Pregnancy and intrauterine life: did you know that?

What happens in the belly? Some curiosities about the intrauterine life of the baby.

During the nine months   the woman’s body   undergoes  physiological changes that  you can  read in  their entirety  by consulting the weeks of gestation as the pregnancy progresses.

Today we focus instead on some curiosities and numbers that may surprise you.

1 – the heart of a pregnant woman goes a thousand. In pregnancy, you pump 40 to 50% more blood. Her heart rate also increases, about 10-20 beats per minute faster than she was before she became pregnant. This also explains why we feel more fatigued and get tired more quickly

2 – The uterus grows up to 14 times its initial size. Before pregnancy, the uterus is shaped like a pear. At the end of pregnancy it is the size of a watermelon, and then slowly returns to its initial size once it is born.

The uterus around the 37th week contains about 1-1.4 kg of amniotic fluid. The quantity decreases towards the end due to  the aging  of the placenta which carries less liquids.  

3 – The child listens to you. By 18 weeks of pregnancy his ears are fully developed and therefore he can hear outside noises and your voice. so sing, talk to him, listen to music. Once born, babies can recognize the music they listened to continuously while they were in the belly. And this can have a calming and reassuring effect for the newborn.

4- the future dad can experience pregnancy symptoms, it’s Couvade Syndrome

5- pregnant woman’s feet can get bigger , this explains why your shoes can no longer fit you during pregnancy.

6 – The male fetus can have erections during intrauterine life

Obstetric ultrasounds have demonstrated them as early as 16 weeks of pregnancy, although they are generally more visible later. Between 20 and 23 weeks the male fetus begins to produce sperm while girls already have ovaries with their full baggage of primordial follicles. In the fifth month of pregnancy, the female fetus has about 7 million primordial follicles which are reduced to one million at birth. They become “only” 300 000″ at the onset of puberty.

The placenta is an amazing organ. It acts as a filter for the passage of substances between mother and child and vice versa, it supplies the child with blood and nutrients.

8 – the child  may  already have his culinary  tastes

At 20 weeks of pregnancy the taste buds are already formed and some experts believe that the baby can be taught to appreciate certain foods already during pregnancy by eating a wide variety of (healthy) foods. So here’s one more motivation to take care of your nutrition!

9 – the fetus produces meconium more or less from mid-pregnancy. Meconium is a green-brown substance with a sticky consistency that will be expelled immediately after birth and will fill his first diaper.

10 – The child can see the light .

Around the 30th week of pregnancy the iris of the eye is fully formed, which means it can see and may even react to light. If you are exposed to direct sunlight, your child may change position to protect his eyes.

11 – The baby also cries in utero

Ultrasound scans have shown that babies cry or make particular facial expressions even in the womb. That doesn’t mean it’s sad. Crying is actually an important achievement for the baby because it represents his only way to communicate during the first weeks of life.