Fetal development at 34 weeks gestation

The little man will be born very soon. Before this significant life event, it is only a few weeks apart. This article will tell about the features of fetal development at week 34.

The appearance of the child at this time varies somewhat. So, the fetus is more like a newborn baby. His forehead and nose do not look as flat as they used to be and are quite clearly defined. The baby's cheeks become more plump. This contributes to the growth of fat deposits under the skin.

Layers of fatty tissue appear on other parts of the body of the fetus. It accumulates mainly in the abdomen, buttocks, limbs. By the 34th week of pregnancy in the child’s body is already about 6% of fat.

It is very important that the fatty tissue continues to form. It protects the child's body from the negative effects of the external environment. As soon as the baby is born, he will immediately need subcutaneous fat to simply not freeze.

In addition to the brown fat that prevails in the fetus at this time, it also has white. Brown adipose tissue is very important. It is much easier to metabolize and gives the body heat in the form of a large amount of energy.

The limbs of the fetus do not grow as fast as in the previous weeks of pregnancy. The main task of the third trimester is to set the weight of the fetus and the final formation of all vital organs, and not a simple increase in length.

The accumulation of fat under the skin of a child contributes to a change in the proportions of the body. On the body of the child appear cute dimples. The elbow and popliteal fossae are already formed. On each handle there are small fingers, the end phalanges of which cover the nails. Every day the density of small marigolds increases, and they become more dense.

The skin of the baby looks pink with a slight gray tint due to the cheese-like original lubricant. The amount of downy hair (lanugo) decreases with each successive day of pregnancy. However, the hair grows on the head rather intensively. The growth of eyelashes and eyebrows also continues.

The child has a lot of wrinkles on the skin, as he is constantly in the aquatic environment. After birth, the skin will become more even and smooth.

Motor activity of the fetus at this stage of pregnancy varies somewhat. The kid has already grown enough in length and even managed to gain weight. Such relatively large sizes of the fetus make difficult its active movement in the uterus.

The baby at this time is usually kicking its legs along the walls of the uterus. He can do it quite intensively. That is why his mother feels that the child is pushing hard. To assess motor activity, doctors use special rules. These average indicators allow us to estimate how comfortable the baby feels in the womb.

It is believed that in 12 hours the baby must make at least 10 active shocks. Doctors note that these indicators are also averaged. Motor activity of the fetus is considered very individual.

In this matter, the main thing to remember is that if a pregnant woman began to notice a decrease or a significant increase in the baby's jolts in her stomach, then she should definitely discuss this issue with her doctor. Also, you should not hesitate to seek medical help if the expectant mother has severe cramping abdominal pain or leakage of amniotic fluid. At this stage of pregnancy, the risk of childbirth is quite high. It is better to be safe in such a situation and appear specialists.

The final period of pregnancy or the third trimester is a very important period. At this time, the body of the fetus must fully prepare for independent life outside the womb. In order for the baby to be able to independently live and develop in the external environment, it is very important that all its internal organs are well formed and able to function.

By this date, the child is already quite grown up. To measure the size of his body, doctors perform special ultrasound examinations. Through these simple diagnostic methods, a specialist can get quite a lot of valuable information about how fetal development is proceeding.

The basic parameters that are determined during the study are the length of the child’s body and its weight. In addition to these basic indicators of child development, the examiner can measure the size of large parts of the baby’s body. He makes all the received measurements in the conclusion form, which necessarily remains in the medical card of the pregnant woman.

Each stage of pregnancy is characterized by certain norms in the parameters determined in this study. The table of data rates of clinical indicators is presented below.

A child's body at 33-34 weeks of pregnancy is almost completely ready for the work ahead. The cardiovascular and nervous system is not only formed, but also actively working. The baby, who has been “living” in the mother's stomach for several months, has his own feelings. Their appearance contributes to the development of the senses. They act as analyzers that the body uses to form its own attitude to the effects of any environmental factor.

The ability to adapt is the most important skill that the fetus needs in order for it to be able to live independently outside the mother's womb. Without a full-fledged development of the nervous system, adaptive capacity is not formed.

One of the important sensations that the fetus is able to feel at week 34 is the perception of various sounds. The baby, which weighs only a couple of kilograms, already quite well distinguishes the voices of its parents.

Also, the baby is able to distinguish between light and darkness. The child can already open or close his eyes. In the afternoon, when the fetus is predominantly very active, the eyes of the baby are open. At night, the eyelids tightly closed.

Bright rays of light that fall into the eyes of a child, cause him a response reflex reaction. In this case, the fetus immediately closes the eyes. In some cases, if insolation is quite pronounced and long-lasting, then it contributes to the occurrence of discomfort in the baby. The kid can show his “discontent” with an increase in motor activity.

The ability to taste arose in a child a few weeks ago. However, the taste buds on the tongue continue to evolve. Baby can feel the taste of amniotic fluid. Swallowing amniotic fluid is a kind of training not only for the digestive system of the fetus, but also for the development of its respiratory muscles.

After the baby "got drunk" of the amniotic fluid, he usually hiccups. Hiccups in the fetus is quite a physiological phenomenon.. It is also necessary for the baby in order for the respiratory muscles and diaphragm to “train” for the upcoming independent life.

By the 34th week of pregnancy, the baby already has the ability to perceive pain stimuli. This possibility of a response to pain appeared in the fetus due to the already quite developed peripheral nervous system. A baby born at 34 weeks is viable. The viability is primarily due to the presence of the fetus's own heartbeat and blood circulation, as well as the ability of the lungs to breathe independently.

Every day the baby’s lung tissue develops. The bronchopulmonary trunk is becoming more branchy. Gradually the lumen and diameter of the bronchi of different caliber are changing.

It is important that in the pulmonary vesicles - the alveoli of the fetus - a special substance is formed - surfactant. It is necessary so that the lungs simply do not "stick together" when breathing. Unfortunately, there can be no self-breathing without this substance. The small heart of the baby already has almost the same structure as an adult, but there is one rather important difference.

The position of the fetus in the uterus is a very important indicator. The closer the birth, the more important this factor. On how the fetus is located in the womb, the choice of obstetric aid depends.

The location of the fetus in the womb, doctors call previa. There are more and less favorable options for presentation. It is determined by where the largest parts of the baby’s body are located. Doctors will appreciate where the head, pelvis and limbs of the fetus. After that, they already conclude about the prevalence of the baby.

The most favorable version of the position of the child in the uterus - headache presentation. With this arrangement, the baby's head is at the bottom. At birth, she will move first through the birth canal. After the head is born, the rest of the body will be born easier, as they are smaller in size. In this case, the risk of possible birth injuries with properly conducted obstetric benefits during labor is quite low.

Less favorable pelvic presentation. In this case, the pelvic end of the fetus is directed first towards the birth canal. This type of presentation is dangerous because during childbirth various injuries and injuries often occur.

Breech presentation is a rather unfavorable location of the fetus in the uterus. In this case, the baby "enters" into the pelvis of his mother with his buttocks. His head is at the top.Such a “reverse” arrangement of the baby in the womb makes it almost impossible for him to be born without causing birth trauma. Most women who hatched their babies in breech presentation had a cesarean section.

With transverse presentation, the baby is across the longitudinal line of the birth canal. In this case, his independent unimpeded birth is impossible. As an obstetric benefit, doctors are forced to perform a cesarean section.

For information on how the fetus develops at 34 weeks of gestation, see the following video.