Fetal development at 22 weeks gestation

In the midst of the second trimester of pregnancy, quite a lot of transformations occur in the baby’s body. 22 week of pregnancy is a very important stage in the fetal life of a child.

Perhaps the most striking manifestation of intrauterine development of a baby at this stage is the appearance of active movements in it. Note that the kid was moving before - he could bend and unbend the handles, touch his fingers with the umbilical cord, but the volume of the movements performed was quite small.

By 21-22 weeks of pregnancy, the number of possible movements of the baby increases several times. This is facilitated by several reasons. First, the child has a fairly well developed cortex. Nerve cells at this time actively "cooperate" among themselves. This feature makes the behavior of the baby more difficult. Secondly, the reason for the emergence of active movements in the fetus is also a fairly formed musculoskeletal system. The little bones of the baby are already quite strong.

Bone density continues to increase with each subsequent day of pregnancy. Calcium is necessary for ossification of small bones. The absence of calcium in the daily diet of the future mother may have an adverse effect on the formation of the entire musculoskeletal system in the fetus, which will adversely affect its intrauterine development.

The relatively small size of the fetus also contribute to the fact that he feels at ease in the uterus. So, the baby is not only able to touch his own body with his hands, he can touch the walls of the uterus. Also, the baby, actively “studying” its water space, can push the uterine walls of the legs.

Such active movements, as a rule, are already able to be felt by a pregnant woman. Very often, women write off such manifestations as intestinal upset or consequences after some unsuitable eaten food. However, every day the movements of the baby in his mother's belly are becoming more and more powerful.

Some scientists note that the intensity of the active movements of the fetus has a number of unique individual characteristics. Thus, the amount of movement can even depend on the nature of the child. A fidget kid will cause more concern to his mom than a calm baby.

The more the fetus weighs and the smaller size of the female pelvis, the, as a rule, the woman feels the movement of her baby brighter. Doctors believe that at this stage of pregnancy the baby should be pushed no less than 10 times a day. If for some reason he is pushed significantly less, then the expectant mother should discuss this fact with her obstetrician-gynecologist.

Scientists note that a large number of factors affect the number of movements performed by the fetus:

• the internal state of a pregnant woman, her psycho-emotional attitude;
• the daily diet of the future mother;
• region of residence;
• concomitant chronic diseases;
• level of oxygen.

To normalize fetal activity, doctors recommend the expectant mother to carefully monitor their daily regimen. Regular sleep and walks in the fresh air at this time will have a very beneficial effect on the nervous system of the baby, and hence on the amount of movements it performs.

It is important to note that the child at this time of his intrauterine life has not yet formed a daily rhythm. This means that the baby does not perceive the change of day and night. This leads to the fact that in the evening, when a pregnant woman is already going to sleep, her baby decides to "do exercises".

Active development of nerve analyzers is necessary, because thanks to them a little man can learn about the world around him. It should be noted that the fetus by this time of its intrauterine life is already able to respond fairly well to various external stimuli.

The most important neural analyzers that are already beginning to function in the fetus at 22 weeks of gestation include the following:

• auditory;
• visual;
• flavoring;
• tactile.

Scientists note that at this stage of pregnancy, the baby is already able to distinguish between different sounds. He can even recognize the voices of his parents.

For the good development of the children's nervous system, doctors recommend to future fathers and mothers to talk with their babies. At the same time, you can iron the belly and tell the child fairy tales

Also a beneficial effect on the development of the nervous system of the fetus has classical music. Experts say that you should choose a more calm and melodic works. Mom and baby should listen to music at a moderate volume. Too loud sounds can only bring discomfort to the baby.

At 22 weeks of gestation, the fetus already has eyes covered for centuries with the outside. In a quiet state, when the baby does not make any active movements, it seems that he is sleeping. At this point, the child's brain is truly resting. Even in moments of calm, the baby does not cease to grow and develop.

Scientists believe that already at 21-22 weeks of pregnancy, the fetus is able to respond to bright light. Too annoying rays will make the baby turn away from them. Scientific experiments were carried out, proving that when a bright light is turned on the face of a fetus, the baby turns away from it. Excessive insolation can stimulate the motor activity of the fetus.

Interestingly, the baby, which weighs even less than 500 grams, is already able to recognize different tastes. Does this fetus by swallowing amniotic fluid. During the day, it can swallow about 450 ml of liquid. In the future, this fluid enters his body, a number of components are absorbed, most of it is excreted through the kidneys. This feature of development helps the urinary system of the baby to fully develop.

During swallowing, the child also improves the breathing apparatus. The fact is that the baby makes swallowing movements with the direct participation of the respiratory muscles. Such specific training is necessary for the child for further independent living. A sufficiently developed respiratory muscles is necessary for the first breath and the exercise of independent breathing.

Swallowing the amniotic fluid, the baby feels its taste. He can like a child or not. The taste of amniotic fluid is greatly influenced by the food that a pregnant woman eats.. The amniotic fluid may have a different taste: on one day it is salty, and on another - sweeter or even bitter.

The kid can already define the boundaries of some objects. As a rule, the sense of touch in the fetus at this stage of its intrauterine life is manifested in the fact that the crumb begins to touch its own umbilical cord and touch the face.

Such a study of the world in twins is actively manifested. They begin to study each other, can hold hands. Kids make such movements unconsciously. Through such communication, the further development of their nervous system and analyzers takes place.

The baby still looks pretty funny. He no longer resembles a tadpole or an alien, but he still does not look like an ordinary person.

The proportions of the body of the child to 22 weeks of pregnancy vary somewhat. The arms and legs of the fetus are already stretched out, while the head does not look excessively huge relative to the whole body.

The baby still looks very small. The amount of fatty tissue that is under the skin is still insignificant. Every day, the brown adipose tissue in the children's body will increase - this is necessary so that the baby can live independently in the external environment.

Subcutaneous fatty tissue is necessary for the child for thermoregulation. An insufficient amount of fat can contribute to a strong hypothermia baby after his birth.

Baby's skin looks wrinkled. Almost the entire surface of the body is covered with small downy hairs. The color of the skin of the fetus is still quite pink, but gradually begins to fade. This is due to the fact that every day more and more original lubricant appears on the surface of the skin. It is formed by mixing the secretion of sweat and sebaceous glands in the skin with desquamated epithelial cells.

In order to determine the basic size of the baby’s body, doctors use a special diagnostic method called fetometry. At its core, it is an ultrasound examination that allows you to determine the size of the important internal organs in the baby.

Each week of pregnancy is characterized by its own norms of the sizes studied. Important clinical signs determined in the fetus at the 22nd week of gestation are presented in the table below.

Another important criterion for assessing intrauterine development of the fetus is the calculation of heart rate (HR). At 22 weeks of pregnancy, it can be calculated not only when performing an ultrasound, but also when conducting a clinical examination by a doctor using an ordinary obstetric stethoscope. Normal fetal heart rate at 22 weeks gestation is 140–160 beats per minute.

The baby may be located in the womb in different ways. One of the most advantageous locations is headache presentation. In this case, the head of the baby is directed towards the entrance to the small pelvis. When the head previa natural childbirth, as a rule, proceed favorably. The risk of birth injury while significantly lower than with other types of presentation.

A less favorable option for fetal presentation is the pelvic. In this case, not the head of the child, but his pelvis is facing towards the birth canal. Such a "reverse" arrangement of the baby significantly complicates the process of natural independent labor. With pelvic presentation, doctors most often resort to the surgical method of obstetric aid and do a cesarean section.

How the fetus develops at the 22nd week of pregnancy, see the next video.