We have reached the point of pregnancy calendar in which we leave the first 20 weeks of pregnancy behind. That is, the first half of pregnancy. The second part of pregnancy is ahead That will end the desired moment of knowing your baby's face.
In the next few weeks the baby will grow approximately twice its size and will increase ten times its weight. Let's review this fifth month of pregnancy week by week.
21 week of pregnancy
In the week 21 of pregnancy (week 19 since conception) the baby measures about 25 centimeters from head to toe and weighs about 350 grams. The activity of the child inside the uterus is intense and it is noted. The baby moves about 50 times per hour. At the moment, it has enough space to perform all kinds of movements, stretches and turns so you will feel its vigorous kicks throughout the day, especially when you lie down to rest.
It seems incredible, but to counteract the hours of activity the baby also sleeps inside the uterus, adopting very peculiar positions, with his hands on his chin, sucking his finger, with his chin on his chest ...
At this point, the baby's heartbeat is very strong and can be easily heard through a stethoscope when a device called doppler was used before.
Week 22 of pregnancy
In the week 22 of pregnancy You can see the eyelids, nails and eyebrows, although the latter still have no color, they are white. It measures about 27 centimeters and weighs almost 500 grams, although its body fat is only 1%. From now on you will gain layers of fat that will help you regulate your body temperature.
His brain, in continuous development, experiences around this week great progress in the limbic system, the middle brain, which manages physiological responses to emotional responses. It is very important (and advisable) to establish contact with the baby since he is in the belly, because as you can see he is able to process the stimuli he receives from the outside and even suffer changes in mood.
Week 23 of pregnancy
In the week 23 of pregnancy Their eyes are completing their development, although they still do not have the color with which they will be born because the iris is not pigmented. Anyway, until six months and even the first year of life your eyes will not have the final color.
It measures about 28 centimeters from head to toe (about 21 centimeters from head to buttocks) and weighs just over half a kilo. The digestive, circulatory and respiratory systems continue to develop. Swallow amniotic fluid from the placenta to exercise the digestive system while the lungs rehearse breathing movements, although until the moment of birth the oxygen you need to live is provided through the umbilical cord that connects you with your mother.
24 week of pregnancy
In the 24 week of pregnancy The baby reaches about 30 centimeters from head to toe (about 23 centimeters from head to buttocks and 7 cm from legs) and weighs about 650 grams.
He is a small human being, his body is already proportionate and begins to accumulate fat. His organs continue to be perfected until birth. Your pancreas has begun to produce insulin, a hormone that regulates the incorporation of glucose from food.
It is approximately at 24 weeks when the baby's retinal development is complete and can already open and close the eyes intermittently. From now on you will practice the blink reflex that will allow you to protect your eyes throughout your life. His brain development occurs rapidly, his brain waves are similar to those of a newborn and the development of his middle ear, which regulates balance, allows him to differentiate changes in position within the uterus.
From inside the belly I can hear everything that happens around him. You may panic with loud noises or react with movements when you speak or sing a song.
With regard to the mother, the stage of planning the arrival of the baby will have begun. You will want to have everything ready for when it arrives, but be careful that it is very good to want to receive it in a big way but it is also not good to become obsessed.
If you have not been done before, in these weeks you will surely have a high resolution ultrasound, a morphological ultrasound where you study the baby's organs and the volume of amniotic fluid to check that everything is going well and rule out possible inconveniences.
In week 24 of pregnancy calendar An analysis is also carried out to study the sugar curve and detect possible gestational diabetes through the O'Sullivan Test or Gestational Diabetes Test.
