The fourth month of pregnancy is a very important period for a woman - she begins to feel the first movements of the unborn child, and also feels a surge of strength and vigor after the first months of exhausting toxicosis. The size of the abdomen also changes - so what does it become in the fourth month of pregnancy?
Features of the fourth month
During this period, a pregnant woman notes the cessation of frequent urination, an increase in the mammary glands and a decrease in their sensitivity, the appearance of age spots on the abdomen and face, as well as white vaginal discharge. In the lower abdomen, a woman may feel a slight pulling pain, which is associated with an enlargement of the uterus, which is stretched.
All discomfort usually disappears in the second half of the fourth month of pregnancy.
Also, in the fourth month, a woman sometimes notes nosebleeds and bleeding gums, which is caused by a large amount of hormones in the female body carrying the child. To avoid this, it is necessary to strengthen the walls of blood vessels with the help of vitamin C. The abdomen during this period begins to noticeably round up, and the skin around the nipples and in the middle of the abdomen becomes darker (the natural color will be restored after the birth of the child). Weight gain in the fourth month of pregnancy ranges from 5 to 7 kilograms.
Physiological changes
By the fifteenth week of pregnancy, the height of the enlarging uterus reaches a level equal to half the distance to the navel. Since the size of the uterus and the baby for each woman is purely individual, the size of the abdomen in the fourth month of all pregnant women is significantly different and depends on various factors, including heredity, weight, physical form of the woman, and so on. The length of the fruit during this period is about 13 centimeters, and the weight is about 135 grams. During the first pregnancy, the abdomen at this time does not particularly protrude forward, since its ligaments and muscles are in good shape.
Without exercise, the abdominal muscles weaken in subsequent pregnancies and the abdomen becomes more noticeable already in the early stages.
In the fourth month, the constantly growing uterus begins to noticeably press on the diaphragm, which leads to difficulty breathing and even a feeling of slight suffocation. This is not a pathology - just a common consequence of physiological and hormonal changes. You should only see a doctor if you have additional symptoms such as blue lips and fingertips, rapid breathing, rapid heart rate (tachycardia), and chest pain. This may indicate a lack of oxygen, caused by various reasons, which only a doctor can figure out.
