The sixth month of pregnancy

It’s an exciting time to be pregnant, as you and your unborn child are growing and changing during the sixth month. Several of the early discomforts, such as morning sickness, may have subsided by the time you reach the later stages of your second trimester. Instead, as you get ready for the upcoming months, you might experience a surge of energy and excitement.

Your baby’s senses, including hearing, are developing quickly during this month. Your infant may even respond to sounds or your voice, as you may have noticed. Additionally, your baby’s movements start to become more apparent at this time, which helps you and your child develop a new level of bond.

You might notice some new physical changes, like a developing tummy, back pain, or even the onset of Braxton Hicks contractions. Even though these changes are typical, it’s still crucial to pay attention to your body and maintain comfort. As you move through this month, keep in mind to savor the present and remain educated about what lies ahead.

General information about the period

The sixth month is the last in the second trimester. If we are talking about the obstetric month, then it will include the 22nd, 23rd, 24th and 25th weeks of pregnancy. The calendar sixth month includes the 23rd, 24th, 25th and 26th weeks. This discrepancy arises due to the difference in the methods of calculating the period: obstetricians count from the first day of the last menstruation, while in each obstetric month (like the lunar month) there are exactly 4 weeks. There are exactly 10 obstetric months in pregnancy. Calendar months contain more days (30-31), and therefore the ordinal numbers of the weeks are slightly ahead of the obstetric months. There are exactly 9 calendar months in pregnancy.

Count from the first day of the last menstrual cycle, whichever that may be, and concentrate on the period from Week 22 to Week 26, inclusive. We will look more closely at this time frame.

Fetal development

At this stage, your baby reaches a new and important milestone in its development — the formation and development of the alveoli has been completed, its lung tissue begins to prepare for independent breathing. A special substance, surfactant, is gradually produced. Alveoli are tiny bubbles. At the first breath, they fill with air, but when exhaling, their walls can stick together, and then acute respiratory failure develops — one of the most common causes of death in newborns immediately after birth. It is important that enough surfactant accumulates, and then the baby will be able to breathe independently without problems. It is the accumulation of surfactant from the 6th month until the very birth that the child in the womb will be engaged in. In addition, other interesting metamorphoses will occur with it, which are worth considering week by week.

22 weeks

This is a significant week, it gives a new status to the fetus. Now, if for some reason contractions begin, the water breaks, what is happening will not be considered a miscarriage. This will be a premature birth, and doctors will be obliged to save the baby. Almost all children at this stage reach 500 grams in weight, and their height is already very solid – up to 30 centimeters. Previously, the standards for providing medical care implied that resuscitation measures were carried out only for a child who reached a weight of 500 grams, now they also save children who weigh less. True, without guarantees. The chances of survival for a baby born at 22 weeks will be low: there is not yet a sufficient amount of surfactant, there is not the required amount of subcutaneous fat, such a baby will not be able to breathe or retain body heat. He will not be able to exist outside of intensive care. And even if he survives, there is a high probability that the child will be disabled. Most often, the nervous system (paralysis, paresis) and sensory organs (blindness, deafness) are affected. The mother"s task at the beginning of the 6th month is to do everything to prevent premature birth, follow all the doctor"s recommendations.

At this point, the child’s emotional development increases. Your palm will react animatedly to your pressure on the stomach, making loud, sharp noises that make the baby frightened and start to "rush," often pushing from the inside out. The infant nearly has a newborn appearance. There is still subcutaneous fat to accumulate.

23 weeks

The child undergoes dramatic changes. In one week, he manages to add about 20% of his total weight, and this is a new record. By the end of this seven-day period babies weigh an average of 550-590 grams with a height of about 30 centimeters. It should be noted that from this period, it is no longer worth focusing on the height-weight norms. The embryos developed at about the same speed and looked almost the same. But now your child is an individual. He has genetically determined traits: the size of the nose and the length of the legs and arms, build. If the parents are tall, then the child will have considerable growth, if they are stunted, then the fetus will be slightly smaller. However, in weight will be equally intensively added to both. In this period, sweat and sebaceous glands begin to work.

The baby’s hearing is fully developed, and he already has preferences—he likes some sounds, doesn’t like others. Theoretically, you can introduce your unborn child to classical music; generally, fetuses respond favorably to works by Vivaldi, Chopin, and Beethoven.

24 weeks

This week’s weight gain reaches 600–650 grams by the end. Baby’s growth has reached 31 centimeters. The children’s movements become more animated, and mothers frequently observe that their kids have personalities and temperaments of their own—some are quiet and drowsy, while others are fidgety. Lanugo is the start of the active loss of light-colored, translucent hair that covers the skin. Together with them, the child’s excessive amounts of corny grease disappear, and their appearance improves. The cheeks are already present, the skin is starting to smooth out, and the buttocks are still forming.

25 weeks

Reflexes are being improved, which will help the baby survive in new living conditions after he is born. Already now the child has several dozen reflex skills: he can suck and swallow, has grasping and tendon reflexes, has learned to blink, spit, has an instinct for self-preservation. The fetus has grown to 34 centimeters, “heavier” up to 800 grams. A gradual change in skin and hair color begins. If all children were blondes until the sixth month, then now there are brown-haired, brunettes and redheads, and the skin becomes pinkish instead of deep red. If the child is dark-skinned, then right now his skin receives a characteristic pigment. If childbirth occurs now, then the WHO estimates the chances of survival at 15-17%.

Your youngster is starting to see dreams. The REM sleep phase wins out over the slow sleep phase in this instance. At this point, it’s hard to tell what the baby sees while he sleeps. His dreams are probably closely related to his real life because of the umbilical cord, his mother’s voice, and her heartbeat.

26th week

The last days of the sixth month fall on the 26th obstetric week. This is what completes the second trimester. Children begin to take a cephalic presentation. Up to 90% of babies behave this way. The remaining 10% sit or lie across, but they still have enough time to turn over – there is still enough space in the uterus for such "maneuvers". By the end of the sixth month, babies grow to 35 centimeters and weigh from 800 to 900 grams. Olfactory receptors begin to form, and in boys, the testicles begin to descend from the abdominal cavity, where they were formed, into the scrotum, where they are supposed to be.

The survival rate can reach up to 35% on average if childbirth takes place at the end of the sixth month.

Both the mother and the unborn child experience remarkable growth and exciting milestones during the sixth month of pregnancy. The mother’s body may change during this time, possibly resulting in new symptoms and a growing belly, as the baby becomes more active. It’s an important time to enjoy the special bond that forms between mother and child, get healthy, and monitor the baby’s growth in preparation for delivery.

Well-being of the expectant mother

From the sixth month, the belly begins to grow. Even those who were worried about the fact that their tummy was not growing are now thinking about changing their wardrobe: the belly is growing at a tremendous speed and from week to week it becomes more and more noticeable to others – and there is no point in hiding anything. Soon the woman will have to go on maternity leave. In the seventh month, she will be given a sick leave for pregnancy and childbirth. The production of placental lactogen is activated, and from this month the mammary glands of the expectant mother begin to actively prepare for breastfeeding feeding. Many have already noticed that large and lush breasts (and they became exactly like this regardless of the size of the bust before pregnancy!) began to produce colostrum. From this month, it is advisable to closely prepare your breasts for the upcoming breastfeeding after childbirth.

First and foremost, the breast needs to be properly cared for. To avoid infection in the milk ducts, wash the breast twice a day with warm water. This is because colostrum is a nutrient medium that is nearly perfect for the growth of pathogenic bacteria.

Second, you now require a specific support bra with wide straps that is composed of natural fabrics. You should moisturize the skin with anti-stretch mark products, heated vegetable oils, or fatty baby cream if there is itching related to stretching of the skin around the mammary glands.

Only use a rough towel to wipe the nipples, according to experts, as this will stimulate and get them ready to feed the baby. But it’s crucial to understand when to stop: too much nipple stimulation raises oxytocin levels in the body, which may lead to an increase in uterine tone.

Training contractions are a type of irregular, non-systematic tension in the uterine muscles that can affect new mothers as well as seasoned mothers in certain situations. They are also referred to as Braxton-Hicks contractions or fake contractions. This is a natural, justified process that the uterus goes through to get ready for the actual contractions that will start during labor, so there’s no need to be afraid. You shouldn’t be concerned if there aren’t any contractions; this is also perfectly normal. A woman is not automatically at risk of giving birth too soon just because she is having contractions.

Gaining seven to eight kilograms of weight puts a significant strain on the back, lower back, and legs. By the end of the sixth month, varicose veins may start to show up, hemorrhoids may get worse, and legs start to feel tired more frequently, especially after a workday.

• Discharge. Normally, they remain transparent or white, without itching, odor or with a slight sourness. They may have a slightly yellowish tint due to the high level of progesterone in the body. This month, leucorrhoea is also considered normal – the discharge of leucorrhoea. This occurs due to a strong blood supply to the mucous membranes of the genital tract. If the leucorrhoea is abundant and interferes, you can use sanitary pads. It is also important to wash yourself more often to prevent the reproduction of pathogenic organisms in the nutrient medium of vaginal secretions.
• Uterus. The lower back and lower abdomen hurt due to the shift in the center of gravity, and sometimes due to the pinching of some nerve endings, because the bottom of the uterus has already risen to the level of the woman"s navel. The internal organs are forced to make room. The size of the uterus is already so large that the stomach is compressed, and now the woman may suffer from heartburn due to the fact that the reproductive organ compresses the digestive organ from below, causing gastric juice to reflux into the esophagus.
• Pigmentation. Pigment spots of different sizes may appear, existing moles and freckles become brighter. You should not worry – a few months after giving birth, pigmentation will return to normal and freckles and moles will again become barely noticeable.
• Due to calcium deficiency, fingers may go numb, legs may cramp (calf muscles), these sensations are especially common at night. It is important to talk to the doctor and start taking calcium supplements.

For the time being, mood and emotional background are unchanged. However, it is still preferable to take precautions to avoid stress because stress hormone exposure can have extremely negative effects on the fetus (which, incidentally, can pass through the placental barrier).

Recommendations at this stage

It will be easier for you to get through the sixth month if you adhere to a few basic suggestions.

• Limit physical activity. Reduce it by about 30% of the original. The best ways to keep fit, prepare for childbirth and not harm the baby are considered to be walking in the fresh air, swimming. But you should categorically refuse diving from a springboard and fast immersion (diving). Also, you should not swim in stagnant natural bodies of water (lakes, ponds): there is a risk of contracting infections that are transmitted with stagnant water. It is not forbidden to ride a bicycle, but common sense should tell a woman that it is much more correct to use an exercise bike (you can fall off a bicycle).
• Start doing yoga for pregnant women and breathing exercises. Now is a very good time to start breathing correctly, to train your breathing, which you will use during labor to reduce pain and ease the labor process.
• Wearing a special prenatal bandage will help make carrying a baby easier at the end of the second and especially in the third trimester. Consult your doctor and go to an orthopedic salon for him.
• Try not to drink too much liquid and do not sit (lie) in one position for too long — edema may develop.

Dangers: what is allowed and prohibited?

There are still many limitations, but a lot is still permitted.

• Sexual life. You can have sex only if the doctor has no reason to suspect a threat of premature labor, if there is no placenta previa and functional insufficiency of the cervix (ICI). It is better to choose positions for lovemaking such that there is no pressure on the growing tummy, and you should also not use sex toys, lubricants and practice anal sex now. The partner needs to be more delicate. An orgasm cannot harm the child, you don’t have to worry about that. In women at this stage, increased blood flow to the genitals can cause a strong sexual desire – this can and should be used in the absence of pregnancy complications.
• Travel. If you have not yet been to the sea on vacation and really want to fly by air, it is advisable to consult a gynecologist before the trip. You can fly on airplanes, but before that it is still better to get the consent of a doctor. In the sixth month, most airlines do not ask a pregnant woman for a certificate from a doctor that she can fly, but there are some companies that may already ask, and therefore it is better to get it from your gynecologist before the trip. During the flight, it is mandatory to drink a sufficient amount of clean, non-carbonated drinking water and wear compression underwear (stockings, tights) to protect the veins of the lower extremities.
• Alcohol is still prohibited. Even champagne. Even at your best friend"s wedding.
• No self-medication. Colds and flu are not as dangerous now as they were in the early stages, since the baby is reliably protected by the placenta and is fully formed, but improper treatment of colds and flu with anything can cause significant harm.

You should call an ambulance right away if there is blood coming from the genital tract, bleeding has started, the lower abdomen is pulling, contractions have started, or the water has broken. Recall that the babies are already viable as of this month.

Pregnancy is characterized by discernible growth and novel experiences during the sixth month. Regularly feeling the baby’s movements as they become more active strengthens the bond between mother and child.

It’s critical to maintain comfort and control common symptoms like back pain and swelling as the body changes. A healthy lifestyle and routine examinations are necessary to make sure mother and child are doing well.

Excitedness and anticipation for the impending birth are also present this month. Achieving emotional and practical readiness for the baby’s arrival can help allay anxieties and boost confidence for the journey ahead.

Video on the topic

THE SIXTH MONTH OF PREGNANCY

6th month of pregnancy what has changed

What happens to mom and baby at 26 weeks of pregnancy? 6th month of pregnancy. Second trimester.

Pregnancy | 6th month