When the duration of pregnancy passes the "equator", most expectant mothers get so used to their condition that they forget about their situation. However, the 23rd week of pregnancy can present "surprises", so it is important to know what can indicate violations.
23 weeks of pregnancy - how many months?
Doctors involved in the supervision of pregnancy, always determine the duration of gestation, based on the date of the first day of the last before the conception of menstruation. This parameter is always indicated in weeks. Themselves, future mothers prefer to consider the period in months, and therefore there are difficulties in the translation process.
To independently and correctly translate weeks into months, you need to know a few features. Doctors simplify the calculations take the duration of the month for 4 weeks, and the number of days in each month is 30. Given these nuances, you can calculate that 23 weeks of pregnancy - 5 months and 3 weeks. The sixth month of pregnancy is approaching , and before the appearance of the baby there are 17 obstetric weeks.
23 week of pregnancy - what happens to the baby?
The child at the 23rd week of pregnancy continues to develop and improve. By this time the pancreas starts to produce a hormone insulin, which participates in the metabolism process. The spleen also functions, which carries out the synthesis of blood cells. Active changes occur in the brain: the number of convolutions increases, and the furrows become deeper.
Significant changes are noted in the digestive system, which is almost ready for functioning. Every day a baby can swallow a small amount of amniotic fluid that comes out of his body along with urine. Part of this fluid enters the intestine, where it is converted to the original calmetonium. It accumulates and is released to the outside only after birth.
23 week of pregnancy - growth of the weight of the fetus
Every day the child becomes heavier, and the length of his body increases. His weight at the 23rd week of pregnancy is 500-520 g. The length of the body, from the crown to the heel is 28-30 cm. Doctors often use such an indicator as the coccyx-parietal size, which at this time is 18-20 cm. note that the above norms are averaged, and when assessing anthropometric indicators, midwives always take into account:
- height and weight of parents;
- features of the diet of a pregnant woman.
23 weeks of pregnancy - fetal development
The fetus at the 23rd week of pregnancy improves its skills and abilities. There is an activation of the nervous system and reflex activity. The future baby reacts to external stimuli: noise, light, music. By increasing perturbations, the mother can determine whether they like him or not. By this time, the musculoskeletal system is already developed, so the amplitude and strength of shocks, strokes and perturbations is increasing.
When the 23 week of pregnancy begins, the baby's regimen is set. Mom may notice that at certain times of the day the child shows great activity, while in others he sleeps more. In this case, not always installed biorhythms of the baby coincide with the mother: many mothers are forced to adjust to their future baby, who is accustomed to stay awake in the evening, and sometimes at night. After his birth, the mother will be able to regulate the baby's regime.
What does the fetus look like on the 23rd week of pregnancy?
The baby at the 23rd week of pregnancy is practically the same as the newborn. Legs and handles become proportional, and the facial part of the skull acquires individual features. Skin covers have many folds and are densely covered with fine thin hairs (lanugo). The body produces more melanin, because of which the hair on the head begins to color. When performing ultrasound on the fingers, nail plates can be traced, which already by this time practically reach the edges.
Twitches at the 23rd week of pregnancy
Normally, the child is active at week 23. In the uterine cavity a lot of free space is left for action. Coups, somersaults, somersaults are often fixed by the mother throughout the day. It is important to conduct their periodic counting. The motor activity, according to doctors, plays the role of an indicator of the general condition of the fetus, reflects its state of health.
Stitching should be done during the day, when the fetus is active. The optimal period for such measurements is the interval from 9 to 19 hours. During this time, the future mother should count at least 10 episodes of perturbations. An increase or decrease in this indicator may indicate complications of pregnancy, among which:
- fetal hypoxia ;
- fading pregnancy.
23 Week of Pregnancy - What Happens to Mom?
Considering a period such as 23 weeks of pregnancy, what happens to a future mother, it is necessary to note a significant increase in weight. By this time, women from the beginning of pregnancy gain 5-7 kg. Weekly, the body weight of the pregnant woman increases by 500 g. It is important to monitor this parameter, since overweight can affect the health of the fetus.
Together with the figure of a pregnant woman at 23 weeks of pregnancy, the gait also changes. The center of gravity has moved forward, so the woman has to walk, throwing her shoulders back. When walking, the weight moves to the side of the supporting leg, which causes a typical gait for pregnant women. To reduce the burden on the spine, doctors recommend using a prenatal bandage.
23 week of pregnancy - sensation of a woman
When the pregnancy is 23 weeks, the development and sensations of the expectant mother are due to a changed hormonal background. In addition, rapid growth of the genital organ causes the internal organs to shift. Against the background of these changes, dyspnea and heartburn are common. Women notice that breathing becomes heavier, the number of respiratory movements increases. After a dense dinner, pregnant women often record heartburn, eructations, which can be caused by a reverse partial throwing of food into the esophagus.
At this time under the influence of the uterus is also the bladder. Under the pressure of the body, its volume decreases, the number of calls for evacuation increases. As a result of such changes, the volume of urine is reduced. This phenomenon is a physiological norm, therefore, it is not necessary to limit the volume of liquid being drunk, however it is worthwhile to control it (2 liters per day).
Belly at 23 week of pregnancy
Normally, the uterus at 23 weeks of pregnancy should be 4 cm above the navel. Since that time, almost all women feel training (false) fights. These are irregular, painless and short-term contractions of uterine myometrium are unproductive and do not provoke the onset of labor in women. When you change the position of the body, they disappear on their own.
23 week of pregnancy is accompanied by an increase in the size of the abdomen - to hide it from others will not succeed. On the surface of the skin may appear a strip of dark color, going from the navel to the pubis. It is formed because of the changed hormonal background and disappears on its own at the end of pregnancy. Numerous stretch marks can appear on the surface of the abdomen - striae, to combat which doctors advise to use moisturizing creams.
Allocations at 23 weeks gestation - the norm
In the normal course of gestation, excretions at 23 weeks of gestation remain unchanged. They are medium abundance, transparent color, sometimes whitish shade. Unpleasant odors should be absent. Obstetricians admit the presence of an acidic odor. Staining of discharge, change in consistency or volume should be an occasion for medical advice.
The green, yellow color of the vaginal discharge indicates the presence of an inflammatory or infectious process in the reproductive system. To establish the cause, you need to go to a gynecologist and get a check-up. Bloody discharge at this time is a rarity. However, they can not be completely ruled out. Among the possible causes of development:
- uterine bleeding;
- placental abruption .
Pain at the 23rd week of pregnancy
When the 23rd week of pregnancy comes, the back and back aches in many pregnant women. These painful sensations are associated with an increased burden on the spinal column. The pains do not have a clear localization and are amplified after a long walk, physical activity. To reduce their severity, midwives recommend wearing a special bandage , which is removed only for the night.
At the period of pregnancy of 23 weeks, the development of convulsions in the legs can be triggered by a lack of calcium in the blood, part of which goes to build the musculoskeletal apparatus of the fetus. Many women complain about the fact that they periodically reduce gastrocnemius muscles. In order to exclude this phenomenon, doctors prescribe complexes of vitamins, which contain calcium and vitamin D.
Ultrasound at 23 weeks
Ultrasound at 23 week of pregnancy can be carried out exclusively for special indications. In the second screening, this study is conducted between 16 and 20 weeks. During the study, the doctor carefully examines the fetus, determines its size, assesses the performance of the cardiovascular system. Special attention is paid to the placenta, assessing its size, thickness and location, which can vary up to 8 months.
Dangers at the 23rd week of pregnancy
The gestation period of 23 weeks doctors call safe and stable. The risk of spontaneous abortion is already behind - the placenta is firmly attached to the wall of the uterus. However, complications of the gestation process are still possible:
- infectious diseases of the mother (ARVI, influenza, ARI);
- varicose veins ;
- uterine bleeding.