Fourth month of pregnancy

The fourth month of pregnancy usually brings to the life of the future mother more calm, measured. She has already become accustomed to her new position, her body has adapted to the revolutionary changes characteristic of the past first trimester, the main dangers for mother and fetus are left behind.

The fourth trimester, which is often called the “golden one,” opens the fourth month of pregnancy, because a woman’s condition still allows her to do everything she likes, not to limit herself to diet and physical activity, at the same time she is not so worried about the outcome of pregnancy, because The risk of miscarriage is significantly reduced after the end of the first trimester.

The fourth month includes 14, 15, 16, 17 weeks and partially takes several days from the 18th week. Four full obstetric months - 16 weeks, but obstetric months differ from the calendar in that they have exactly 4 weeks, and a little more in the calendar months.

The fruit has achieved great success: absolutely all internal organs and systems are formed and all of them are already working, except for the lungs. But the lungs do not idle either - they begin to swell and contract occasionally - the baby "rehearses" the respiratory movements. So his chest will expand with self-breathing after birth. It will be interesting to know how the child feels weekly.

Imagine a ripe peach. This is the size of the child now. He grew to 13-14 centimeters and gained weight up to 50 grams. With such a solid increase in weight is not enough. Therefore, the baby looks rather pitiful - a very thin, all wrinkled and red baby, which has no subcutaneous fatty tissue, does not look like the images of cute baby dolls from posters about pregnancy and childbirth. But it is temporary.

The hairline on the head began to grow - there are children who already have a very impressive haircut under the length, but so far all the kids, without exception, are blond. There are no pigments in the children's body that color the skin and hair. But your baby has already acquired its own identification sign - fingerprints. The skin pattern on the fingertips is not repeated, your baby is already unique.

The optic nerve reaches the degree of development in which the baby no longer needs to be in constant darkness. The eyes, the formation of which continues, are already beginning to distinguish light from darkness. If you send a very bright light on a woman’s tummy, the baby will begin to blink and his movements will become more restless and active.

The brain begins to gradually establish control over the work of the organs and systems of the small organism. But it’s too early to talk about fully coordinated movements. By the way, at the current time the child has mastered a smile, but here it is still unconscious, it is a reflex contraction of facial muscles.

Your treasure in the womb becomes smarter - at this time, the first gyrus and grooves on the brain begin to appear.In connection with this, new cells of the nervous system, neurons, begin to form at a breakneck pace. They interact and form the first neural connections.

The baby becomes more mobile. His entire body is covered with a thick lubricant that protects skin as thin as parchment from the effects of amniotic fluid. The lubricant is fixed on the skin by a layer of thin hair devoid of pigmentation - lanugo. As the skin becomes stronger, the lanugo will begin to fall out and the lubricant will disappear. For childbirth, it will remain only in deep skin folds.

The child grew up to 16 centimeters. Finally, the weight has shifted from its place - now it reaches almost 100 grams. The liver is working, the work of the gallbladder and ducts begins. Bile, getting into the intestine, paints the original feces (meconium) in dark green or even black. This is how the baby will be emptied for several days after birth.

It is believed that in this period, babies begin to have dreams. But physiologists are sure this is a fallacy. Dreams will be available to babies a little later, when certain areas of the brain are ripe, but for now the small trembling of the eyeballs under tightly closed eyelids can only be regarded as the beginning of the work of the eye muscles. Their formation is just completed. The eyelids themselves have acquired cilia. The frontal lobe of the brain is actively growing, so the forehead begins to protrude somewhat forward.

Your baby has grown to 17 centimeters, and the weight gain is about 30-40 grams, now it weighs almost 130 grams.

All muscles are formed, but not all of them are still workable. One of the first to acquire the ability to move and contract facial muscles of facial expression, and the arsenal of different faces and grimaces expands.

The hearing aid is reaching a new level - now the crumbs of the high-frequency range are available. He hears the phone ring, and already distinguishes his mother's voice from his father.

The baby has a blood type and Rh factor, and its own hemoglobin appears at the current time. On ultrasound scanning, you can accurately determine the sex of the child.

The child has mastered what adults will diligently wean him from after birth - he spits and yawns. His appearance acquires individual traits. If the embryos resemble each other, then at this stage there are obvious differences - the characteristic shape of the nose or high forehead, long eyelashes or thick eyebrows. The kid begins to acquire those external features that are given to him by nature and the genome from the parents.

The baby has grown up to 20 centimeters, weighs more than 160 grams and now the weight will come more actively, because from this week begins to form subcutaneous fatty tissue to gradually save the child from being thin.

The kid can make the first conscious movement - previously they were all involuntary. An instinctive skill that saves people’s life is formed - the instinct of self-preservation. If the child is now frightened by a loud sound, he will shrink, will group.

Life is getting better, and even those who suffer from incredible toxicosis feel it. A woman notices that she began to look better (in most cases this is the case). Hair becomes more brilliant, strong nails, improves color and condition of the skin. All this makes the hormone progesterone for the future mother, which creates all the conditions for the successful procreation.

The state of health is facilitated at once in several directions. The psychological and emotional background begins to gradually level off.Unsustainable reactions, raging emotions and tearfulness with irritability are a thing of the past, as the psyche adapts to new conditions. The growing uterus rises higher, it has already gone beyond the pelvis and is now in the abdominal cavity. Its size is not strongly constrained by other internal organs, so there is no great inconvenience, but there is relief - the pressure on the bladder has decreased, frequent urination stops bothering the expectant mother.

Breast grows up another half the size and now represents a special pride of women. The nipples may darken, small bumps may appear on them, which are referred to as Montgomery tubercles. Breast on this period usually does not hurt, there is only a small sensation of hypersensitivity in the nipple area. In multiparous colostrum may begin to secrete.

Progesterone does everything to make the baby feel comfortable in the uterus - stores glucose and fat in the female body in case of hunger, softens the uterine muscles, removes tone. But he also has side effects - so, it is he (and not the growth of hair on the baby’s head, as many people think) that causes frequent heartburn, increased gas formation and periodic disorder of the bowels.

The woman continues to change taste preferences, there are some quirks. Some people start to eat salty, although they didn’t like such food before, others want to smell the rails in the subway, and still others demand that their husband urgently get them fresh strawberries in February. This is not related to the whims, as many think. A woman actually needs what she asks. For a long time, medicine tried to explain this need by saying that the child lacks something that is contained in the desired product. But lately, this version was abandoned, leaving the reasons unclear.

When walking for a long time or standing, the loin is sore. But this does not mean that the pain is sharp. Speech about a small in the lower abdomen and lower back - such sensations are due to the onset of sprains that hold the uterus. This is normal, do not worry.

In a relaxed state, lying on their backs, women who give birth not for the first time, at the end of the third month can already feel the first movements of the child. The more active the woman, the more she moves, the less chances to feel the tremors of the crumbs so early. Usually, the woman feels the first stir in the evening, before going to bed, when she is completely relaxed.

Belly at 4 months of pregnancy may already be visually. Previously, it will appear in thin women. For full ladies, an “interesting position” may be imperceptible at a later date. The abdomen grows due to the exit of the uterus from the pelvis and its gradual rise up. The tummy looks very neat, it is small, and it makes no sense to guess whether the boy is in it or the girl is in the shape of the belly - it already shows ultrasound, besides the popular method of determining the sex in shape and size of the abdomen does not stand up to any sensible criticism.

If a woman does not want others to reveal her secret, while you can not worry - the tummy is not too noticeable, at any time you can say that you just recovered, and they still believe you. You can not squeeze the growing fruit of clothing with tight belts, tight clothes. It's time to start wearing freer models that don't exert any pressure on your stomach. Moreover, you can not slacken the stomach - it can be deadly for the crumbs.

It is imperative to follow the weight gain from this period. Optimally, of course, to do this from the very beginning of pregnancy, as a last resort, at least to know your initial weight before the onset of pregnancy. Since 4 months, the placenta is actively growing and developing, and therefore the amount of blood in the future mother’s body increases dramatically. This fact alone leads to an increase. In the first trimester, a woman could already gain a few kilograms or lose weight due to nausea, toxemia and the inability to eat normally, but now she will only gain and no other way.

Control of weight is important to carry out weekly at home, and once a month at a scheduled reception at the doctor to report on their own measurements. This will help the doctor to quickly notice the possible tendency to excess body weight, as well as earlier suspect invisible to the eye and very dangerous internal edema that may occur in the future mother.

The following can be considered the norm of weight gain for this month (depending on the weight of the woman before the beginning of pregnancy):

• for very thin women, it is permissible to add 4.5 kilograms from the beginning of the pregnancy to their original weight;
• for women of normal constitution without signs of excess weight - 3-3.5 kg;
• for women with excess weight - no more than 2.5 kilograms.

If a woman has gained 6 kilograms by the middle of the fourth month, this is an unequivocal excess. It is necessary to discuss this situation with the doctor. Excess weight, which will be acquired now, can cause severe preeclampsia in the third trimester, a complication of childbirth. It can cause fetal hypoxia, as well as hypertension in a woman.

Symptoms of toxicosis by the beginning of 4 months retreat in 80% of women who suffered at an early period, and by the end of 4 months only one in 10 such women continues to experience discomfort, but in her they are noticeably lighter than they were before. The immunity of the woman has adapted to the new endocrine conditions, he has ceased to fight and fight the fetus, the child is no longer threatened with intrauterine death due to inadequate response of the mother’s immune system. The placenta began to work, and therefore the pressure on the woman’s blood circulation and metabolism has changed. The disappearance of toxicosis is associated with this.

If this is the case, enjoy your special position and status. If there is still nausea, odor intolerance, then try to follow these recommendations:

• add more protein in the diet (do not overdo it, it will be enough 100 grams plus the existing menu);
• coordinate with the doctor the opportunity to take salty foods - salt helps to cope with nausea and its consequences, restores the salt balance, but do not forget about heavy drinking;
• try not to eat in large portions, crush the diet into 6-7 receptions, make each portion small, so that it can digest faster;
• eat more vegetables and fruits;
• Keep a bottle of lemon essential oil on hand - if you feel nauseous, add a drop on your wrist and breathe it for about a minute.

Colds, the flu and other diseases that can lie in wait anywhere in the fourth month are not as dangerous as in the first trimester. This is due to the full performance of the placenta of its duties - it is an additional protective barrier between the child and the female body. But still better to take care of yourself.

If you now want to fly on a long-awaited vacation, you can safely go for it - the flight does not hurt, flying a plane during this period is not prohibited. Even if the airline representatives notice your situation, they will not ask for a doctor’s certificate confirming the safety of your trip. If you fly to the sea, try to avoid overheating and long exposure to the sun.

Sex is not prohibited unless the doctor has a different opinion on this matter. A different opinion appears, if there is a threat, problems with the cervix, placenta previa. In other cases, the spouses are free to do anything - the stomach does not bother them yet. But now we should avoid postures in which the partner will put his weight on the woman's abdomen.

Forbidden and dangerous:

• smoke and take alcoholic beverages, psychotropic substances;
• take any drugs without the knowledge and approval of the doctor;
• eat raw meat and drink milk that has not been pasteurized;
• lift weights and arrange severe physical tests and loads;
• wear tight clothes;
• contact with chemicals;
• wear high-heeled shoes (the center of gravity is already changing).

Remember that any self-treatment is strictly prohibited. Menstruation cannot go on for 4 months, and therefore when bloody or spotting brown discharge appears, especially if the lower abdomen is pulled, the best thing a woman can do is contact the Ambulance. Bleeding is an emergency, and with timely medical care, the child can still be saved. If the blood from the nose has gone, the ambulance is not needed. Just attach the ice to the nose. With pregnant women, after an increase in the amount of circulating blood, nosebleeds can be quite common.