You are now in the second half of your third trimester. Infants born from this week forward are usually called preterm rather than premature.
With it's fingernails growing longer, watch out! Your baby will be capable of scratching by the time it is born.
The wrinkled skin on the face has been replaced with soft smooth skin. If you have an ultrasound this week the pictures would reveal a distinct profile and features. Your baby will be growing hair on its head.
Eyes will open and close allowing your baby to see the changes in light through the walls of your abdomen. If born preterm your baby would have control over eye functions.
Your baby's limbs are now fully developed; full control of the central nervous systemAn intricate network of structures that runs extensively throughout the body and activates, coordinates and controls all functions of the body.
The nervous system consists of two parts, the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system is composed of the brain and the spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system includes the cranial nerves and spinal nerves.
Afferent fibers carry sensory impulses to the central nervous system. Efferent fibers carry motor impulses in the form of electrical energy from the central nervous system to the muscles and other organs.
Somatic fibers are those associated with the bones, muscles and the skin. Visceral fibers are those associated with the internal organs, blood vessels and mucus membrane. All of the functions are coordinated by a network of tiny structures including neurons, axons, dendrites and ganglia.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. gives your baby a degree of control over movement. Ultrasound images will show your baby's ability to grip and use its fingers. Your baby's fingernails will now be fully grown.
Your baby is now large enough that it will be feeling restricted in your uterus. Your baby's skin is no longer translucent. Fat deposits in preparation for birth give your baby color. Your baby's shoulders and cheeks are becoming plump.
Blood vessels are no longer visible. There will be an increase in the amount of 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. covering your baby's skin. Your baby will be shedding 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. at this point.
You will notice your baby increasing in weight as it prepares for birth The central nervous systemAn intricate network of structures that runs extensively throughout the body and activates, coordinates and controls all functions of the body.
The nervous system consists of two parts, the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system is composed of the brain and the spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system includes the cranial nerves and spinal nerves.
Afferent fibers carry sensory impulses to the central nervous system. Efferent fibers carry motor impulses in the form of electrical energy from the central nervous system to the muscles and other organs.
Somatic fibers are those associated with the bones, muscles and the skin. Visceral fibers are those associated with the internal organs, blood vessels and mucus membrane. All of the functions are coordinated by a network of tiny structures including neurons, axons, dendrites and ganglia.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. is now fully developed, but if born preterm your baby's coordination and reflex actions will still need further development.
Most internal organs are fully developed and ready for birth. Your baby's lungs are still growing, although if born this week your baby would survive with assisted breathing. Your baby's intestines are filled with meconiumWaste material that collects in the intestinal tract of the unborn fetus. It is thick and sticky in consistency and varys in color from dark green to black.
It is formed from a variety of substances from amniotic fluid to secretions in the intestinal tracts. The presence of meconium in the amniotic fluid is usually a sign of fetal distress.
After birth the color and consistency of the stool changes with the ingestion of breast milk or formula.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions., which may be passed if your baby is upset.
Your baby is now large enough that you probably feel cramped and may feel like you have difficulty breathing. Eat frequent small meals and rest.
Move regularly and use to promote your body's circulation. You might want to shop for nursing bras at this time.
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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