Women’s Services
This week, your baby is as big as a zucchini.
The following information was reviewed by Katherine Cheng
There is no view in the womb, but don't worry! Your baby's eyes have developed enough to perceive light and darkness, and they can see the outside world in about 10 weeks.
Your baby is now putting on fat and filling out. The tiny hairs called lanugo that cover the body fades away and more hair grows on the head.
The sucking reflex is the baby's instinctive reaction, and sometimes mothers-to-be can see their baby sucking their fingers in the ultrasound examination!
Baby's skin cells are producing melanin! The more melanocytes, the darker the skin, but most melanin production doesn't happen until after birth.
The hair on your baby's head increases, and most of the lanugo hair will fall off before birth.
Baby can open his eyes wide and may be able to see fuzzy shapes. By 31 weeks, your baby's pupil can constrict and dilate, allowing light to enter the eye.
You may have trouble falling asleep and have disturbing dreams. These dreams are not real and may be caused by your anxiety and hormonal influences about major changes in the future. If you're feeling stressed, talk to your midwife or obstetrician.
Did pregnancy make your feet longer? Due to weight gain, swelling and the influence of relaxin, the ligaments of pregnant women's feet will expand. Later in pregnancy, feet may swell, and feet may become half a size or even one size larger. Therefore, it is necessary to buy some comfortable maternity shoes.
Many pregnant women experience back pain in the third trimester, and it is recommended to wear flat shoes and use a cushion to support the back when sitting.
As you have more than the normal amount of blood in your body, your obstetrician or midwife will measure your blood pressure at each exam. About one in ten women will develop high blood pressure during pregnancy which can be a sign of pregnancy toxemia (also known as "pre-eclampsia"), which can endanger the lives of pregnant women and their baby. This can be mitigated through careful monitoring.
Before your first prenatal check-up program included routine blood tests to check whether pregnant women carry the Rh factor "rhesus factor". If your blood contains this antigen, your blood type is Rh positive, otherwise it is Rh negative. Rh negative blood type usually does not affect your health, but may affect the fetus.
If you have an Rh-negative blood type and are pregnant with an Rh-positive baby, you need to pay special attention. When your blood comes into contact with your baby's blood, such as in an ectopic pregnancy, chorionic villus biopsy, or miscarriage, your body may produce a protein called Rh antibody. Rh antibody is not harmful to the current fetus, but it will affect the baby of the next fetus. If the next child is Rh-positive blood type, these Rh antibodies will cross the placenta and destroy the baby's red blood cells, which is life-threatening.
If the blood test is Rh negative and the antibody test shows that Rh antibodies have not started, you will need an injection of anti-D immunoglobulin to prevent your body from making Rh antibodies during pregnancy. However, if antibody tests show that you have developed antibodies, anti-D immunoglobulin injections will not help. Your doctor will carefully monitor your baby and give your baby blood through the umbilical cord during pregnancy and as needed after delivery.
Whether you’re planning for an addition to your family or are already pregnant, OT&P’s Maternity Team is here to help.