Fetus at 40 weeks gestation: norms and characteristics

The fact that obstetric week of pregnancy began 40 means that the child grows and develops in the mother’s stomach for exactly 38 weeks. It's almost gone 9 months, and the current week ends with the expected day of delivery.

What happens to the fetus, what the baby was at 40 weeks, we will tell in this material.

The baby has reached the maximum size. On this term of his height exceeds 50 centimeters, and the weight is on average at 3.5 kilograms. How much the baby weighs, while you can figure out only approximately.

The estimated weight of the fetus is determined during ultrasound. Special programs and algorithms embedded in the software of the ultrasound scanner, calculate the weight based on the basic fetometric dimensions. The error is about 14-15% of the actual body weight of the baby.

If an ultrasound is being performed now, then the somnologist will surely measure the main parameters of the baby. The average rate at this period of gestation is as follows:

• BPR (biparient head size) - 90-103 mm;
• LZR (frontal-occipital size) - 120 mm;
• DBK (length of the femur) - 75-77 mm;
• WPC (length of the humerus) - 75 mm;
• DKG (length of the bones of the lower leg) - 62-72 mm;
• Coolant (abdominal circumference) - 313-381 mm;
• Og (head circumference) - 312-362 mm.

The child now looks exactly the same, and how it will appear before the parents immediately after its birth. He has hilarious facial expressions. Due to the development of the facial muscles, the baby has mastered a dozen different faces and grimaces. If you now do a three-dimensional or four-dimensional ultrasound, you can see them in all its glory. Facial features are fully formed.

At 40 weeks old baby looks quite plump. He accumulated subcutaneous fat and now does not look thin and wrinkled. Handles, legs of the fetus acquired pleasant roundness, cheeks appeared. Wrinkles smoothed out, a small number of them remained only on the heels and palms.

Lanugo (down), which covered the body of the baby, disappeared about a month ago, and now the baby has pink, very soft, smooth and beautiful skin.

Protective original lubricant disappeared everywhere except for the limbs, neck folds and inguinal folds. It is theoretically possible mechanical friction with all the negative consequences, and therefore the lubricant is present and continues to perform protective functions.

The skin has ceased to be purple-red, since the blood vessels "distanced" from the surface of the skin. Between them and the skin now - a dense layer of subcutaneous fat.

Only the nervous system is undergoing active development in the body of the crumb. In it, with the formed brain and spinal cord, the process of establishing neural communication channels continues, which allow the brain to control all the processes in the Croix organism without exception. The rest of the systems and organs have long gone through the stages of formation and formation and are now working in full.

The heart beats at a rate of about 157 beats per minute.. The heartbeat is clear, rhythmic, if desired, the mother can listen to him and herself with the help of a home phonendoscope.

The lungs have a normal supply of surfactant. - A special substance that does not allow the alveoli to stick together during the first breath.

Digestive organs act in concert - the stomach digests the swallowed amniotic fluid, the intestine accumulates the very first in human life feces - meconium, a substance of black and green color.

The kidneys, the bladder “work” on removing excess fluid from the child’s body, the baby not only drinks, often hiccups, burping too much, but also regularly pees almost every hour. The amniotic fluid is being renewed, although there have been very few of them this week.

The development of the remaining organs is also complete. In 98% of boys, the testicles migrated into the scrotum, in the rest they will drop later, perhaps even after birth. The girls have completed the formation of external genital organs - the big lips cover up the small genitalia, and this is considered a sign of the maturity of the sexual characteristics of little princesses.

The boys 'scrotum and girls' labia now look slightly swollen. This is how the increased levels of maternal hormones, estrogen, which now “control” in her body, preparing her for the birth process, affect babies.

At 40 weeks of all the sense organs in a child, only the sense of smell is not yet developed, because he has no nasal breathing yet. Vision allows the baby to see spots, light contrasts.

Clear outlines of objects are not available to him yet, he will learn to focus his eyes later. Hearing is developed enough baby perfectly recognizes familiar voices, especially mom'sand is afraid of extraneous, harsh and unpleasant sounds.

The baby is oriented in the womb due to tactile sensations; at first after birth, tactile contact with the mother will remain one of the most important for him.

Well-developed taste buds are already making the baby in the womb a real gourmet - he feels the taste of amniotic fluid, picks up the slightest nuances of taste and shows his preferences - children love sweets, and garlic and onions, which mom ate for lunch, are unpleasant.

Active movements of the fetus by the 40th week subside, the baby becomes calmer. He is now very closely in the uterus, and the former activity is no longer available to him. The walls of the uterus completely encircles the body of the child, so the movements become more noticeable and even sometimes painful for his mother.

It seems to many that now the son or daughter moves a little. but the rate of movement remains the same with a decrease in their intensity - at least 10 episodes of activity in 12 hours. If the crumb has subsided for 5-6 hours, you should consult a doctor.

Almost all children in this week of pregnancy are in the right position - the head.The head is pressed to the exit of the small pelvis, the chin is brought to the chest, the pose of the baby is very similar to the pose that was grouped before the start of the athlete.

If this week the fetus is in pelvic or transverse presentation, then a cesarean section is usually performed. in order to eliminate the risk of such a baby birth injury. Independently turn to the correct position in the baby will not work, the chances are minimal.

The uterus is so cramped that the old habitual fun, such as playing with the umbilical cord, is hardly given to the baby, let alone the coups!

• A baby can be born at any time. And because a woman should be very attentive to their health and condition. When atypical discharge from the genitals, bloody, mucous membranes, mucus with blood impurities, watery, the consultation of a doctor is necessary. If the discharge is liquid, transparent and fairly abundant, it may be leakage of amniotic fluid. To find out whether they are really leaking, only a specialist will help, since pharmacy rapid tests for the establishment of amniotic fluid, according to reviews, are often mistaken.
• A child at obstetric week 40 is in close emotional connection with his mother. He worries and worries with her, fearing no less than she. To overcome this primal instinctive fear will help the gentle conversations of a woman with his stomach. Her mom can cope with anxiety with light sedatives on a natural basis (the doctor should prescribe specific drugs) and auto-training.

• Promote childbirth will help sex and easy physical activity. It is the most safe from the point of view of side effects of folk methods to accelerate childbirth, if it became very difficult. You should first discuss such actions with your doctor and make sure that there are no contraindications to natural childbirth, and the baby is fully prepared.

In the next video you will find even more information about what happens during the 40th week of pregnancy.