty and even bitter.
The outside of the baby's eyes are covered by the eyelids, with which he can open and close them.
Another interesting feature of this period of pregnancy is the ability of the fetus to respond to bright light. If one gets on the child's face, then he will try in every possible way to turn away from him. At the same time, the child experiences quite significant discomfort.
In an uncomfortable state, the baby changes his motor activity - he begins to kick more and harder. This is a kind of signal for his mother that the baby is uncomfortable.
The number of receptors on the baby's skin increases every day. At 33 weeks, the fetus is already able to respond to the occurrence of pain impulses. This reaction is normal. It indicates that the child's body is gradually preparing for the new environmental conditions.
The ability to perceive sounds is another manifestation of the work of nerve analyzers, characteristic of this period of pregnancy. The range of sounds perceived by the baby at this stage of his intrauterine life is already quite large.
Scientists have found that at 32-33 weeks of gestation, the baby perceives lower sounds with great pleasure. Therefore, the baby reacts quite well when his dad "talks" to him.
About the lungs and respiration of the fetus
Lung activation is perhaps a very important feature of this period of pregnancy. Every day surfactant accumulates in the alveoli. This special substance prevents the "sticking" of the pulmonary vesicles during breathing. In the absence of a surfactant, spontaneous breathing is impossible in humans.
Every day, the respiratory muscles of the fetus are developing. This is largely facilitated by the frequent swallowing of amniotic fluid. When the fluid is swallowed, the muscles that are part of the respiratory muscles of the fetus are also actively involved.
After swallowing large amounts of amniotic fluid, the baby usually hiccups frequently. These manifestations of the vital activity of the fetus are also felt by its mother. In this case, the woman feels small movements in her stomach. They are usually of moderate intensity. Hiccups in the fetus is a completely normal condition and is necessary for its full intrauterine development.
Already fairly well-formed lungs ensure that a baby born at 33 weeks is viable. In order for the baby to be able to exist independently, it is very important that he can breathe. The presence of a surfactant makes breathing possible. However, babies born at this time often have pathologies. In this case, special medical care for the newborn will be required, as well as rehabilitation measures.
About heartbeat
In order for the baby to be able to independently exist outside the mother's womb, it is very important that his heart works. By 33 weeks, a small heart has almost the same structure as in adults.
A distinctive feature of the fetal heart is the presence of a tiny opening between the atria. This is normal. This hole will close when the baby is born and begins to breathe on its own.
The main function of the heart is to pump blood through the blood vessels. Scientists have found that a baby who weighs only a couple of kilograms has a heart that can pump a lot of blood per day. Normal cardiac activity allows the delivery of nutrients and oxygen to all internal organs necessary for their full functioning.
Despite the fact that the fetus is still relatively small, its heart beats much faster than that of an adult. This feature is largely due to the differences between adult and child metabolism. A growing child's body requires a lot more nutrients and oxygen.
You can assess the work of the heart using a fairly simple test. To do this, doctors count the number of heartbeats within a minute. Since the baby is already quite large, such a rather simple study can be carried out not only with the help of an ultrasound scan, but also using an obstetric stethoscope. The fetal heart rate is shown in the table below.
If the fetal heart beats normally, then doctors call this clinical condition normocardia. Tachycardia is a too fast heart rate. If the heart rate is significantly lower than the established norm, then this condition is called bradycardia.
Assessment of the fetal heart rate is very important. It allows you to assess how comfortable the baby is in the mother's womb.
If the baby's heart beats too fast, then this may be a sign of developed hypoxia. In this condition, oxygen starvation of the internal organs occurs due to a deficiency in the supply of oxygen to them. Hypoxia is an unfavorable condition for the fetus and is dangerous by the development of a number of undesirable pathologies.
About sex differences
By the 33rd week of intrauterine life, babies already have sexual characteristics quite well. So, boys even have their own testosterone in their blood. The testicles are formed. In some boys, they have even descended from the abdominal cavity into the scrotum.
Girls have formed a set of female reproductive cells. A sufficient number of eggs is necessary for a woman to develop a reproductive function in the future.
Movement
By the 33rd week of pregnancy, the baby's motor activity changes: the number of active movements performed by the child gradually decreases. This is largely due to the fact that the baby is already quite large and it simply becomes cramped in the uterus. Even though the child is no longer moving and pushing that much, his mother can still feel such movements.
As a rule, the child is very active during the day, while at night the baby usually sleeps or rests. However, the imperfect structure of the cerebral cortex contributes to the fact that the fetus can confuse the time of day. In this case, he can wake up his mother in the middle of the night with strong kicks.
In this situation, a pregnant woman should take a deep breath, drink some water and try to tell her baby a fairy tale. These actions should calm the baby, and his physical activity will decrease.
What does it look like?
All parts of the face are already quite well defined in the baby. The child's nose has a fairly clear outline. The forehead is also pronounced, which no longer looks as flat as before. The baby's auricles are small and fairly clearly contoured.
At the 33rd week of pregnancy, the cheeks of the fetus already become quite plump. This is due to the fact that subcutaneous fatty tissue increases under the skin.
Note that fat accumulates not only in the projection of the face, but also on the abdomen, buttocks, and limbs. All this contributes to the fact that the fetus has characteristic dimples and folds inherent in all children.
The baby's body is covered with a special fluffy hairline - lanugo. But gradually the vellus hairs begin to fall off. This contributes to the fact that the skin of the fetus becomes smoother. Head hair, eyelashes and eyebrows grow more and more every day.
How is the fetus located in the womb?
The method of delivery techniques largely depends on the location of the baby in the uterus. If the baby is positioned correctly - in the head presentation, then the risk of birth injuries is significantly reduced. By 33 weeks, the baby gradually takes a stable position in the uterus. A change in the position of the fetus in the mother's womb is possible, but it happens quite rarely at this time.
A less favorable option for the location of the baby is the lateral position. In this case, the fetus is perpendicular to the longitudinal axis of the uterus. With this arrangement of the baby, natural independent childbirth can be dangerous by the development of a number of complications. Doctors try to avoid this and resort to caesarean section.
Another rather unfavorable option for how the baby is in the uterus is breech presentation. In this case, the baby's pelvis is located first to the birth canal. Spontaneous childbirth with such a presentation can also be fraught with the development of serious damage to both the mother and the fetus. If the baby does not turn over before giving birth, then doctors can also resort to performing a cesarean section.
The tactics of obstetrics are selected individually and depends on many related factors. An obstetrician-gynecologist decides on the possibility of independent childbirth, who monitors the course of a particular pregnancy and knows its features.
For what happens at 33 weeks of gestation, see the next video.
