The amazing development of the fetus in the womb

The actual gestational age starts from the first day of the last menstrual period before pregnancy occurs so that in the first and second weeks, pregnancy has not occurred. Conception is possible in the 3rd week and here are facts about fetal growth and development that you may not have known about.

Unique facts about the development of the fetus in the womb

1. The fetus already has fine hair in the womb

As strange as it may sound, it turns out that every fetus has a subtle "mustache". Fine hair or also known as lanugo, grows when the fetus is 5 weeks old and will disappear when the fetus enters week 7 or 8. In some cases, these hairs will carry over until the baby is born, but will disappear in a few days or weeks later. .

2. The bones that grow in the fetus are more than the bones of adults

During the development of the fetus in the womb and after birth, the baby has at least 300 bones actively growing. Whereas in adults, the total bones in the body are only 206 bones.

3. The heart in the fetus has been working since one month

On average, it takes about a month after conception to make the heart in the fetus work. The heart of a one-month-old fetus can work like an adult's heart, which is to regulate blood circulation in the body.

4. Can cry and laugh

Apparently, babies can cry since in the womb. This happened at week 26. A study conducted by The Archives of Disease in Childhood proved that fetuses at 26 weeks of gestation are seen crying. The ultrasound video footage shows that the fetus turns its head, opens its mouth, and makes an expression like a crying person. Then at the 35th week there are also some movements on the face, showing like a person is laughing.

From this study it was concluded that since entering the 26th week of gestation, babies have started to learn to move their facial muscles by doing simple expressions, such as crying and laughing.

5. Can taste the food eaten by the mother

If you eat dinner, the baby you are carrying can feel the taste of the food you eat, such as the taste of garlic, ginger, and sweetness, which the baby feels through his amniotic fluid. Researchers believe that this is good for preparing and building the "flavors" that will be felt at birth.

6. Open eyes

Did you know that your baby doesn't always 'sleep'? At 28 weeks of gestation, the baby in the womb opens its eyes every now and then, even though it can't see anything yet. However, it will start acting with a bright light from outside. Researchers stated that a very bright light could be seen and entered through the mother's abdomen.

7. Start dreaming

The development of the fetus in the womb also includes what happens in the subconscious, namely dreams. Dreaming can not only be done when the child is born, babies who are still in the womb can actually dream. When the pregnancy enters the 30th week, it is known that the fetus has experienced REM (Rapid Eye Movement) sleep, which is the stage of sleep in which dreams occur.

8. The fetus urines in the womb and then swallows it again

To develop and build kidney function in the fetus, from week 16, the fetus "swallows" the amniotic fluid and then excretes it back into amniotic fluid. Even the production of amniotic fluid, predominantly from urine secreted by the fetus. At least the fetus excretes as much as 300 ml / kg of fetal body weight / day. Decrease in urine production from the fetus, can cause a decrease in the amount of amniotic fluid. This can result in oligohydramnios (reduced amount of amniotic fluid) which can then cause fetal death by up to 80%.

9. The fetus does not have a kneecap

The kneecap does not grow when the baby is in the womb, but will grow and form after birth, when the baby is six months old.

10. Love the sweet taste

The fetus can already feel various tastes when entering the 15th week of birth. At that time, the baby has also shown that he likes sweetness by swallowing more amniotic fluid when the sweet taste is high, and the fetus does not swallow much water when the taste of amniotic fluid is bitter.