Fetal development 22 weeks of pregnancy • hello healthy

Embryo growth

How is the development of the fetus at 22 weeks of gestation?

Quoting from the Baby Center, at the age of 22 weeks of pregnancy, the size of the fetus is about 27.9 cm from head to heel and weighs 453 grams or the size of a pumpkin.

The baby's face is visible

At this gestational age, the baby's face has also begun to appear. This can be seen when the lips, eyelids and eyebrows of the fetus are more clearly visible. You can already see your little one's face when doing an ultrasound examination.

The fetus can already feel touch stimuli

At 22 weeks gestation, the fetus's sense of taste, namely the tongue, has started to grow. In addition, the development of the brain and nerves of the fetus at 22 weeks of gestation has begun to form completely.

Thus, he can begin to feel the stimulation of his own touch. Babies can feel touch by stroking their face or sucking their thumbs. In addition, the fetus also begins to feel other parts of their body.

The fetus's sense of sight and hearing is getting better

Your baby can already feel the light from behind the belly through the eyelids. To check this, you can try shining a light on the stomach with a flashlight. When the fetus moves, it is a response that his vision has developed better.

Apart from vision, the baby's hearing is also well developed. The fetus can already hear the mother's voice, heartbeat, and blood flow throughout the body.

The baby's reproductive organs continue to grow

At 22 weeks of pregnancy, the baby's reproductive organs will continue to grow. In boys, the testicles begin to move down from the stomach. In girls, the uterus and ovaries are in place, the vagina has also started to form.

Changes to the Body

How are changes in the body of pregnant women at 22 weeks gestation?

At 22 weeks of gestation, pregnant women will gain weight. Apart from this, there are several other changes that will be felt by pregnant women, such as:

Feeling false contractions

At 22 weeks pregnant, you may experience painless contractions known as false or Braxton Hicks contractions. Usually, you will feel heartburn when these contractions occur, but the pain is quite mild.

Indeed, these contractions are not dangerous for the fetus, but if the contractions become more intense, painful or occur more frequently, contact your doctor.

The reason is, this can interfere with the development of the fetus at 22 weeks gestation. On a more severe level, this condition can be a sign of preterm labor.

The stomach is getting bigger

At 22 weeks pregnant, your stomach is getting bigger and bigger. Seeing a pregnant woman's stomach that is getting bigger, sometimes makes other people nervous and wants to rub it and it is difficult for mothers to avoid when they feel uncomfortable.

To overcome this, you can say directly that you are uncomfortable when rubbing the stomach.

If you don't want to be too visible, you can avoid it when other people want to rub your stomach. Gradually people will understand if you feel uncomfortable rubbing their stomach.

Although it does not interfere with the development of the fetus at 22 weeks of gestation, this can make pregnant women uncomfortable.

What should I pay attention to at the 22 weeks pregnant fetus development?

In addition to your enlarged abdomen, your limbs will also tend to stiffen due to loosening of joints and ligaments and buildup (retention) of fluid.

These two factors can cause pain and stiffness in joints and feel uncomfortable even though they don't interfere with the development of the fetus at 22 weeks of gestation.

Visit to Doctor / Midwife

What should I discuss with my doctor at 22 weeks pregnant?

At 22 weeks of pregnancy, don't panic if you find red spots on your underwear or spots during pregnancy.

This can actually occur due to a bruised cervix from having recently had a doctor's examination or having sex. In fact, in some cases the cause is unknown.

However, if the vagina produces a lot of blood, tell the doctor immediately. This could be a sign of a more serious pregnancy danger, especially for fetal development.

Your doctor will do an ultrasound to determine whether you have certain health problems or not.

What tests should I know to help develop the fetus at 22 weeks pregnant?

The doctor will check several things to see the development of the fetus at 22 weeks, such as:

Measure body weight and blood pressure
Check your urine for glucose and protein levels
Check fetal heart rate
Measure the size of the uterus with external palpation (external touch) to see how it correlates with the date of birth
Measure the height of the fundal height position
Check for swelling of the hands and feet
Check for varicose veins in the legs
Checking the physical symptoms you are experiencing, especially symptoms that are not normal

Prepare a list of questions or problems that you would like to discuss with your doctor.

Health and Safety

What do I need to know to keep my 22 weeks pregnant healthy?

Maintaining fetal development at 22 weeks of gestation is very important, not only for the future baby but also for the mother. Here's what you can do:

Consuming honey

In fact, there is no prohibition against consuming honey during pregnancy. The spores in honey will not affect the fetus, so it can be said that honey is safe for consumption.

The risk occurs when honey in theory could contain toxins caused by Clostridium botulinum.

However, you can avoid this by not consuming raw, unpasteurized honey to prevent the risk of disrupting the development of the fetus in the womb.

Apart from honey, pregnant women should not eat unpasteurized foods, such as direct dairy cow's milk.

This is because cow's milk can contain pathogenic organisms and interfere with fetal development.

Eat foods high in magnesium

To help the development of the fetus at 22 weeks of pregnancy, you need to eat foods high in magnesium. Launching from What to Expect, magnesium functions to: