Development of the Baby
You are at the beginning of the "second trimester", which is the most enjoyable period of pregnancy. Your baby now looks like a tiny human being and you may meet his/her little kicks this month.
At 4 months of pregnancy, your baby can make various facial expressions such as surprise, sadness, frown and smile. Don't think these are his real emotional reactions. You can think of these involuntary expressions as a kind of facial muscle exercise and mimicry exercises.
At the end of 4 months of pregnancy, the eyes are returning to their place and they are on the move, but they cannot open their eyelids yet.
In the 4-month-old baby in the womb; arms, legs, head and body are proportional to each other. Your skin continues to change; it starts to get oily and develops sweat glands. These fats protect it. They also generates heat in their body, meaning it keeps them warm. The baby will start to gain fat, which will help the baby to grow into a chubbier shape until birth.
In the 4th month of pregnancy, the baby’s heartbeat began to be regulated by the brain. Therefore, the baby is a bit calmer than in previous weeks.
At 4 months gestation, the baby can hear sounds and feel bright lights reflecting off its mother’s tummy.
Everything is fine in their body systems and works just fine. Since the baby swallow the amniotic fluid and urinates, his/her digestive system is constantly working. Meanwhile, he/she continues his/her breathing experiments.
The placenta continues to grow with the baby, enabling exchange between the baby and the mother and filtering out carbon dioxide.
In the 4th month of pregnancy, your baby’s nipples and nipples are formed. Millions of ovaries continue to form in baby girls. By the time she’s born, that number will have dropped to about one or two million. Prostate development in male babies will be completed in the next month.
4 Month Baby Moves
The 4-month-old baby continues its little kicks in the womb. As her/his muscles got stronger, her/his movements got stronger this week. Baby movements can be felt at 4 months. Do not worry if you still do not feel your baby's movements. In some expectant mothers, especially in the first pregnancies, movements are felt at 5 months (between 22-26 weeks at the latest).
Ultrasound Images
You can watch your baby move in the 4-month pregnancy image. You can see him grasping with his tiny hands and thin fingers or clasping his hands together. You can also observe him touching his own face and sucking his finger.
Since her/his weight gain also accelerated and her cheeks started to become much fuller, you can notice that she/he has transitioned to cuter and baby-like forms in her/his 4-month pregnancy image.
The gender of the 4-month-old baby in the womb can usually be detected on ultrasound. Gender may not be understood only when the baby’s position is unsuitable.
Changes in the Mother's Body
At 4 months of pregnancy, your uterus weighs about 230-250 grams.
You may feel your baby’s hiccups for the first time at the end of the 4th month.
Changes in the mother at 4 months of pregnancy are as follows:
– Difficulty digesting, heartburn, feeling exhausted, constipation, increased appetite, swelling of the intranasal tissue, nosebleeds, gum bleeding, headaches, swelling of the feet and wrists and varicose problems.
– Similar to the symptoms you experienced before your period, there may be emotional ups and downs, crying easily, sudden anger and irrational thoughts and evaluations.
– You may have difficulty focusing and forgetfulness.
– Groin pains. This is due to the stretching of the ligaments and muscles that connect the uterus to the abdomen.
– You may have vaginal discharge. Don’t worry if the colour is white. If it is yellowish and smelly, inform your doctor.
Triple or Quadruple Test
At the end of the 4th month of pregnancy (between the 16th and 20th week of pregnancy), your doctor may recommend a triple test or the newly developed quadruple test. The difference between the Triple Test and the Quadruple Test is that the Quadruple Test includes more extensive screening. If no risk has been identified in your Dual Test, your doctor may not recommend these tests. These tests evaluate the baby's risk of having Neural Tube Defects, Down Syndrome or other Chromosomal Defects, along with factors such as your age.
Triple Test and Quadruple Test do not pose a risk.
Amniocentesis
In this test, if the risk of a genetic problem is detected, the doctor may recommend additional tests such as amniocentesis to the expectant mother. Although these tests increase risk estimates, they can sometimes give erroneous results and may involve risks for the baby.
Amniocentesis is recommended when:
– If the age is over 35,
– If there is a risk of abnormality due to Down Syndrome and other chromosomes,
– If there is a high risk in the Dual Test and blood tests.
Amniocentesis is performed by taking a sample of amniotic fluid from the womb by inserting a thin long needle into the uterine cavity. This fluid is sent to a laboratory for analysis. The results obtained from amniocentesis have an accuracy of 99.4 percent.
Amniocentesis is a risky procedure for the baby. Today, a blood test application has been developed that can be an alternative to this procedure. The test decision belongs to the parents.
Doctors may recommend a fetal DNA test at seventeen weeks' gestation for some expectant mothers, especially those at risk of giving birth to a baby with a chromosomal disorder.
Points need to be considered
Here are the things to consider for 4 months of pregnancy...
Exercise During Pregnancy
Now that you have left the first 3 months, which can be risky, you can start exercising. First of all, do not forget to consult your doctor. The Benefits of Physical Exercise During Pregnancy
- It allows you to increase blood circulation in your body and thus increase the amount of oxygen to the baby,
- It is good for reducing the pain felt in various parts of the body,
- It provides edema removal. Thus, it also reduces the feeling of bloating.
– It allows you to have a comfortable pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum period.
You can do light-paced exercises at least 3-4 days a week, 30-45 minutes a day. The most ideal exercises during pregnancy are walking, swimming, pregnancy exercises and yoga. If you have not done yoga before, you can practice yoga first with an expert and then with a DVD at home.
– Bedeninizde kan dolaşımını artırmanızı ve böylece bebeğe giden oksijen miktarının artmasını sağlar,
– Bedendeki çeşitli bölgelerde hissedilen ağrıların azalmasına iyi gelir,
– Ödem atmayı sağlar. Böylece şişkinlik hissini azaltır,
– Rahat bir hamilelik, doğum ve doğum sonrası dönem geçirmenizi sağlar.
Haftada en az 3-4 gün, günde 30-45 dakika hafif tempolu egzersizler yapabilirsiniz. Hamilelikte en ideal egzersizler; yürüyüş, yüzme, hamilelik egzersizleri ve yogadır. Daha önce yoga yapmadıysanız, yogayı önce bir uzman eşliğinde öğrendikten sonra evde DVD eşliğinde uygulayabilirsiniz.
Nutrition During 4 Months Pregnancy
Be sure to consume balanced amounts of each food group in your diet. During pregnancy, you should eat 2-3 meals a day from protein-containing foods. The amount of one meal is suitable between 85-100 grams of red meat or chicken, 150 grams of fish, 30-60 grams of cheese and 125 grams of dried legumes.
At the end of the 4th month of pregnancy, your baby will start to store calcium. Therefore, it is beneficial to continue to eat a calcium-containing diet.
Since the baby's thyroid gland develops during these weeks, do not forget to eat iodine-rich foods during pregnancy. Drink plenty of water, at least 8 glasses a day.
If you eat 3 main meals and 3 snacks every day, your blood sugar will not decrease. This will make you feel much more alive and energetic. Your diet, which is rich in protein, calcium, vitamins, zinc, iron, magnesium and all other minerals, is very important for your baby's healthy development and your health. You should definitely not diet during pregnancy. However, restricting white sugar and white flour foods will be beneficial in terms of not gaining too much weight.
It is useful to be careful about herbal medicines; if possible, do not consume them or consult your doctor.
Twin Pregnancy
Prospective mothers who are expecting twins should stop worrying because their responsibilities will double. It will be comforting to talk to mums who have experience with twins.
In addition, you can have a comfortable pregnancy if you pay attention to the following: Compared to singleton pregnancies; you should have more frequent doctor follow-ups, you may need to gain more weight, you may need to rest more, you should eat more, you should take more minerals and vitamins, and you should be much more careful about everything.
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