The seventh month of pregnancy

For expectant mothers, the seventh month of pregnancy is a crucial and exciting time. Both your body and the unborn child are undergoing major changes as you approach the third trimester. You are starting to get more organized in preparation for the arrival of your child, so this is an exciting time.

Your baby may start to move more frequently and with greater force during this month. It indicates that they are maturing and growing healthily. As your baby bump grows, you may also encounter some new physical challenges, such as back pain or trouble sleeping.

As the deadline draws near, it’s common to experience a range of emotions, including anxiety and excitement. Now is a good time to finish up your birth plan, stay informed about what to expect, and concentrate on self-care. The seventh month is spent relishing the voyage and preparing for the momentous occasion that lies ahead.

General information about the period

The seventh month opens the final, third trimester of pregnancy for the expectant mother. Now she is entering the home stretch and many begin to count the time until childbirth. A month includes 4.5 calendar or 4 obstetric weeks. If you measure the period as doctors do – in obstetric weeks and months, then the 7th month will correspond to 26, 27, 28 and 29 weeks. If you count in such months, then in pregnancy you get exactly 10 months, each of which is 4 weeks. In calendar weeks, more familiar to a woman, pregnancy lasts 9 months. And the seventh is the 27th, 28th, 29th, 30th week and several days from the 31st week.

People have long referred to the seventh month as "nesting time." As a woman gains more free time due to her maternity leave, many of them use it to decorate the nursery, buy adorable baby items, and clean and organize their home.

Although the expectant mother is already experiencing the first signs of heaviness, this period does not yet indicate a noticeable deterioration in health, so all of her affairs are still fairly easy and unburdensome.

Development of the baby

The baby in the womb is rapidly growing and gaining weight, now this is vitally important, because subcutaneous fat will help the baby after birth to retain body heat, not to overcool. Mom will be happy with cute curves – cheeks, plump bottom, arms. For now, the baby still looks thin, but already very similar to a newborn. The lungs are actively maturing – a substance accumulates in the alveoli that will allow the baby to breathe independently after birth – surfactant. It is not enough for independent breathing yet, but if the birth occurs during this month, the baby has every chance to survive and be healthy. The processes that occur in the development of the fetus at this time are very interesting, and it is worth considering them more closely.

27 weeks

The time when the baby enjoyed free swimming in amniotic fluid and turning over is over. With the onset of the first week of the third trimester the baby becomes heavier to almost a kilogram with a height of 37 centimeters (on average). There are already larger children, there are those whose weight does not yet reach 900 grams, but all of them, without exception, become cramped in the mother"s womb. To save space, the child takes a flexion pose, which is often called the fetal pose – the arms are brought to the chest or crossed on it, the chin is bent down, the back is an "arc", the legs are bent at the knee joints. The baby will have to spend the rest of the time before birth in this position. From this time onwards, it becomes quite difficult to determine the sex of the baby on ultrasound. The position in which the baby is located makes visualization of the external genitalia difficult and the accuracy of determining the sex of the baby is noticeably reduced. At this stage, the baby"s visual function improves. This is due to the completion of the formation of neural connections in the optic nerve. Now the fetus can not only distinguish light and darkness, as it did before, but also see colored blurry spots. It has already learned to open its eyes. Focusing of vision will begin to appear only in the first months after the birth of the baby.

The baby cannot yet survive without resuscitation medical care, but if the birth occurs right now, the prognosis is very good with up to 75% of children surviving.

28 weeks

In the child"s body, everything happens the same as in the body of an adult, only the lungs are not working yet. And yet, every day the baby"s internal organs improve in their functional duties: the heart beats rhythmically and supplies blood to the entire child"s body, the kidneys produce up to half a liter of urine per day, the bladder empties regularly, the pancreas produces insulin, the bone marrow produces blood cells, the sex glands produce sex hormones, and all this is wisely controlled by the brain, which has already acquired grooves and convolutions. It is believed that the baby enters the perinatal period of its development, preceding childbirth. Its height reaches 38 centimeters, weight varies from 1100 to one and a half kilograms. It is difficult to say how much the fetus should weigh – now everything is strictly individual (there are large and large children, there are small, miniature ones). There is a tendency for weight differences by gender – boys become slightly heavier than girls. Eyelashes grow and cheeks become rounder. There is no plump butt yet, but it is a matter of time. The color of the iris changes from blue to the one provided by the baby"s genome. A tenth of the thin colorless lanugo hair covering the baby"s body has already fallen out, the rest are striving for the same. The physiological need for lanugo and cheesy grease is now almost absent – the skin has become stronger, four-layered. The grease is retained only in the folds under the knees, in the groin, in the elbows and in the neck fold. If twins or triplets are growing in the mother"s womb, then it is now that the expectant mother goes on maternity leave, as required by law.

Ninety percent of children survive if labor starts now with no major health consequences.

29th week

The child continues to get heavier – now it can weigh from one and a half kilograms with a height of 39 centimeters. Subcutaneous fat now makes up about 5% of its total mass, which is an impressive result for a baby. His chances of survival in case of premature birth have increased to 96-97%. The consequences of childbirth at this stage, of course, can be very different, but for most children everything goes well. A very significant event occurs at this stage – the differentiation of the cerebral cortex is completed, and now the baby interacts more consciously with the world around him. He can catch the umbilical cord, suck his finger, and knows about 70 other different reflex skills that will help him survive immediately after birth.

30th week

At this stage, all pregnant women with one fetus go on maternity leave. A wonderful period begins when a woman can enjoy her condition, do her favorite hobby, prepare for the birth of her baby. Anxiety at the current stage is caused by the incorrect position of the baby in the uterus. The one that has been established by the 30th week is usually already final, and if now the baby sits on his bottom or lies across, then in a month and a half the doctor will raise the issue of prescribing a cesarean section to the woman, so as not to expose the life and health of the child to an unreasonable risk of birth injuries. It is becoming more and more crowded inside the uterus. The movements are still active, but all children are already in a flexion position. The average baby"s height at 30 weeks is about 40-41 centimeters, the baby weighs from 1600 grams.

31 weeks

The beginning of this week completes the seventh month. By this time, the baby has approached with a height of 42 centimeters, he has gained weight up to 1800 grams, there are already children who weigh under 2 kilograms. There are no more multiple folds on the skin, almost all the hairs have fallen out – lanugo, the rest will fall out in the last weeks of pregnancy, and if they do not fall out, then the baby will get rid of lanugo after birth on his own, without the help of parents and medical workers. If earlier the stomach, cheeks, buttocks were gaining weight, then now the arms and legs are starting to gain weight. The ears, represented by relatively soft cartilaginous tissue, by this time have somewhat hardened and stop sticking out to the sides, adjoining the head. If a baby is born right now, neonatologists will assess the degree of prematurity by the degree of softness of the auricles. Babies born at this stage usually survive well without significant consequences for the body, But medical assistance from resuscitators will be required without fail, since the baby will still be considered premature, its lungs are not mature enough. Babies in the 7th month of pregnancy are very emotional. Observant mothers already know what the baby likes and what he doesn’t, when he is active and when he sleeps, what sounds scare him.

Due to the limited space in the womb, activity will eventually decrease, but for the time being, parents can relish priceless moments: the infant can react to the mother’s soft voice and pound his fist on his stomach when his father places his palm there.

The seventh month of pregnancy is a critical time when the development of your unborn child accelerates and the expectant mother experiences numerous physical changes. The baby’s senses, including hearing and vision, develop during this period, and their movements become stronger and more distinct. It’s critical for the mother to take care of her growing tiredness, back discomfort, and upcoming delivery. Making educated decisions regarding prenatal care and getting ready for the last stages of pregnancy is made easier when one is aware of these changes.

Well-being of the expectant mother

At the very beginning of the seventh month, the woman will not feel any cardinal changes in her well-being beyond what was in the previous month, but by the second half of this period everything will begin to change, and you need to be prepared for this. Women often complain of increased sweating. Indeed, sweating increases in the seventh month, especially if the woman is active, walks a lot, works, and it is summer outside. She may start to feel hot and cold – the expectant mother remembers these sensations from the first trimester, from the earliest stages of pregnancy. But then it was associated with the action of the hormone progesterone, now the reason is a sharp increase in the amount of blood circulating in the female body and increased metabolism. It is now that fluid can begin to linger in the tissues, and then the gynecologist during the examination will definitely report that the woman has edema and will offer her supportive treatment in a hospital or day hospital. Edema is not difficult to recognize – in the morning the face looks like the mask of the Chinese emperor of the Ming dynasty, and a ring or bracelet on the hand leaves a clear mark on the skin. Shoes may seem tight if your feet are swollen. Severe edema cannot be considered normal and you should not even try to reassure yourself that “everyone has them”. The appearance of stable edema can be a prerequisite for the development of preeclampsia (gestosis). Internal edema is also dangerous. Gestosis can lead to complications during childbirth and even cause the death of the woman and the fetus.

It is advised to cut back on salt starting this month, drink plenty of clean, still water, make dietary adjustments, and keep a close eye on any weight gain.

Discharge

Vaginal discharge rises as a result of the body’s increased blood volume. This is normal—that is, if the woman does not experience lower abdominal pain or if there is no brown or bloody discharge. A healthy discharge is clear or white, odorless or slightly flavored like "kefir," and it doesn’t itch.

It is imperative to call for an ambulance if a woman exhibits pink, beige, heterogeneous discharge with clots or any intensity of blood discharge; there is a risk that she may be a premature birth threat.

Pregnancy can be prolonged in all circumstances with prompt hospitalization, with the exception of those in which labor has begun with contractions and water release. At this stage, an infection is the cause of green or gray, foul-smelling discharge. Thrush is a white discharge that itches and feels dry. If something similar starts, you should see your doctor to get a prescription for treatment. This is because the genital tract should be clean and free of infections prior to childbirth; if not, it might be necessary to perform a cesarean section in order to protect the unborn child from infection.

Stomach

You can"t hide your stomach. It is large and even in loose clothing anyone can easily determine that a woman is in position. The uterus has risen above the level of the navel and is pressing on the diaphragm. Because of this, the woman has a constant feeling that she is not getting enough air, that it is difficult to breathe. The ribs may begin to hurt. The expectant mother herself feels that her belly is already very big, in any case, in order to fasten boots or tie laces, she already needs outside help. At the same time, there are women who complain about their belly being too small. This makes them worry about the development of the baby. There is no reason to think that the baby is not well in a small belly. It is just that the belly can be small because the woman has a wide pelvis, there are extra pounds, oligohydramnios has been diagnosed, the fetus is not large. Just share your worries with the doctor – he will definitely tell you if everything is okay with the baby. This month, many women experience so-called training or false contractions (the abdomen becomes tight, the uterus comes into tone for a few seconds, and then relaxes again). Such contractions are a completely normal phenomenon, as is their absence. False contractions do not affect either the due date or the condition of the baby. It is believed that this is how the woman"s body prepares for childbirth.

Because the skin stretches too quickly, the belly needs to be nourished and moisturized with fatty baby cream or specialized products against stretch marks. Currently, the average weekly weight gain is between 200 and 400 grams, with the majority of this weight gain coming from your baby’s weight gain.

Pain

The load on the spine increases. The center of gravity has changed. This is why the back hurts more and more often, especially if you stand or sit statically for a long time. Some women begin to have pain in the pubic bone. Be sure to tell your doctor about this. The divergence of the pelvic bones before childbirth is a mechanism provided by nature to facilitate the birth process, but excessive divergence can lead to symphysitis. Other sensations are quite individual: the breasts grow, colostrum may be secreted. Some begin to suffer from insomnia again, but now not because of progesterone, but because they have to sleep only on their side, and rolling from side to side can be problematic. Many suffer from occasional heartburn and diarrhea (the uterus presses on the intestines and stomach).

It is important to pay particular attention to your psychological and emotional state because depression increases the risk of severe postpartum depression. If you have not felt like yourself for more than two weeks, if anything that once attracted you no longer does, if you have no desire for anything, or if you have a severe fear of giving birth, it is best to seek help from a psychologist or psychotherapist as soon as possible.

During the seventh month of pregnancy, there is a lot of growth and transformation. As you get ready for the last few months, you might notice more physical changes in your own body as your baby continues to develop quickly. It can be difficult to stay comfortable, but there are many strategies for dealing with typical symptoms like edema and back pain.

Concentrating on getting ready for the birth of your child is also a smart move. Maintaining organization can make you feel more prepared for the exciting changes that lie ahead, whether you’re setting up the nursery or enrolling in birthing classes.

Above all, during this time, pay attention to your body and look after yourself. Take breaks when necessary, eat healthily, and schedule routine medical examinations. You’re getting closer to meeting your child every month as the seventh one approaches!

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