Fetal Development

"By all the criteria of modern molecular biology, life is present from the moment of conception."--DR. HYMIE GORDON, Chairman of the Department of Genetics at the Mayo Clinic Note: Pregnancy is calculated from the woman's last menstrual period. From the moment of conception (2 weeks), the fertilized egg has its own complete and distinct DNA. The sex, hair and eye color, height, and personality are determined at this moment. After the sperm and egg meet in the mother's fallopian tube (conception), the fertilized egg will pass down into the uterus and will then implant itself into the uterine lining (implantation). At this stage, the new human is called a zygote. Less than 3 weeks after conception (18 days), the heart begins to beat.

This picture was taken during the very early weeks of pregnancy. The tiny individual is called an embryo from this stage until 8 weeks.

The backbone, spinal column, nervous system, kidneys, liver and intestines are forming. At four weeks, the child has arm buds and eyes. At 5 weeks, the brain and nose begin to form.

At 6 weeks, the embryo is less than 1/2 inch long, and leg buds are forming. The spinal cord is visible. All 20 tiny baby teeth are present in the gums. The ears, respiratory system, and sex organs are developing. Brain waves can be detected. The heart beats at 140-150 a minute.

At 7 weeks, the child is 3/4 inch long, and can move her hands. The eyes have retina and lenses, and the muscle system is forming. The child has her own blood type, different from the mother's. Nerve cells in her brain are touching each other by means of projections. Some are connected in primitive nerve paths. 100,000 nerve cells are created every minute.

At 8 weeks, fingers are well-defined, toes are visible, and the stomach produces digestive juices. The child, now called a fetus at this stage, can swim gracefully in the amniotic sac. If her cheek is stroked, she will arch her back and throw back her arms. If her nose is tickled, she will move her head away from the stimulus. All body systems are present and all organs are in place. The outer ear begins to take shape, but will not completely form until the fifth month.

At 9 weeks, she can feel pain, and suck her thumb. If an object is placed in her hand, she can grasp it, and if her palm is stroked, she will make a fist. She can move her tongue. Every organ in her body is functioning.

At 10 weeks, the fetal heart is almost fully developed. She is 2 inches long.

At 11 weeks, the baby can make facial expressions, and even smile. She can breathe, and has fingernails. Facial features that run in the family can be recognizable. Blood cells are forming in the liver and spleen. The bone marrow produces blood cells, which also are forming the lymph glands and the thymus. Notice the developing skeleton.

At 12 weeks, the fetus is 3 inches long, and has vocal cords. Its brain is almost fully formed, and it can cry (silently, or course!). Eyelids have developed.

At 13 weeks, the fetus can squint, swallow, and make a fist.

All of her body systems are working. At 14 weeks, the mother may be able to feel her child's movements. Tiny whiskers begin to form all over the baby's body, indicating the first signs of hair. At 15 weeks, the child can savor the mother's meals, and has taste buds. Her sensory organs are formed. By the end of the first trimester, the baby can urinate, and depending on whether the child is a boy or a girl, he or she is starting to produce sperm or eggs.

At 16 weeks, the baby is 5 1/2 inches tall, and weighs 6 oz. He can grasp and kick, and has eyebrows and eyelashes. The mother may be able to feel "flutters". This is actually the child performing somersaults in her womb. The fetus is also capable of hearing very clearly.

These pictures were taken at approximately 4 months.

At 17 weeks, nails can be seen. If the fetus is a female, she will already have 5 million ova inside her body--all she'll need for her entire lifetime.

Around 18 weeks, he will cover his ears if loud music is played, and shield his eyes if a doctor peers into the uterus with a light. The baby enjoys using the umbilical cord as his first toy through a series of grasps and tugs.

At 20 weeks, the mouth and lips are formed, and he can see. The child can hear and recognize his mother's voice, and could possibly survive if born at this point. He has fingerprints, and the sex organs are completely formed. The baby also experiences REM (Rapid Eye Movement), which is a sign of dreaming. The fact that a fetus is able to dream proves that it is also capable of thinking and processing thoughts. The unborn child is also capable of partially defending himself against infection by his own immune system.

At 24 weeks, the child has downy hair, and is covered with a waxy substance called vernix, which protects his delicate skin. Sweat glands are functioning.

In the third trimester, the child gains the most weight, and she develops ear lobe cartilage. Nails grow, and creases develop on the bottoms of the feet and the palms of hands. The baby is able to open her eyes in the seventh month.

At 32 weeks, the child sleeps 95% of the time. In just approximately 8 more weeks, the brain of the unborn baby will send a message to her own pituitary gland. This stimulates the adrenal cortex to secrete a hormone, which causes the uterus to begin to contract. For it is the child's body, not the mother's body, that decides when it's time for the pregnancy to end.