Taste buds die over the course of a lifetime. Your baby now has more than at any other time in its life.
Some researchers believe that babies can detect and grow to like the flavors of food that you eat frequently through the amniotic fluidThe liquid, which is produced by both the fetal membranes and the fetus that surrounds the baby during pregnancy. The liter of fluid at term serves to protect the fetus during pregnancy and also provide active chemical exchange.
The amniotic fluid consists of maternal and fetal plasma in varying concentrations. The pH of the fluid is almost neutral and clear, although lipids and desquamated fetal cells can make it cloudy.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions.. If so, this is probably a good reason to maintain a healthy diet not only for your pregnancy, but your baby's future health as well!
Your baby's head is being covered with an increasingly thick layer of hair. Your baby's hair, like its eyes, will probably change color after birth.
As your baby deposits more of the fat that it will use to regulate its body temperature after birth, it is shedding the lanugoThe soft downy hair that covers the fetus while it is in the womb. Lanugo is almost entirely shed by the time the baby is born.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions.. The vernix caseosaA gray-white waxy substance consisting of sebaceous gland secretions, lanugo and epithelial cells that covers the fetus during the last part of the pregnancy. It is thought to protect the skin of the baby from being submerged in the amniotic fluid as well as providing warmth and heat regulation to the undeveloped fetus.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. nourishing and protecting your baby's body is becoming increasingly thick.
Your baby has adrenal glandsGlands which are located on each of the kidneys. The adrenal glands consist of two parts with distinct functions.
The adrenal cortex secretes cortisol and androgens when the anterior pituitary releases the production of adrenocorticotropic hormone (ACTH). Androgens are converted by the liver to the hormones testoterone and estrogens.
The adrenal medulla creates the cathecolamines epinephrine and norepinephrine.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. that are the size of an adolescent's. The glands are producing steroid hormone at a rate ten times greater than an adult.
Steroid hormone indirectly stimulates lactation. Your baby is now developing a strong bone structure before it is born.
You will probably be more aware of the Braxton-Hicks contractions from this week on. You can feel them as they tighten regularly from the top of the uterus down to the base and then relax. You are probably not entering labor, as the contractions are not sustained. If your waters break, then you will need to contact your doctor or midwife immediately.
As the time to term reduces, the chances of survival increase. Still, if it seems likely that your baby will be born pre-term, your doctor will perform a L/S ratio and phosphatidyl glycerol test to measure the levels of surfactant, and thus the maturity of the lungs.
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