16th week of pregnancy: The 16th week of pregnancy at a glance
From the 16th week of pregnancy it will be exciting. At this stage of pregnancy, ultrasound can already be used to determine the sex of the child. Are you already curious? And do you even want to know?
Your baby’s development in the 16th week of pregnancy
If there are still doubts about thesex determination of your child, it is easy to see in the 16th week of pregnancy byultrasoundwhether you and your partner can look forward to a boy or a girl. Many pregnant women would like to know in order to be able to talk better with their unborn child. And for shopping for baby things,furnishing the nurseryand choosing a nicebaby name, it is of course useful to know. But many also like to be surprised. Although you have probably gained between 2.2 and 4.5 kilos, your fetus weighs only around 70 grams in the 16th week of pregnancy. It measures about 10 centimeters from the skull to the breech.
Your child will now begin to perceive sounds. You can’t call it hearing yet, but if you play an instrument, for example, it will be guided through your bones to the child and “felt” by him. The maternal inner world also has some sounds to offer the child: the stomach and intestines create a noise of 85 decibels and the rush of blood brings it to 55 decibels. No wonder that the child can react to it even without refined hearing. If you like singing, you can now start practicing oldchildren’s songsagain. You are then well prepared for the time after birth and your baby is already getting used to the soothing sound of your voice.
Your body in the 16th week of pregnancy
Inside you, theplacenta (placenta)Â grows as a new organ. Together with the mucous membrane of the uterus, the so-called chorion to the placenta develops in the 16th week of pregnancy, which supplies your baby with oxygen, nutrients and antibodies via the umbilical cord. It replaces the chorion as the previous provider of the child and takes up its full function in thefourth month of pregnancy. Until the23rd week of pregnancy, it enlarges extremely quickly and grows as a sponge-like disc until birth, so to speak, with your child.
The placenta is the size of a newborn’s head and its upper edge (the fundus) is three transverse fingers above the pubic bone this week. In the meantime, the tissue of the cervix has become so strong that it can no longer be moved during a vaginal examination as it used to be. As protection against injuries to the cervix and also the baby, the cervix also stands backwards.
Questions about the 16th week of pregnancy
What helps against varicose veins in pregnancy?
During your pregnancy, your blood vessels need to transport more blood so that the uterus and thus your child are optimally cared for. This can causevaricose veins. Lots of exercise, such as walking, cycling and swimming, stimulates blood circulation and helps prevent varicose veins.
How does gestational anemia develop?
The further the pregnancy progresses, the more your iron stores will be plundered. The values drop and sometimes even a real iron deficiency develops. Anemia or anemia is a lack of red blood cells (erythrocytes). However, since the red blood cells are responsible for oxygen transport, a sufficient amount is very important for the health of the mother and the development of the child. For their formation, iron, vitamin B12 and folic acid are needed. Iron deficiency is the most common cause of anemia. Therefore, the additional addition of iron makes sense for many women.
Tips and hints for the 16th week of pregnancy
Take care of your feet
Asyour body weight increases, your feet also have more to carry. To prevent painful feet, it helps to consciously roll the feet from the heel to the tips of the toes when walking. This allows you to distribute the body weight over the entire foot surface. Don’t be surprised if your feet get bigger during pregnancy: a study shows that length, width and volume increase, but the height decreases somewhat. Especially diabetics with sensory disturbances in the feet should pay attention to sufficiently large and wide shoes to avoid pressure points and ulcers. The shoe pinches: Walking barefoot on gravel, sand or damp grass invigorates and massages the feet in a pleasant way.
Compression stockings can help
Women who have to stand a lot professionally, have tendencies to spider veins or varicose veins or have a hereditary predisposition can have support stockings prescribed by the doctor for thrombosis prophylaxis. The legs are individually measured in the sanitary trade and the stockings are then made to fit. You should wear so-called compression stockings around the clock. If you take off the stockings for washing, it is necessary that you put your legs up for half an hour before putting them on again to “decongest”. In general, support stockings should only be worn when lying down.
Ideal travel time
The second trimester of pregnancy is generally considered the ideal travel time: The stomach is not yet a hindrance, the woman is physically quite fit and often in high spirits. Enjoy a relaxing holiday for two, in which you can gather strength and energy for the time until birth. Under which conditions you canfly pregnant, you can find out here.
Choose a birth preparation course
Many pregnancy courses start during these weeks when the risk of miscarriage is low and you still feel flexible and enjoy sports. In our article “Birth preparation course: content and procedure” you will find a lot of information about possible courses. There is certainly something for you.