Fetal Development – Baby Development During Pregnancy

Pregnancy is itself a noteworthy chapter in the woman’s life, whose pages pass through a series of remarkable events and exceptional activitie .You should not smoke and not use alcohol while pregnant.

What follows is a brief overview of your baby’s development

Of course, the story of pregnancy starts right at the concept stage, when a simple sperm successfully fertilizes a fertile egg within the confines of the womb.

Once an egg is fertilized by a highly motile sperm, the fertilized egg starts dividing at a very quick pace – all the while passing through its path from the Fallopian tube deep down into the warm ambience of uterus.

Week by Week fetal Development Overview

At the end of the fourth month, your baby will be quite active with her limbs. This is usually the time when she starts to slowly kick her limbs against your uterus walls. She is more agile than ever and this agility could be perceived by her swimming movement within the womb. One of the extraordinary events during pregnancy is your baby’s natural ability to listen to the amplitudes of different sounds. Smooth music-like sounds soother your baby’s senses, while strong and strident sound notes startle her!

7th Month’s development during pregnancy is marked by development of her nervous system. This development period happen together with a partial control of her respiratory functions and body temperature. Her muscle movements becomes stronger and well defined, while her eye sight also becomes sharper and stronger. By the end of this crucial month, your baby develops a strong sight, and she can even react very sharply to varying light intensities.

By the 8th month, your baby becomes self sufficient in regulating her bodily functions, with a sturdier body mass and an efficient internal organ system.

The 9th month of pregnancy is yet another crucial event. Your body gets itself ready to deliver that pretty and beautiful baby to the outside world. In the meantime, your baby undergoes a wonderful transformation by developing all the required organs, as well as circulatory and nervous system. Hormonal creation will stabilize, while the digestive system will also streamline itself as an efficient organ.

At long last, by the end of the 9th month, you’ll also be ready to deliver your bunch of joy

     Week By week fetal development OVerview   (1-12)

• It is the ripe time for that elusive ovulation! You just need a single egg to be fertilized by a sperm. It finally occurs!
• It is also the time for conception in your Fallopian tube. A healthy sperm will fertilize another healthy egg!
• The fertilized egg travels down to the uterine area to implant itself on to the wall. The process of implantation may sometimes cause spot bleeding, which is quite harmless and common
• Once embedded on to the wall, a primitive neural tube forms, which eventually becomes the nervous system.
• Next on the line are the primitive circulatory system and a tiny heart.
  The most significant anatomical development in the fifth week is the beating heart, whose murmurs could be heard with the help of a special stethoscope
• You’ll also see the appearance of an umbilical cord, that is designed specially to provide fresh blood, oxygen and food to the young fetus
• The rudimentary heart will function on its own, by pumping blood through its primitive circulatory system
• This is also the stage for other organs to develop and sustain; along with the lungs, important organs like hands, feet and arms also start developing,
• the limbs continue develop at a quick pace, to create a strange sensation in your womb
• Brain cells will also multiply at an alarming pace; almost 100 billion cells will form with in the next two or three months
• Eyes will also make their debut, and a pair eye buds will form at the edge of the head,
  Internal digestive organs like pancreas, stomach, intestine and liver will soon appear during the sixth and seventh week

      Seven – Twelve Week fetal Development

• During the seventh week, you will also be see tiny little feet and hands, jetting out of the body with a well formed elbow to support the hands. A pair of legs will support hose tiny feet as well
• At this time, a thin, but firm gum line will also form in the mouth, which soon will be the solid base for plenty of teeth
• By week eight, cartilages and bones will occupy their place in the body; you may need plenty of calcium supplement at this time to start feeding your baby with calcium
• Eyes and digestive systems are soon evolving as efficient internal organs,
• Your baby would have also grown bigger and healthier during this month
• Your baby will also start moving both in sideways, as well as upside down. This stage is the most significant stage, as you’ll start experiencing those tingling sensations in your stomach
• The sense of mobility will soon be developed by the tiny little baby, as she will start trying to hold things that are within easy reach
• The fingers will also start showing distinctly formed finger prints and the fingers will also have trough shaped ends, where the future nails will grow,
• By week ten, your tiny tot will become a fetus, meaning a larger form of life with highly advanced organ systems in her body
• Now that all the major organs are firmly in place, a new phase will start when the baby starts growing at a rapid rate

(Weeks 13 to 24 = Second Trimester)

• Week thirteen is a month of continuous growth; all organs begin to finalize their shape and morphology, while the heart is increasingly getting rhythmic and resonant,
• Baby’s neck is getting longer and stiffer,
• Placenta is also quite busy in nourishing the tender baby,
• By fourteenth week, thyroid and other hormone secreting glands will get to work to produce minute quantities of hormones,
• The skin is still transparent and thin fine hairs (lanugo) starts appearing on the body
• Bones will also get stronger day by day all the way, till the last week
• Muscle and brain coordination starts to show up,
• 20 milky white teeth buds are also developed
• Rapid skeletal movement is observed throughout the trimester
• First signs of fluttering movement
• Fetus gains more weight and becomes mature
• Fetus also becomes very sensitive to sounds and light,
• Some hint of fat deposition over the body

(Week 27 to Birth = Third Trimester)

Week by Week Baby Development Overview

• Heartbeat is stronger and can be heard by a stethoscope,
• Eyelids starts to open very slowly and clear eyes are easily visible,
• There is a definite pattern in sleep and wakefulness,
• Lungs are ready for breathing,
• Taste buds also form at this stage and the nourishment is stepped by the placenta,
• By the end of twenty sixth week, eye lashes and brows are completely formed,
• Brain will continue to grow, accompanied by strong sensory feelings,
• Skin gets clear now with wrinkles slowly disappearing from the body,
• The fetus really looks like a baby, as the head looks quite proportional to the body,
• Eyes are very sensitive to the light, while the finger and toe nails reach their full length,
• Each cartilage is quite soft and well formed,
• Entire body system is completely functional,
• The head gets firmer day by day, and the whole body is sustained by a consistent supply of food,
• The baby moves almost regularly by kicking and moving,
•  baby starts to put on more weight during this time,
• The baby also takes a head down position to facilitate an easy delivery,
• But, the scalp region is still underdeveloped to accommodate the body through the narrow birth channel

Wishing you a healthy and happy pregnancy 🙂

Our previous article When Do Babies Start Talking-Language Development in the title when do babies start saying agoo, When Do Babies Start Talking? ve when do babies talk information is provided..

Dorothy

Hello, I’m Dorothy. I love writing and researching articles. Reading books about baby health, care and pregnancy is my favorite. I will be sharing delicious and healthy information on food and baby food during pregnancy.