Fetal development at 16 weeks of pregnancy

What many pregnant women are most concerned about during pregnancy is the development of the fetus. Although we cannot see the baby at this time, it is a very good thing to know the baby's development status through some fetal development information, which makes these prospective parents feel excited and happy. So let's take a look at the fetal development at 16 weeks of pregnancy.

A 16-week-old fetus is about 11.4 cm tall when sitting and weighs about 120 grams. Its head is obviously more upright and it looks like a pear. The reproductive organs have been formed, and the sex of the fetus can be determined by B-ultrasound; his skin is thin and transparent, and the network of blood vessels under the skin can be seen; the joints of the arms and legs have been formed, and hard bones have begun to develop; the fetus's legs are longer than his arms, the fingernails are fully formed, and the knuckles have begun to move.

What's surprising is that your baby will be able to respond to the prompts you give him starting this week. You will find that you can feel the fetal movements more clearly, and sometimes even a little tenderness. The most interesting time of pregnancy is about to begin. You must seize this time to communicate more with your baby. A good mother-child relationship must be established from now on.

You may feel your baby's first movement between 16 and 20 weeks — but you may not recognize it as a movement at first. If you have a history of pregnancy, you will feel fetal movement earlier than before. Now when the fetus moves, it feels like gastrointestinal peristalsis after drinking a beverage. Remember to record the time of the first fetal movement and tell the doctor the next time you go to the hospital for a check-up.

Generally, the fetal heart rate can be heard this week, of course by the expectant father himself. After urinating, the wife lies on her back on the bed with her legs straight. The husband can stick the fetal heart monitor to the area designated by the doctor to listen to the fetal heart. If he listens carefully, he can hear the rhythmic beats. The average fetal heart rate is 120 to 160 beats per minute. If you find that the fetal heartbeat is too fast, too slow or irregular, you should seek medical attention immediately.

Regular prenatal checkups are necessary to promptly detect any abnormal conditions in the baby, such as deformities, stillbirth, lack of amniotic fluid, hypoxia and other adverse phenomena. These adverse phenomena have a great impact on the fetus. If there are any abnormal conditions, timely treatment measures must be taken.