The baby will be born in a few weeks. In this short period of time, the entire child's body must prepare for life outside the mother's belly. This article will talk about the features of fetal development at 35 weeks.
What does it look like?
A number of changes occur in the appearance of the child. He is becoming more and more like a baby, because very soon the baby will be born. At 34-35 obstetric weeks, the baby has specific facial features that are unique to him.
All the main anatomical zones on the small face of the fetus are already quite well visualized. So, in the upper half of the child's face, the forehead is clearly visible. The nose of the fetus is no longer as flat as before. On the sides of the face are well-defined auricles.
The cheeks of the fetus every day become more and more plump. Such a specific roundness, characteristic of newborn babies, is given to them by fat, which begins to be deposited under the skin.
Adipose tissue is also formed in other parts of the body. The main "fat depots" in the fetus are in the abdomen, buttocks, limbs. At the 35th week of pregnancy, the amount of adipose tissue in the child's body, according to scientists, is approximately 7%.
The importance of subcutaneous fat for a growing child's body cannot be overestimated. Fat, which is under the skin, is a kind of fuel. During its metabolism, a lot of energy is produced in the body, which is spent on all basic needs. So, without a sufficient amount of adipose tissue, the baby, after being born, can quickly freeze.
Basically, the baby has brown fat. It is he who accumulates under the skin, giving it a specific pink-reddish tint. However, white subcutaneous fat, although in much smaller quantities, is still present. At the final stage of pregnancy, it is very important that the baby gain more weight, and not grow in length. The increase in fat in the child's body and the active development of muscles is necessary so that the baby will be ready to live independently in the external environment in the future.
The accumulation of adipose tissue in the child's body leads to a change in the proportions of the child's body. At week 35, the formation of fatty layers in the area of the upper shoulder girdle mainly occurs. The accumulation of adipose tissue in the limbs makes the arms and legs of the child especially cute.
The skin of the fetus is covered with wrinkles. This is because the baby is constantly in the amniotic fluid. The color of the skin changes every day. So, at 35 weeks, the skin already has a rather pink color.
The amount of original lubrication also gradually decreases. Its accumulations are located mainly in places of natural folds on the child's skin. So, there is quite a lot of original lubrication in the neck, in the armpits, in the elbow and popliteal fossae, as well as in the folds on the abdomen.
Lanugo (special hairline) in the baby gradually decreases. Thin fluffy hair simply falls off the surface of the body of the fetus. The growth of hair on the head, on the contrary, increases. Eyelashes and eyebrows are also actively growing.
It is important to note that an individual pigment begins to appear in the hair, which determines the color of the hair.
movements
By this time, the motor activity of the fetus also changes. Already relatively large in size, the baby becomes very crowded in the uterus.
The baby will soon begin to descend into the pelvis. There will be significantly less space in the pelvis than in the abdominal cavity, which is why the baby tries to “group”. He, as a rule, crosses his arms and legs, and lowers his head somewhat. At the same time, his chin becomes closer to his chest.
It is already difficult for a baby who weighs more than two kilograms to actively move in the uterus, but he still makes active movements. Often they are manifested by the fact that the child "kicks" the walls of the uterus. Since the fetus is already quite large and large, the pregnant woman feels its movements quite clearly. In some cases, the expectant mother may even feel that she is getting hurt if the baby is pushing hard.
Almost every pregnant woman watches how intensely and often her baby pushes. It is important to remember that other symptoms should also be monitored. If the expectant mother has severe abdominal pain or leakage of amniotic fluid, she should definitely consult with her gynecologist.
In some cases, childbirth may begin a little earlier than the planned due date. In such a situation, you should not hesitate to contact the doctors. It is especially important to do this if the baby is in a breech or breech presentation.
Anatomical features
By week 35, the baby has already grown quite a lot. With each subsequent day of pregnancy, the baby will gain more weight than it will grow in length.
Measurement of the body size of the fetus is a very important indicator of the course of intrauterine development. Carrying out special ultrasound tests provides doctors with a lot of information about the size of the fetus. If in the previous weeks this information was more necessary for them in order to assess how the development and growth of the internal organs of the fetus is going on, now it is needed mainly to draw up the correct tactics of obstetric care.
After the examination, a conclusion is drawn up, which reflects all the measured parameters of the baby's body. This conclusion is evaluated by a doctor who monitors the course of pregnancy.
To assess the size of the baby at each stage of pregnancy, doctors use special clinical signs. For this, the parameters of the most important anatomical indicators are determined. The norms applicable for this gestational age are presented in the table below.
How is it developing?
An important task of the upcoming final period of pregnancy is to prepare the fetal body for a new "mode of operation", as well as for the transition to a qualitatively new habitat. For this, it is very important that all the main organ systems of the baby are well formed and able to function. The final period of pregnancy (third trimester) is a very important period.
A child who is in the mother's womb is able to experience its own sensations. This unique feature is due to the fact that the baby's sense organs are quite well developed. These nerve analyzers are necessary for the body in order to be ready to respond to the influence of environmental factors. Doctors call this feature adaptation, that is, the ability to change the body under the influence of the external environment.
In order for the baby to be able to listen to the sounds around him, the child develops the ability to hear.
The fetus at 35 weeks is already quite good at distinguishing the voices of its parents, and the father's voice usually gives him a little more pleasure, as it is lower in timbre. Scientists have found that at this stage of pregnancy, the fetus perceives the sounds of this particular range better.
The ability to distinguish between light and dark is another skill a child has. It is important to note that a child will fully respond to light only after his birth, but for now he has only response reflex reactions that have a protective function. For example, when bright rays hit the face, the baby will instinctively close his eyelids and even try to turn away from them.
Interestingly, at this time the child is already able to dream. This possibility is facilitated by a strong development of the brain. It already has a lot of furrows and convolutions. Every day the higher nervous activity of the fetus increases. This contributes to the fact that the child has more and more reflexes. At this stage of pregnancy, the baby sleeps for almost 18-20 hours a day.
The development in the fetus of special receptors on the tongue - taste buds - makes it possible to determine the taste. Every day this ability continues to develop. The baby determines the taste of amniotic fluid when they are swallowed. During this biological act of “feeding”, a specific training of the respiratory muscles of the fetus also takes place. In the future, strong pectoral muscles and a diaphragm will allow the baby to take his first independent breath in his life.
After the fetus has drunk the amniotic fluid, it usually hiccups. This process is a completely normal reaction of the baby. Moreover, fetal hiccups are necessary for the full development of its digestive system.
By week 35, the child's body is already ready to move into a new environment for him. The baby has already formed and even started to work the cardiovascular and nervous systems.
A baby born at 35 weeks of gestation is viable. The possibility of existence outside the mother's womb is due to the fact that the fetus already has its own heartbeat, and after the first breath, independent breathing appears. However, not all babies born at this time may be ready for life. In this case, special care and a complex of rehabilitation measures are required, which are carried out by neonatologists in specialized departments of hospitals.
The ability to breathe independently is due to a fairly good development of the lung tissue. A person's own breathing is impossible without the presence of a special substance in the lungs - a surfactant. Surfactant is necessary so that the alveoli - pulmonary vesicles - do not stick together when breathing. With each subsequent day of pregnancy, the amount of surfactant increases.
