The Miracle of Your Developing Baby!
Your Precious Baby's Life Began At The Moment of Conception!
Conception is the moment at which the sperm penetrates the ovum. Once fertilized he or she is called a zygote at this stage, until reaching the uterus 3-4 days later. Fertilization: The sperm and egg join in the fallopian tube to form a unique human being. Forty-six chromosomes combine, which predetermine all of a person's physical characteristics.
The picture on the left is a very tiny baby, only thirty hours after
conception. Magnified here, he or she is no larger than the head
of a pin. Still rapidly dividing, the developing embryo, called a zygote
at this stage, floats down from the fallopian tube and towards the
uterus. The embryo may float freely in the uterus for about 48 hours
before implanting. Upon implantation, complex connections b
etween the mother and embryo develop to form the placenta.
Week 3
Once in the uterus, the developing embryo, called a blastocyst, searches for a nice place to implant, where it actually burrows beneath the surface of the uterus. The yolk sac, produces blood cells during the early weeks of life. Your unborn child is only one-sixth of an inch long, but is rapidly developing. The backbone, spinal column, and nervous system are forming. The kidneys, liver, and intestines are taking shape.
The heart begins to beat at about 20 days and is pumping blood through the circulatory system. The blood type maybe different than the mother's.
By the 20th day he or she has developed the foundations of the nervous system, including the brain and spinal cord. At two months the mother can hear the baby's heartbeat through an ultrasonic stethoscope. Taste buds are beginning to form and milk-teeth buds are present at 6½ weeks.
30 hours after conception
Week 4
The embryo produces hormones which stop the mother's menstrual cycle.
Week 5
Embryo is the size of a raisin. By day twenty-one, the embryo's tiny heart
has begun beating. The neural tube enlarges into three parts, soon to
become a very complex brain. The placenta begins functioning. The spine
and spinal cord grows faster than the rest of the body at this stage and give
the appearance of a tail. This disappears as the child continues to grow.
Life begins at conception-NOT birth.
Birth is one day in the life of a person who is already nine months old.
Week 6
The embryo is about 1/5 of an inch in length. A primitive heart is beating. Head, mouth, liver, and intestines begin to take shape.
Week 7
Facial features are visible, including a mouth and tongue. The eyes have a retina and lens. The major muscle system is developed, and the unborn child practices moving. The child has its own blood type, distinct from the mother's. These blood cells are produced by the liver now instead of the yolk sac.
Week 8
Your unborn child, called a fetus at this stage, is about half an inch long. The tiny person is protected by the amnionic sac, filled with fluid. Inside, the child swims and moves gracefully. The arms and legs have lengthened, and fingers can be seen. The toes will develop in the next few days. Brain waves can be measured.
Week 9
Through the medical technique called embrioscopy, the baby can be watched sleeping, waking-up, yawning, turning, and stretching; just like kids all around the world!
Week 10
The embryo is now about 1 inch in length. Facial features, limbs,
hands feet fingers and toes become apparent. The nervous
system is responsive and many of the internal organs begin
to function. The heart is almost completely developed and very
much resembles that of a newborn baby. An opening in the atrium
of the heart and the presence of a bypass valve divert much of
the blood away from the lungs, as the child's blood is oxygenated
through the placenta. Twenty tiny baby teeth are forming in the gums.
Week 12
Vocal chords are complete, and your child can and does sometimes cry (silently)! What an awesome baby you have! The brain is fully formed, and the child can feel pain. The fetus may even suck his or her thumb. The eyelids now cover the eyes, and will remain shut until the seventh month to protect the delicate optical nerve fibers.
5 Weeks
"Life is present from the moment of conception."
- Dr. Jerome Lejeune, late professor and world renowned eneticist,
University of Descarte, Paris
"A person's a person, no matter how small!"
- from "Horton Hears a Who," by Dr. Seuss, late famous children's author
Baby's Second Trimester!
Week 14
The fetus is now 3 inches long and weighs almost an ounce.
The muscles begin to develop and sex organs form.
Eyelids, fingernails, and toenails also form. The child's
spontaneous movements can be observed. Muscles
lengthen and become organized. You will soon start
feeling the first flutters of the unborn child kicking
and moving within.
Week 15
The fetus (which means little one) has an adult's taste buds and may be able to savor the mother's meals. This little one is already sucking his thumb!
Week 16
Five and a half inches tall and only six
ounces in weight, eyebrows, eyelashes
and fine hair appear. Your child can grasp
with his hands, kick, and even somersault!
What a truly wonderful baby you have!
Week 18
The fetus is now about 5 inches long. The child blinks, grasps,
and moves her mouth. Hair grows on the head and body.
By the fifth month: Babies born prematurely at 21 weeks regularly survive but are prone to certain physical setbacks. As science and medicine advance, the age of viability moves closer to conception and the ability of neonatal specialists to address preemies health complications are improving.
Week 20
Your child can hear and recognize your voice!
Though still small and fragile, the baby is growing
rapidly and could possibly survive if born at
this stage. Fingernails and fingerprints appear.
Sex organs are visible. Using an ultrasound
device, the doctor can tell if the child is a
girl or a boy. The child above is a baby girl.
Week 22
The fetus now weighs approximately 1/2 a pound
and spans about 10 inches from head to toe.
Sweat glands develop, and the external skin
has turned from transparent to opaque.
Baby's Third Trimester!
Week 24
Seen here at six months, the unborn child is covered with a fine, downy hair called lanugo. Its tender skin is protected by a waxy substance called vernix. Some of this substance may still be on the child's skin at birth at which time it will be quickly absorbed. The child practices breathing by inhaling amnionic fluid into developing lungs.
Week 26
Your baby, still called a fetus can now inhale, exhale and even cry. Eyes have completely formed, and the tongue has developed taste buds. Under intensive medical care the fetus has over a 50% chance of surviving outside the womb.
Week 30
The fetus is usually capable of living outside the womb and would be considered premature at birth. For several months, the umbilical cord has been the baby's lifeline to the mother. Nourishment is transferred from the mother's blood, through the placenta, and into the umbilical cord to the fetus. If the mother ingests any toxic substances, such as drugs or alcohol, the baby receives these as well.
Week 32
The fetus sleeps 90-95% of the day, and sometimes experiences REM sleep, an indication of dreaming.
Week 40
This marks the end of the normal gestational period. Your child, now approximately seven and a half pounds, is ready for life outside the womb!
At birth the placenta will detach from the side of the uterus and the umbilical cord will cease working as the child takes his first breaths of air. The child's breathing will trigger changes in the structure of the heart and bypass arteries which will force all blood to now travel through the lungs. For 9 months, your child has been developing within the womb. Now he or she is prepared to make an exit!
HAPPY BIRTHDAY PRECIOUS BABY !
Birth in human beings typically occurs 270 days after conception, near the end of a full 9 months. Shortly before birth (typically a few weeks for first births but sometimes only a few hours for later pregnancies), the fetus usually rotates into a head-downward position. This movement is referred to as lightening because it releases pressure on the mother's abdomen. For women giving birth for the first time, labor will usually last between 12 and 24 hours, with an average of 14 hours. However, for women who have given birth before, labor usually averages only 6 hours.
2.5 Weeks
3 Weeks
4 Weeks
7 Weeks
Press Play to Hear the Heartbeat at 4 weeks