During the next month, your baby will grow faster than it ever has or ever will.
The rapid and sustained growth experienced by the baby this month enables it to be more agile than before. For example, your baby can now turn its head, open its mouth, and press its lips together. Not bad for somebody who only weighs 1 ounce (28 g) and stands only 33⁄8 inches (8.5cm) tall!
Your baby now displays more sophisticated hand and arm movements, such as making a fist, moving the thumbs, bending the wrists, and grasping. All the body movements that the baby engages in right now constitute practice. It takes some time for the nervous system and the muscles to make smooth, synchronous movements. So these motions test the hook-ups within the neuromuscular system.
Did You Know?
You should know that nothing your practitioner does affects whether your baby’s belly button points in or out, or its cosmetic appearance. The strength of the baby’s tissues at the umbilical site determines this. |
By now you may be experiencing some mild swelling or edema. It will be most noticeable in your ankles and feet, because of the effect of gravity on your tissues. Swelling is an important symptom to report to your practitioner during your checkup. Note swelling that occurs in the ankles, feet, hands, and face so you don’t forget.
Even though your baby is moving quite a bit, you still can’t feel the movements because the baby doesn’t bump into the walls of your uterus and doesn’t have much muscle strength. While these movements are visible during ultrasound examination, you’ll first detect the baby’s movements in another seven weeks or so. It’s ironic that while most mothers really want to feel their baby move and are so pleased when they finally do, those same movements will eventually keep them up at night and bump so hard they’d think their baby was wearing boots.
Did You Know?
The hardest substance in your baby’s body is tooth enamel. |
