WeMoms
2 Apr 2024

Brain and Lung Final Touches

Pregnancy
Baby's growth during pregnancy
Brain and Lung Final Touches
You've made it to the final stretch, and while you're busy nesting, your baby is having a cerebral party of its own.
During this last month, the baby's brain is going through significant development, almost like the grand finale of a fireworks show!
  • Synapses and Neurons: These are basically the communication lines and processing units of the brain. By this point, your baby has billions of neurons, but now those neurons are busy making even more synapses.
  • Myelin Sheath: The neurons are getting insulated by a fatty layer known as myelin, which helps in speeding up nerve impulses. Quicker nerve impulses mean better communication within the brain.
  • Cognitive Abilities: Because of all this neurological action, your baby is developing the ability to have more complex thoughts, which will be super important for learning both inside and outside the womb.
Those Lungs Are Almost Ready for Their Debut
Just as the brain is doing its final prep work, the lungs are also nearing full maturity.
Think of them like balloons slowly filling up, ready to be unleashed at a birthday party.
By the time you're full term, your little one's lungs are going to be capable of breathing air on their own.
  • Surfactant Production: This is a lipoprotein that decreases surface tension in the lungs. It's like the magical ingredient that keeps the tiny air sacs in the lungs from collapsing.
  • Breathing Motions: Even though they're not breathing air, your baby is making "practice" breathing motions. This helps in the development of the diaphragm muscles.
  • Lung Vascularization: The blood vessels in the lungs are fully formed and ready for oxygen exchange. That's doctor speak for "ready to rock 'n' roll in the breathing department."
The Finishing Touches: From Head to Toe
Your baby's body is also going through the final paces, fine-tuning from head to toe.
The bones are hardening (except for the skull, to make your life a little easier during childbirth), and those cute little fingernails might even need a trim soon after birth!
  • Skin Thickening: Your baby is losing that translucent look and the skin is becoming more opaque. This is a good thing; it means the skin is getting ready to meet the outside world.
  • Immune System: The baby is absorbing your antibodies like a sponge, gearing up their own immune system for life outside the womb.
  • Physical Proportions: The limbs are catching up with the rest of the body. Your baby will look less like a potato and more like, well, a mini-human.
Your baby is almost ready to meet you, and all these incredible changes happening in the last month of pregnancy are like the final rehearsal before the big debut.

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