Fetal Development:
Month 1
- Your Baby has moved and attached itself to your uterine wall where it will spend the next 9 months!
- Her digestive system, heart, lungs and spinal cord have already begun to form!
Month 2
- Her heart is beating!
- Her eyes, nose, tongue, lips and teeth are all beginning to form.
- Sexual Organs begin to form.
- She can move around now, though the movement is so small, you won’t begin to feel it yet.
Month 3
- Baby is 2 ½ to 3 inches long!
- Eyes, arms, hands, feet, fingers and toes have all been developed.
- Even fingernails and earlobes have formed.
- Most of her vital organs are in place and fully formed.
- Her heart beat is so strong it can now be heard by a Doppler.
Month 4
- Baby grows a soft covering of downy hair to protect her skin.
- Her reflexes have developed to the point that she can kick, suck her thumb and swallow.
- Tiny tooth buds have formed in her gums.
- Her Sex is finally identifiable!
Month 5
- Eyes are forming at a rapid rate. Eyebrows, lashes, and lids all appear.
- The fine covering of hair thickens into something called lanugo. This can last even up to a week after she is born.
- She weighs about a pound and is up to 10 inches long.
- You may begin to feel her move and kick as she is finally big enough for you to feel her.
Month 6
- Baby’s eyes can open and close.
- You may feel hiccups.
- Baby’s skin is covered in Vernix, a natural coating that protects the baby’s skin.
Month 7
- Baby begins to develop layers of fat around its body that will protect it and keep it warm after it is born.
- Taste buds are forming.
- The baby’s organs are almost mature, but if it is born this early, it will be considered premature and will require extra care.
Month 8
- The baby rapidly grows as it prepares for birth.
- Movement is so strong it is visible from the outside.
- The brain matures at a rapid pace.
- The baby’s organs are mature.
Month 9
- The baby settles in the lower abdomen as she prepares for birth.
- Her lungs are fully mature and ready to survive outside the womb.
- Congratulations, your baby is ready to be born!