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For Mother Day
Pregnant Making Room for Baby
From extreme fatigue and nausea to aches and stretch marks, it’s no secret that women put up with a lot when they are pregnant. Now, an animation shows how a woman’s internal organs have to make sacrifices and adjust to make space for a growing baby.
It shows the changes from conception to the point of birth when organs are squeezed, the heart works harder and the baby presses upon the bladder, causing discomfort. The interactive tool, produced by the Chicago Museum of Science and Industry, tracks internal changes throughout the three trimesters over the 40-week period. It shows the hormonal changes in the first trimester that affect almost every organ in the body, causing many women to have strange cravings for food, nausea, and be extremely tired. At this point, the baby is starting to develop, beginning with the brain, spinal cord and heart. At four weeks, the embryo is just a quarter of an inch long, MEdicineNet reported. At eight weeks, the baby begins to develop into a foetus, the major organs start to develop and the heart to beat, arms and legs start to form and facial features begin to develop. At the end of the first trimester at 12 weeks, it’s possible to tell if the baby is a boy or a girl, the eyes close and nerves and muscles begin to start working together so it can form a fist, for example.
It’s in the second trimester that a woman’s appearance starts to change and the ‘bump’ starts to grow, causing aches and pains as well as stretch marks and other physical external signs. At 20 weeks, the baby is more active and kicking. Measuring around six inches (15cm) long and weighing it at some nine ounces (255 grams), it can swallow and hear. Just four weeks later, fingerprints are formed and hair starts to grow, but all these amazing developments take their toll on the mother’s body. Her liver starts to be pushed upwards and there’s not as much room as there was for her stomach, while her hearts begins to work harder. But it’s the third trimester when a mother’s internal organs become really squashed. As the baby grows, the lungs become cramped and move upwards, while the intestines move out of the way and the bladder is noticeably squashed. This results in some women having breathing difficulties and having to use the toilet more regularly, particularly if the baby ‘drops’ and moves lower in the abdomen. Some women also suffer swelling in the ankles, fingers and face, for example, heartburn and difficulty sleeping.
In the third trimester, babies gain around half a pound a week and move around more - even opening and closing their eyes. In the last stages of development, at 37 weeks, a baby’s organs are capable of functioning independently and despite not moving around as much, there is little room for internal organs. However, once the baby is born, they move back into their original, more comfortable positions. Written By Sarah Griffiths Retrieved From:
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