A child is the fruit of the love of a man and a woman, and it is amazing how 2 sex cells merge, multiply, change and turn into the greatest miracle that is on the Earth - in man. Each mother is interested in the intrauterine development of the person she carries under her heart.
Periods of intrauterine development
There are several periods of intrauterine development of the fetus. The first period is the formation of the zygote, when during the sexual act sperm enter the vagina, then into the uterus and fallopian tubes, where they meet with the egg and the strongest spermatozoon penetrates into it and the fusion of their nuclei takes place. The resulting zygote begins to divide and advance into the uterine cavity due to contractions of the fallopian tubes. As a result of division in the fetal egg, 3 embryonic leaves are formed, of which organs and tissues will subsequently form. On the 5th-6th day, the embryo is implanted into the uterus. The second period is called fetal and lasts until 12 weeks. During this period, the embryo becomes covered with villi, some of them grow into the uterine wall and are transformed into a placenta. The process of placentation is completed by 4 months. From the 12th week the fetal stage of fetal development begins, because from now on the embryo is called the fetus. The period of implantation and placentation is considered a critical period of intrauterine development, since at these times the embryo is particularly sensitive to damaging agents
Intrauterine development by week
During the entire pregnancy with the fetus, important changes occur that lead to the formation of organs and the differentiation of tissues. The most important stages of intrauterine development are as follows:
- at 4 weeks, an embryo is implanted into the uterus;
- for 12 weeks the placentation process ends;
- at week 13 you can determine the sex of the unborn child;
- on the 14th week the hearing organ is formed and the baby already hears the mother's voice, perceives the music;
- at week 16, the baby begins to move;
- at week 18, intrauterine reflexes are formed. The baby can swallow an amniotic fluid, suck a finger, close his eyes to bright light and mechanical irritation of the cornea of the eye;
- on the 20th week the fetus reaches a sufficiently large size, that his mom begins to feel his stirring;
- By the 24th week the child is outwardly formed, but his organs are not yet mature enough, and in the case of birth, such a child is not viable;
- at week 25, the organ of vision and the child were formed, even being in utero capable of responding to light stimuli;
- a child born at the 28th week in the provision of qualified medical care is able to survive. From the 28th week the intensive growth of the child in the abdomen is noted and the formation of internal organs is coming to an end;
- with 37 weeks of pregnancy is considered complete and the child is ready for independent living in the environment.
Study of intrauterine fetal development - ultrasound
Ultrasound is an instrumental method that allows you to monitor the intrauterine development of a child for weeks. The embryo begins to be visualized as early as week 5, when it moved to the uterine cavity. At 6-7 weeks you can see a heartbeat. In 9-13 and 19-22 weeks, control ultrasound is performed, on which the formation of internal organs, their work and dimensions are determined. If necessary, ultrasound can be repeated more often.
It must be remembered that during the whole pregnancy structural changes take place and any imbalance in the mother's body (illnesses, bad habits, physical activity) can adversely affect the formation of a future child.