Rapid enlargement of the abdomen may be the reason for the appearance of skin stretch marks during this period. The body weight increases by the end of the seventh month by about 9 kg. The woman gradually becomes more and more sluggish, there may also be other ailments: heartburn, sometimes indigestion or back pain. Sometimes a woman may feel weak pregnancy contractions, usually painless, called Braxton-Hicks contractions.
The seventh month of life
The baby's skin gradually smoothes because fat stores under it. Intense development of the cerebral cortex, which is responsible for all higher life activities: memory, association, analysis. In the brain centers are created, among others: sight, hearing, speech and movement. A child weighing about 1 kg has a length of about 37 cm.
The eighth month of pregnancy
A large and heavy belly is the reason for some clumsiness and sluggishness of movements. The developing fetus is already so large that it can oppress some internal organs, and this in turn sometimes causes problems with breathing and more frequent urination. Certain ailments can also cause stretching of the hip joints. The maternal weight is increased by about 11 kg compared to the state before pregnancy.
The eighth month of life
Due to the decreasing space, the child begins to take a fetal position, slowly preparing for delivery: he turns his head down. The proportions of the body are just like in a newborn baby. The whole body, weighing about 1.6 kg, measures about 40 cm, and the head is about 1/4 of its length. Eyes, all children, take on a blue color - their color will be definitively established only a few months after birth. The nap disappears gradually, covering the entire body from the fourth month.
The ninth month of pregnancy
Due to the gradual preparation of the child for childbirth and the fetal turning the head down, some of the ailments of the previous period disappear. The weight of the child causes significant fatigue, the need for frequent rest and the need for a large amount of sleep, physical exertion is not recommended. At the end of the 9th month, the woman's body weight is increased by about 12 kg compared to the pre-pregnancy condition. The total body weight gain consists of: in about 40% baby weight, 10% fetal water, 9% placenta, 20% uterine hyperplasia, breasts, buttocks, 20% increase in blood volume. The child is already filling the whole uterus, so his movements are very well perceptible. Braxton-Hicks contractions become very strong. Probably the signal to start a childbirth comes from the child. Regular birth-related cramps of increasing intensity are caused by the hormone secreted by the placenta. During the delivery period, these contractions last for at least 40 seconds and occur every 15-20 minutes. It usually takes about 150 contractions to give birth to the first child. The childbirth lasts from 6 to 12 hours. The birth of each subsequent child is easier and usually takes less time.
The ninth month of life
At the end of the 40th week of life, the fetus is ready to leave the mother's body. During this time there was about 600-fold increase in body weight - the average birth weight of a child is about 3-4 kg. The length has increased to about 50 cm. If after the birth the man would maintain the same growth rate, then after one year of life he would weigh about 90 kg! The positioning of the child's body is final - most often it is a head-to-bottom position, but other, though not as beneficial for easy delivery are also possible. Often in other fetal positions (e.g. gluteal) a caesarean section is necessary.
The slogans were prepared on the basis of: Zbigniew Lew-Starowicz: Love and Sex. Encyclopedic dictionary. Wroclaw 1999
