Obstetricians are healthcare professionals who offer a variety of pregnancy and childbirth-related procedures. They are trained to monitor and manage every aspect throughout pregnancy, from providing prenatal care to diagnosing and treating various complications. If you are suffering from any kind of pregnancy complications you can book an appointment with an obstetrician in Siliguri. One of the most amazing journeys during pregnancy is the growth and development of an unborn child.
However, monitoring a baby’s growth and development is a crucial aspect of prenatal care. During pregnancy, an obstetrician will check the health of your unborn baby (fetus). This monitoring can be done in two ways, external monitoring and internal monitoring. This allows the doctor to identify potential risks and provide the best possible care for both mother and child.
Stages of fetal development:
Germinal stage:
Germinal stage is considered as the shortest stage of fetal development. This process begins when the sperm fertilizes the egg in the fallopian tube during conception. After fertilization, the sperm produces a zygote and it undergoes several changes throughout the process. As time passes the cells continue to divide quickly and the zygote eventually develops into a Blastocyst. This blastocyst then implants itself into the uttering wall and if your pregnancy is successful the body starts generating hormones to sustain a pregnancy and ends your menstrual cycle.
Embryonic stage
Around the third week of pregnancy to eight weeks, another stage is known as the embryonic stage. During this stage, the blastocyst starts to transform into an embryo and starts to exhibit human features. The brain, spinal cord, skull, eyes, mouth, and limbs begin to develop. Around the sixth week, the cells will make up the fetal heart and start to breathe. By the end of the eight weeks, the limbs and legs begin to develop and other organs begin to take shape.
Fetal stage:
In the ninth week, the embryo has fully developed into the fetus. From here the development of the fetal stage starts, which continues until delivery and the fetus will begin to make movements. It is also during this stage the fetus receives its assigned sex and gender can be determined around 18-20 weeks by ultrasound. Though hair, eyelashes, and fingernails develop, you might not be able to see it until twenty weeks of pregnancy.
Some techniques used by obstetricians to monitor baby’s growth and development include;
Ultrasound:
Ultrasound is one of the most common techniques used by the best obstetricians in Siliguri to assess the growth of a fetus. This procedure uses high-energy X-rays which create detailed pictures of the fetus's dimensions. This test also allows the doctor to witness the baby's location in the womb, its size, anatomy, and general health. Fetal biometry also provides information to the doctor about the fetus's development and whether issues are present or not.
Fundal height measurement:
This simple and non-invasive technique is used by an obstetrician to estimate the size of the fetus. It involves measuring the gap between the pubic bone and the top of the uterus. If the height is either lower or higher or fluctuates more quickly or slowly, then it might indicate a problem in fetal development.
Studies Doppler blood flow:
A Doppler ultrasound uses sound waves to create pictures of blood flowing through your circulatory system and fetal vessels. This also displays the blood’s path and velocity as it passes through your veins or arteries. This allows an obstetrician to determine whether blood is circulating in the arteries in an optimal way. This is essential because the fetus receives nutrients from the mother’s blood and identifying any issue through constant monitoring will ensure that the fetus will remain safe.
Assesses the volume of amniotic fluid:
This is one of the common and most effective ways to monitor the growth and development of a baby. Each time you undergo an ultrasound, the volume of your amniotic fluid is measured. The fetus is surrounded by amniotic fluid which helps in the development of the muscles, lungs, and digestive system of the baby. If your amniotic fluid is too low or high, it can indicate potential problems and hamper the well-being of the fetus.
Conclusion:
Regular fetal growth checks are necessary to avoid pregnancy complications and to keep the mother and the baby safe. This regular checkup can be done by visiting an obstetrician in Siliguri. The doctor uses a variety of methods to ensure that the baby is growing as expected and developing properly. Some of them include ultrasound, measuring fundal height, studying Doppler blood flow, and assessing the volume of amniotic fluid. These checks are essential to detect complications and make sure that timely intervention is done to ensure the overall well-being of the fetus.
