Development of Baby During Pregnancy

By ZNicholson

  • First Month

    During the first month of pregnancy many things are happening to you and your growing baby. The first couple weeks you many not know you're actually pregnant. In weeks five and six, you may start to realize that you are really pregnant. The amniotic sac has just grown around the baby and by the end of the first mouth your baby is about the size of a grain of rice! No organs have formed at this point in the baby's growing process.

  • Second Month

    The second month is a very interesting time in pregnancy. The baby has became a fetus. It has developed a head and should weigh around 1/3 ounce. Your baby is now also 1 inch long. The neural tube is well formed. Fingers, toes, and eyes are also forming in the second month of pregnancy.

  • Third Month

    In the sixth week of pregnancy, the baby is about the size of a sweet pea. The baby should be around .25 inches long. By the end of this month your baby should be 3-4 inches long and weigh at least 1 ounce. By the end of the third month of pregnancy, your baby is fully formed. The baby has arms, hands, fingers, feet, and toes and can open and close its fists and mouth. Fingernails and toenails are beginning to develop and the external ears are formed.

  • Fourth Month

    You are now in the 2nd trimester of your pregnancy. It's eyelids, eyebrows,eyelashes,nails, and hair are formed, and teeth and bones are becoming so much stronger. Your baby can even suck it's thumb, yawn, stretch, and make faces. The nervous system is starting to function at this point in it's growing.The reproductive organs are now fully developed, and your doctor can see on ultrasound if you are having a boy or a girl. Your baby is about 6 inches long and weighs about 4 ounces.

  • Fifth Month

    At this point you can actually feel your baby moving in your stomach. Since your baby is moving the bones are growing stronger. By the end of the month your baby is about 10 inches long and weighs from 1/2 to 1 pound. Hair starts to develop on your baby's head, also your baby's skin is covered with a whitish coating called vernix caseosa which is something that protects your baby's skin from exposure.

  • Sixth Month

    By the sixth month your baby's skin is a reddish color, with veins starting to develop. The baby's finger and toe prints are visible and the eyelids begin to part and the eyes open. By the end of the sixth month, your baby is about 12 inches long and weighs about 2 pounds.

  • Seventh Month

    At the end of the seventh month of pregnancy, fat begins to form on your baby. Your baby should be around 14 inches long and weigh two to four pounds. Your baby's hearing is fully developed and it is changing positions frequently in responds to stimuli, including sound, pain, and light. If born prematurely, your baby would probably survive after the seventh month of pregnancy because it has everything it needs to survive. Your baby is the size of a small melon.

  • Eight Month

    Your baby is now about 18 inches long and weighs about 5 pounds. You may notice that your baby is kicking more because your baby's brain is developing most rapidly at this time. It can see and hear very well. Most internal systems are well developed, but the lungs may still be immature so the baby wouldn't be able to breathe good on it's own.

  • Ninth Month

    During this time your baby is finishing up the development process. It's lungs are nearly fully developed. Your baby's reflexes are better during the ninth month so it can blink, close the eyes, turn the head, grasp firmly, and respond to sounds, light, and touch.Your baby's position changes to prepare itself for labor and delivery. The baby drops down in your pelvis, and usually his or her head is facing down toward the birth canal and your baby is done growing and is ready to come out.