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What is my baby doing?

During the nine months of pregnancy your baby will go through many changes.

First trimester

12 Weeks

2 Weeks (Day 14):

  • Fertilized ovum is a layered disc on the wall of the uterus
  • The layers will form every organ and tissue
  • Mother misses her first period

4 Weeks:

  • The embryo is now .75 - 1 cm in length and weighs 0.01 oz
  • The embryo is starting to develop eyes, ears, nose, spin, mouth, digestive tract and nervous system
  • The simple tube shaped heart starts to beat
  • Arms and leg buds are forming

8 Weeks:

  • Your baby is now 2.5 cm (1 in) in length and weighs 8g (0.25 oz)
  • All the organs are formed
  • The heart beats 40 - 80 times/minute, pumping blood
  • Facial features are now formed and the head is large in comparison to rest of the body
  • The limbs are well developed and the arms bend at the elbow

12 Weeks:

  • Swallowing reflex is mastered by thumb sucking

Click here to learn more about how your baby grows.

Second trimester

16 Weeks
20 Weeks
24 Weeks

16 Weeks:

  • The baby is 10 - 17 cm (6 in) in length and weighs 120g (4oz)
  • The face looks more human as the nasal septum and palate close, the head has some hair and the ears now stand out from the head
  • You may be able to hear the heart beat with a stethoscope now
  • You may be able to feel the baby move now, or closer to 20 weeks
  • The baby's hand can grasp, and it is now kicking actively

 

 

20 Weeks:

  • Your baby is 25 cm (10 in) in length and weighs 220g (10 oz) He is about half his birth length
  • Eyebrows and lashes appear
  • The skin is very thin, covered with lanugo (fine downy hair) and the oil glands appear
  • The baby has his own routine of sleeping, turning and kicking and he has a favorite position inside the uterus
  • You may be able to feel the baby move or feel his hiccups

 

 

24 Weeks:

  • Your baby is 28 - 26 cm (12 in) in length and weighs 600 - 900g (1.25 - 2 lb)
  • Eyes open between now and 26 weeks
  • Skin is red and wrinkled and the body looks lean
  • Primitive breathing movements begin
  • Baby touches his or her own face, arms, legs, body, the insides of the amniotic sac and the umbilical cord
  • Meconium collects in the bowel and will be your baby's first bowel movement

 

 

28 Weeks:

  • The body is still lean but is less red and wrinkled
  • The baby can now store iron, calcim and other nutrients
  • The baby is begining to be able to regulate his own body temperature

 

 

 

Third trimester

32 Weeks
36 - 38 Weeks

32 Weeks:

  • Baby is 38 - 43 cm (16+ in) and weighs 1.8 kg (4 lb)
  • Fat is developing as an insulation to help protect against temperature changes at birth
  • Iron is beng stored in the liver
  • The baby is aware and responds to sound
  • The baby has developed the sense of taste (sweet and sour)
  • When the eyes are open the pupils respond to light
  • Baby responds to pain
  • In a boy, the testicles may begin to descend into the scrotum

36 Weeks:

  • The baby is about 48 cm (18 in) in length and weighs 2000 to 2600g (4 to 6 lb)
  • Skin is pinker and smoother, as more fat is formed
  • Lanugo is mostly gone and the fingernails have grown to the tips of the fingers
  • Continues to gain immunity from the mother's antibodies which can give protection for up to 6 months

40 Weeks:

  • Babys lungs are mature
  • There is varying amount of hair on its head
  • Fingernails go beyond the finger tips
  • Arms and legs are flexed
  • Eyes are slate coloured
  • Testes are now in the scrotum of most baby boys
  • Labia majora is well developed on the baby girls

 

Medical Illustration Copyright © 2007 Ncleus Medical Art, All rights reserved. www.nucleusinc.com

 

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