Development of the Baby
Your belly has grown a lot now. Although this may cause some of your troubles to increase, try to enjoy the pregnancy.
In the 7-month-old baby, organs and body systems were almost completely formed. Now, the biggest improvements will be in height and weight gain. Weekly weight gain after this month is an average of 500 grams.
At 7 moths of pregnancy, the fine hairs on your baby’s skin, called Lanugo, continue to disappear rapidly. The Vernix Caseosa layer, which has the task of keeping the body warm and strengthening the immune system, has also become quite thick on the skin surface.
The fingernails are fully extended, the toenails have yet to grow.
The brain and nervous system are fully developed. For this reason, they make more conscious movements every day.
At 7 months of pregnancy, the baby can now close and open his/her eyelids much better. The vision and focus function of his/her eyes has also been completed.
Her/his sucking reflex improved greatly as he/she sucked their thumb or other fingers.
It will take until the end of the 8th month to fully develop. For this reason, if he/she is born prematurely, it may have difficulties when sucking the breast.
Surfactant production continues in the baby’s lungs in the 7th month of pregnancy and this production is provided by adrenal glands. Their lungs continue to develop fully enough to allow them to breathe comfortably in the outside world every week. Babies born at the 7th month have a very high chance of survival, but they will need to breathe with help in the incubator until the 36th week.
The 7-month-old baby urinates about half a liter a day. Urination is very important for the regeneration of amniotic fluid.
“In male babies, the testicles begin to produce testosterone. His testicles are moving from his groin to his bags.
The development of the clitoris in female babies is largely complete.”
Baby Movements During 7 Months Pregnancy
This week, your baby's movements have slowed down as his/her space has narrowed. But that doesn't mean he/she moves at all. For this reason, if he/she does not move for a while, inform your doctor.
At 7 months of pregnancy, your baby can now sleep longer. Therefore, he/she may take a break from moving for a few hours.
Since his/her muscles are getting stronger, tiny blows and stretching movements during 7-month-old baby movements can sometimes hurt you.
Ultrasound Image
You may be surprised to see how tall your baby is on the ultrasound. You will also see that her/his space is narrowing in the image of a 7-month-old baby.
“You can also see that his/her face is fully developed.
You can see him/her yawning, kicking, sucking his/her finger, or hiccuping.”
Your baby is expected to be upside down at seven months of pregnancy. But don’t worry right away if he/she hasn’t turned his/her head yet. At 7 months, 25-30 percent of babies are still the opposite. By the 9th month (up to the 38th week), there is a chance that your baby will turn upside down. 4 percent of babies are born breech.
Changes in the Mother's Body
In the 7th month of pregnancy, the mother may have the following symptoms:
– Nasal congestion and sometimes bleeding,
– Increasingly thick vaginal discharge of whitish colour,
– Indigestion, reflux, constipation and hemorrhoids in the stomach,
– Leg cramps,
– Varicose veins headache,
– Shortness of breath
– Braxton Hicks Contractions (False contractions),
– Absent-mindedness or forgetfulness,
– Concerns about the baby and birth,
– Nightmares
– Sleep disturbances and difficulty falling asleep,
– Hip and low back pain,
– Sciatic pains felt from hip to legs.
At the end of the 7th month, the formation of dark yellowish milk called colostrum and the baby’s upside down position is a usual preparation made by the expectant mother’s body in case of premature birth.
Points need to be considered
During these weeks, you may feel false contractions (Braxton Hicks Contractions). Don't worry if these contractions start early. Because these contractions are a kind of birth rehearsal of the body. If the contractions become frequent and regular, inform your doctor immediately in case of premature birth.
Symptoms and Causes of Premature Birth
Between 24-36 weeks of birth is called preterm birth. Symptoms of premature birth include:
– Frequent contractions in your abdomen,
– Feeling pain similar to menstrual pain,
– Feeling pressure or a different low back pain in your pelvis area,
If you feel these symptoms, you should definitely call your doctor.
You can read details about the causes of preterm labour in our 31st week article.
Sexuality in 7 Months Pregnancy
There is no harm in having sexual intercourse for expectant mothers who have had a healthy pregnancy in the last 3 months. Nevertheless, it is much safer for expectant mothers to consult their doctors whether there is a problem with sexual intercourse.
It is useful to pay attention to the following about sexuality during pregnancy:
– If your belly is large and the baby moves occasionally, it may prevent you from focusing during sexual intercourse. Be comfortable because the baby's movement can be an indication that he/she feels happy inside,
– Breasts should not be overstimulated during sexual intercourse. Because overstimulation in the breasts causes contractions in the uterus,
– A contraction of the uterus in a situation such as an orgasm of the mother is not a problem if it is not a risky pregnancy, but it is still preferable that the expectant mother does not have an orgasm in the last 3 months,
– Moving slowly during sex during pregnancy also eliminates the feeling that your baby will be harmed,
– The side lying position where the man is behind, called spooning, is the most ideal position. In the meantime, don't forget to lie on your left side,
– Your partner should not ejaculate inside you, as the prostaglandin hormone in male semen can cause labor to be triggered. If you have sex with a condom in the last 3 months, you will eliminate this risk.
If you pay attention to all these points, sexual intercourse will not cause premature birth in a healthy pregnancy.
What will the birth be like?
In the last 3 months, your concerns about childbirth may increase. C-section surgery, which should be performed in case of a medical necessity, is considered as a delivery option for some mothers and some doctors, especially in developing countries like ours. Turkey has become the second in the world and the first in Europe among the countries with high cesarean rates. The reasons for this situation are explained in the 28th week article.
The first thing that expectant mothers who desire a normal birth should do is to receive birth preparation training. Another important point is that expectant mothers should choose either a doctor who knows natural birth practices and has a high normal birth rate or a doctor who can easily demand and apply all their preferences in childbirth.
Starting this week, you can start discussing your birth preferences with your doctor. (For detailed information about birth preferences, in 33 and 34. weeks You can read about it in our weekly articles.)
To learn what to pay attention to when choosing a childbirth preparation course 28. You can check out our article of 33rd week.)
Is Your Body Structure Suitable for Childbirth?
Up until birth, expectant mothers mostly wonder whether their body structures are suitable for birth. Let us reassure you: Even if the father is very tall and large and the mother is short, babies are generally born proportional to the size of their mothers. If your doctor suspects your baby's head size during your pregnancy, they will follow you to birth and guide you. Also, some women with gestational diabetes may have very large babies weighing over 5 kilograms. This can make it difficult for the baby to be born. The doctor will refer the expectant mother in such a case.
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