Continuing with our pregnancy calendar on how the baby develops week by week Since it is conceived, we have reached the last weeks of the first quarter. We have seen in the previous two posts how it has gone from being a set of cells to a tiny human being.
Week 9 of pregnancy
Although it is hard to believe, in week 9 The embryo with just 7 weeks of life and about 3 centimeters in length already has a human appearance. The fish tail that it had in the first weeks has disappeared and if we could spy on it inside the belly we would appreciate how the fingers and toes separate from each other, just as the ears detach from the head and how the eyelids cover the eyes. Your external sexual organs are already defined although they still cannot be seen through an ultrasound. Likewise, the baby begins to move vigorously, although for now you cannot feel it.
Week 10 of pregnancy
In the 10th week of pregnancy (8 weeks of the baby) the baby's ear pavilions are formed and very soon he will start hearing the sounds coming from outside, including your voice. Small roots of what in the future will be baby teeth and nails begin to be created. Your intestines are growing and positioning, as well as the thyroid gland, pancreas and gallbladder begin to prepare to fulfill their future function of digesting food once the baby is born and feeds on its own. The amazing thing is that at this point that perfect mechanism is taking place in a human being barely two months old, 4 centimeters long and 5 grams in weight.
Week 11 of pregnancy
From the week 11 It goes from being an embryo to officially becoming a fetus and the chances of risk of spontaneous abortion are markedly diminished, since most of the abnormalities rarely occur after the 12th week. Anyway you should continue taking care of yourself and taking care of your baby to the maximum of harmful effects such as alcohol, tobacco, drugs, stress, poor diet, etc ...
Although they are still flexible, the bones begin to solidify, the nerve terminals begin to connect by electrical impulses and the red blood cells begin to occur, also the urine. His skin is still transparent and his eyes begin to be located in the center of the face. By means of an ultrasound device (doppler) the heartbeat can already be heard loudly.
12 week of pregnancy
In week 12 (10 of the baby) the placenta works at full capacity to get the baby the nutrients necessary for its growth. The main structures are already in operation, all their organs work although they still have enough to be fully developed. The approximate size and weight of the baby at the end of this week is 6 cm and 10 grams. Half of its size corresponds only to the head.
With regard to the mother, you may notice that certain more frequent discomforts such as nausea, tiredness and dizziness begin to subside. Surely, the weight gain so far has not been significant, there are even women who lose weight in the first months due to nausea and vomiting. In the second and third quarter is when you gain the kilos more quickly. However, at this point you will notice that the uterus has grown quite a lot and you will see that an incipient triplet appears that becomes more noticeable at the end of the day.
The placenta has begun to generate a melanin-like substance that produces a darkening in some parts of the body such as the genitals, the areolas of the breasts and the dawn line. It is very important that you protect your skin with a high sun protection factor to prevent spots on the surface of the skin, a disorder called chloasma gravidarum.
Probably in these weeks you go to the second prenatal visit and surely to the first if you had not already done so. The doctor will monitor your general condition, your blood pressure, your weight and if you are already at week 12 you will probably measure the nuchal translucency of the fetus that is usually done between week 12 and week 15 by ultrasound. a measurement of the thickness of the nuchal fold that serves as a marker to detect certain genetic disorders.
Anyway, we'll talk in depth in this pregnancy calendar and in our Special Pregnancy on this and the rest of the prenatal tests that are carried out during pregnancy, why they are performed, when and what are their objectives.
