Getting an Ultrasound at 5 Months Pregnant

Most moms-to-be have at least one ultrasound during pregnancy and this usually occurs when you’re five months pregnant, at around 18 to 20 weeks.

At the standard mid-pregnancy ultrasound, your healthcare provider:

• Estimates your baby’s gestational age

• Estimates your baby’s weight

• Checks that your baby is developing normally, including that your baby’s heart, head, and spine are forming as they should

• Checks for conditions like placenta previa (which is a rare condition in which the placenta lies low in the uterus and partially or completely covers the cervix) or placenta accreta (a very rare condition where the placenta grows too deeply into the uterine wall and can’t easily separate away after your baby is born).

• Checks your baby’s position, movement, and heart rate

• Checks the amount of amniotic fluid surrounding your baby in the uterus

• Checks whether you are carrying multiples.

Although an ultrasound exam is a medical tool, your healthcare provider may be able to tell you whether you’re having a boy or girl, if this is something you’d like to find out.

Your healthcare provider will be able to tell you whether any other ultrasounds need to be scheduled during your pregnancy. Sometimes additional ultrasounds are needed to check for a specific condition or as part of a medical test.

Speak to your provider if you’re curious about having a more detailed 3D or 4D ultrasound scan.

5 Months Pregnant: Your Body’s Changes

At some point during this month, you may feel your little one move for the first time. This is called quickening, and some moms-to-be detect these sensations around 18 weeks of pregnancy.

If this isn’t your first baby, you may start to sense these movements earlier than you did with your first baby because you’re more familiar with the feeling. If you haven’t felt those first flutters yet, try to be patient. It may still be several weeks before your little one’s kicks are noticeable. If you are feeling those flutters, your healthcare provider may soon recommend that you begin doing daily "kick counts." Download our fetal movement tracker, and talk to your provider about when and how to count those little kicks. At your prenatal checkups from five months pregnant onward (if not earlier), your healthcare provider may start checking your belly size by measuring your fundal height. The fundal height is measured in centimeters from your pubic bone to the top of your uterus. Interestingly, your fundal height usually closely corresponds to the number of weeks pregnant you are. So, if you’re 18 weeks pregnant, your fundal height is likely to be around 18 centimeters.

How Far Along Are You at 5 Months Pregnant?

This month fits squarely into the second trimester, but you may be wondering which weeks of pregnancy you’re up to at five months pregnant? There are a few different ways the weeks of pregnancy are grouped into months, so this fifth month could range from week 17 or 18 up to week 20, 21, or 22.

Checklist for When You’re 5 Months Pregnant

• Ask your healthcare provider whether you have any of the risk factors for gestational diabetes and whether a glucose screening test is right for you.

• Check with your provider about whether you have any of the risk factors for the high blood pressure disorder called preeclampsia and find out what steps you can take to reduce the risks associated with this condition.

• Get a flu shot, if you haven’t already. The shot is safe to get at any time during your pregnancy.

• Schedule a dentist checkup, if you haven’t had one since the start of your pregnancy.

• Start shopping for maternity clothes and bras, if needed.

• Plan a babymoon! If you’re feeling up to it, this is a great time to travel. Just check with your healthcare provider first.

• Consider if you want to draft a birth plan for your labor and delivery. You can download our Birth Plan Guide, and talk to your healthcare provider about what to include.

• If you’re feeling energetic, take advantage of this time to design and prepare your baby’s nursery. If you need some inspiration, this quiz is what you need: Tell Us About Your Style and We Will Help You Decorate Your Nursery.

• Sign up for prenatal classes. There may be childbirth, breastfeeding, or parenting classes available in your area; start by asking your healthcare provider and other parents for recommendations. Keep in mind that you may need to register ASAP to get a spot in your preferred class.

• For a look at what’s to come in the final months of your pregnancy, read about the third trimester.

• Sign up for even more weekly pregnancy tips here:

What does a child do while it is in the mother’s stomach

August 17, 2018

In 9 months, a child goes a long way from a tiny embryo to a chubby baby and already in the womb acquires some features that will remain with him for life: for example, you can understand whether he will become right-handed or left-handed and what kind of food he will prefer. In a fairly short period of time, a lot of interesting things happen to a child, and today we invite you to go through the path from birth to birth with your baby.

1st trimester of pregnancy
1st–2nd week

So the long journey began. For the first 4 days, the future person is smaller than a grain of salt - its size is only 0.14 mm. However, starting from the 5th day, it begins to grow and by the 6th it almost doubles - up to as much as 0. 2 mm. On the 4th day, the embryo "comes" to where it will spend the next 9 months - into the uterus, and on the 8th day it is implanted in its wall.

3rd–4th week

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Embryo at the 4th week of pregnancy.

Around the 20th day of pregnancy, a very important event occurs: the neural tube appears, which will then turn into the spinal cord and brain of the child. Already on the 21st day, his heart begins to beat and all important organs, such as the kidneys and liver, begin to form. The eyes have not yet taken their usual position - the bubbles from which they will then take shape are located on the sides of the head. By the end of the 1st month, the embryo has a circulatory system, and the spine and muscles begin to develop.

5th–6th week

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At the 5th week, the hands appear in the embryo, however, the fingers are still very difficult to distinguish, but in the joints the arms and legs are already bent. It was at this time that the external genitalia begin to form, but it is not yet possible to see on an ultrasound whether it is a boy or a girl. By the way, since its appearance, the embryo has grown a lot - it has increased by as much as 10 thousand times. Already now, the baby's face is beginning to form, and the eyes, which will be closed for a very long time, darken, becoming more human-like.

7th–8th week

The 7th week of pregnancy is the time when the baby begins to move, however, so far completely unnoticed by the mother, and the fingers and toes become almost the same as in adults. At this stage, the rudiments of milk teeth appear in the embryo and the reproductive system develops, and the kidneys begin to produce urine. Despite the fact that the growth of the fetus is only 2.5 cm, it acquires its own facial expressions, it has eyelids, and the tip of the nose becomes more defined.

9th–10th week

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Baby at 9-10 weeks of gestation.

By this time, the baby has already grown well - its weight is 4 grams, and its height is 2-3 cm. Despite its tiny size, the brain is already divided into two hemispheres, and milk teeth and taste buds are beginning to form. The baby's tail and membranes between the fingers on the hands disappear, he begins to swim in the amniotic fluid and move even more actively, although still unnoticed by the mother. It was at this time that the child's individual facial features appear, and hair begins to grow on the head.

11–12 weeks

At this time, the genital organs are formed in the child, so it is already possible to find out his sex on an ultrasound scan, although the probability of an error is still high. The child still looks a little alien: he has a big head and a small body, but his face is more and more like an adult. The ears are almost in the right position, eyebrows and eyelashes appear. The cartilage that makes up the skeleton gradually ossifies, new blood vessels appear, and hormone production begins. By the way, the baby has already grown up to 6 cm and weighs about 20 grams.

13th-14th week

Baby at 14 weeks pregnant.

Despite the fact that the child's head is half the length of the entire body, the face is more and more reminiscent of an adult, and the rudiments of all 20 milk teeth have already been formed in the oral cavity. The child is already able to put his finger in his mouth, but he will learn to suck a little later. Due to the active formation of blood vessels, the baby's skin is red and very thin, so vellus hair appears on the body - lanugo, which is necessary to maintain a special lubricant that protects against hypothermia.

2nd trimester of pregnancy
15th–16th week

By the 15th week, the baby has grown to 10 cm and is gaining weight - now he weighs about 70 grams. Despite the fact that the eyes are still quite low, the face is already quite recognizable, moreover, the child begins to “make faces”, since the facial muscles are well developed. By this time, he already knows how to suck his thumb, and the sebaceous and sweat glands begin their work.

17th–18th week

And finally, the child's auditory canals are formed, so he begins to distinguish sounds well and hears the mother's voice, moreover, he is able to recognize it. In addition to the milk teeth, the embryos of the molars also appear, the bones are finally formed and begin to harden. By the way, the bones of the skull will remain mobile until birth - when passing through the birth canal, they will overlap each other to make it easier for the baby to be born. But the mother is finally beginning to feel the movements of the child, who has grown to 14 cm and 190 grams.

19th-20th week

Baby at 20 weeks pregnant.

Despite the fact that the child's eyes are still closed, he is already well oriented in the surrounding space. Moreover, now you can understand whether the child will be right-handed or left-handed, because right now he begins to use his dominant hand more actively. Fingerprints appear on the baby's fingers - another unique sign of each of us. By the way, the child is already beginning to gradually distinguish day from night and is active at a certain time.

21–22 weeks

The 21st week is the time when the baby begins to gain weight due to the formation of subcutaneous fat. Soon, the folds that newborns have will appear on his arms and legs. On the 22nd week, those neurons are formed in the brain that will be with a person all his life. Very soon the child will open his eyes, he is already trying to do this, and the eyeballs move almost like an adult.

23–24 weeks

At 23 weeks, the baby may begin to dream, and his face is so formed that an ultrasound can determine whose facial features he has inherited. His skin becomes opaque, his eyes open, and the child can already react to light, moreover, bright flashes can scare him. By the 24th week, the baby grows to almost 30 cm, and its weight reaches 0. 5 kg.

25th–26th week

At this time, the taste buds of the child are finally formed and, tasting the amniotic fluid, he can frown if he does not like it. By the way, this is how eating habits are formed - already in the womb we have our favorite and unloved foods. Very soon the child will learn to blink and can already see a little, however, so far it is very, very vague.

3rd trimester of pregnancy
27th–28th week

Baby at 27–28 weeks of gestation.

If you do an ultrasound at this time, you can see how the baby smiles and intensively sucks his thumb. At this time, the baby has the first "toy" - his own umbilical cord, and he actively studies his body. At the end of the 7th month of pregnancy, the child develops an individual metabolism, which he will have all his life. The baby is already quite large - his weight reaches 1.2 kg, and his height is 35 cm.

29th-30th week

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Baby at 30 weeks pregnant.

The layer of subcutaneous fat is increasing, and the baby is becoming more and more plump and well-fed. In addition, he already knows how to cry, cough, and even sometimes hiccups - this happens, most likely, when he swallows too much amniotic fluid. By the 30th week, the baby's brain is already so developed that it is quite capable of remembering and even analyzing information.

31–32 weeks

At this time, a person has all 5 senses, and his daily routine is more and more reminiscent of the one he will follow after birth. The child hears the work of all the organs of the mother, knows her voice perfectly, thanks to which, immediately after birth, he is able to distinguish her from all other people. The baby's immune system begins to produce antibodies that will protect him from all kinds of infections that may lie in wait in the first days and months after birth.

33–34th week

And finally, subcutaneous fat is already formed, and lanugo disappears from the body of the fetus. By this time, the baby has grown a lot - the length of his body reaches 40 cm, and the weight is very close to or even exceeds 2 kg. The baby's nervous system is already fully formed, but the lungs are still developing.

35th–36th week

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The child yawns. 3D ultrasound at 36 weeks pregnant.

At this time, the child looks almost exactly the same as when he was born. He is still quite thin, but the layer of subcutaneous fat is increasing more and more intensively. However, his hair and nails are already fully developed, and he himself becomes so big that he has almost no room to maneuver, so he can move less than in earlier stages.

37–38th week

And finally, the process of forming a person has finally ended - now he is completely ready for birth, and obstetricians consider the pregnancy to be full-term. Lanugo completely disappears from his body and can only sometimes remain on his arms and legs. Since there is almost no space left in the uterus, it may seem to the mother that the child has begun to move more intensively, but in fact the force of the blows has increased, because the child's muscles have already completely formed and strengthened.

39th–40th week

© depositphotos.com

The first minutes after birth.

The lungs of a child continue to form until the very birth, and only at the time of birth they release the right amount of surfactant - a substance that prevents the alveoli from sticking together after the first independent breath. Very soon, the baby will announce its birth with the first cry and begin its long journey through a large and interesting world.

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Child development by week | Regional Perinatal Center

Expectant mothers are always curious about how the fetus develops at a time when it is awaited with such impatience. Let's talk and look at the photos and pictures of how the fetus grows and develops week by week.

What does the puffer do for 9 whole months in mom's tummy? What does he feel, see and hear?

Let's start the story about the development of the fetus by weeks from the very beginning - from the moment of fertilization. A fetus up to 8 weeks old is called embryo , this occurs before the formation of all organ systems.

Embryo development: 1st week

The egg is fertilized and begins to actively split. The ovum travels to the uterus, getting rid of the membrane along the way.

On the 6th-8th days, implantation of eggs is carried out - implantation into the uterus. The egg settles on the surface of the uterine mucosa and, using the chorionic villi, attaches to the uterine mucosa.

Embryo development: 2-3 weeks

Picture of embryo development at 3 weeks.

The embryo is actively developing, starting to separate from the membranes. At this stage, the beginnings of the muscular, skeletal and nervous systems are formed. Therefore, this period of pregnancy is considered important.

Embryo development: 4–7 weeks

Fetal development by week in pictures: week 4

Fetal development by week photo: week 4

Photo of an embryo before the 6th week of pregnancy.

The heart, head, arms, legs and tail are formed in the embryo :) . Gill slit is defined. The length of the embryo at the fifth week reaches 6 mm.

Fetal development by week photo: week 5

At the 7th week, the rudiments of the eyes, stomach and chest are determined, and fingers appear on the handles. The baby already has a sense organ - the vestibular apparatus. The length of the embryo is up to 12 mm.

Fetal development: 8th week

Fetal development by week photo: week 7-8

The face of the fetus is determined, you can distinguish the mouth, nose, auricles. The head of the embryo is large and its length corresponds to the length of the body; the fetal body is formed. All significant, but not yet fully formed, elements of the baby's body already exist. The nervous system, muscles, skeleton continue to improve.

Fetal development in the photo already sensitive arms and legs: week 8

The fetus developed skin sensitivity in the mouth area (preparation for the sucking reflex), and later in the face and palms.

At this stage of pregnancy, the genitals are already visible. Gill slits die. The fruit reaches 20 mm in length.

Fetal development: 9–10 weeks

Fetal development by week photo: week 9

Fingers and toes already with nails. The fetus begins to move in the pregnant woman's stomach, but the mother does not feel it yet. With a special stethoscope, you can hear the baby's heartbeat. Muscles continue to develop.

Fetal development by weeks photo: week 10

The entire surface of the fetal body is sensitive and the baby develops tactile sensations with pleasure, touching his own body, the walls of the amniotic sac and the umbilical cord. It is very curious to observe this on ultrasound. By the way, the baby first moves away from the ultrasound sensor (of course, because it is cold and unusual!), And then puts his hands and heels trying to touch the sensor.

It's amazing when a mother puts her hand to her stomach, the baby tries to master the world and tries to touch with his pen "from the back".

fetal development: 11–14 weeks

The development of the fetus in the photo of the legs: Week 11