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The
text on this page will take you less than
two minutes to read.
The facts will stay with you forever.
Fetal Development
From conception to birth
(taken from the National Right to Life site)
Illustration by R.K. O'Bannon
Day 1: fertilization:
all human chromosomes are present; unique human
life begins.
1 Week::
embryo begins implantation in the uterus.
Week 3:
heart begins to beat with the child's own blood,
often a different type than the mothers'.
End of Week
3: By the end of third week the child's
backbone spinal column and nervous system are
forming. The liver, kidneys and intestines begin
to take shape.
Week 4:
By the end of week four the child is ten thousand
times larger than the fertilized egg.
Week 5:
Eyes, legs, and hands begin to develop.
Week 6: Brain waves are detectable;
mouth and lips are present; fingernails are forming.
Week 7:
Eyelids, and toes form, nose distinct. The baby
is kicking and swimming.
Week 8:
Every organ is in place, bones begin to replace
cartilage, and fingerprints begin to form. By
the 8th week the baby can begin to hear.
Weeks 9 and
10: Teeth begin to form, fingernails
develop. The baby can turn his head, and frown.
The baby can hiccup.
Weeks 10
and 11: The baby can "breathe"
amniotic fluid and urinate.
Week 11 the baby can grasp objects
placed in its hand; all organ systems are functioning.
The baby has a skeletal structure, nerves, and
circulation.
Week 12: The baby has all of
the parts necessary to experience pain, including
nerves, spinal cord, and thalamus. Vocal cords
are complete. The baby can suck its thumb.
Week 14:
At this age, the heart pumps several quarts of
blood through the body every day.
Week 15:
The baby has an adult's taste buds.
Month 4:
Bone Marrow is now beginning to form. The heart
is pumping 25 quarts of blood a day. By the end
of month 4 the baby will be 8-10 inches in length
and will be one half of its birth weight.
Week 17:
The baby can have dream (REM) sleep
.
Week 19: Babies can routinely
be saved at 21 to 22 weeks after fertilization,
and sometimes they can be saved even younger.
Week 20:
The earliest stage at which Partial birth abortions
are performed. At 20 weeks the baby recognizes
its' mothers voice.
Weeks 20-24:
The baby practices breathing by inhaling
amniotic fluid into its developing lungs. The
baby will grasp at the umbilical cord when it
feels it. Most mothers feel an increase in movement,
kicking, and hiccups from the baby. Oil and sweat
glands are now functioning. The baby is now twelve
inches long or more, and weighs up to one and
a half pounds.
Weeks 28-36:
Eyeteeth are present. The baby opens
and closes his eyes. The baby is using four of
the five senses (vision, hearing, taste, and touch.)
He knows the difference between waking and sleeping,
and can relate to the moods of the mother. The
baby's skin begins to thicken, and a layer of
fat is produced and stored beneath the skin. Antibodies
are built up, and the baby's heart begins to pump
300 gallons of blood per day. Approximately one
week before the birth the baby stops growing,
and "drops" usually head down into the
pelvic cavity.
Sources Used:
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DID
YOU KNOW / OVERVIEW?
- 1 day - conception
- Life begins
- 1 week - tiny human
implants in mother's uterus
- 2.5 weeks - heart begins
to beat
- 3 weeks - heart pumps
blood
- 6 weeks - skeleton
completely formed, brain waves are recorded.
- 8 weeks - ALL BODY
SYSTEMS PRESENT
- 11 weeks - all body
systems working
- 16 weeks - grabs with
hands, swims, kicks, turns, somersaults
- 18 weeks - vocal cords
work, can cry
- 23 weeks - 15% chance
of viability outside of womb if birth
premature.*
- 24 weeks - 56% of
babies survive premature birth.*
- 25 weeks - 79% of babies
survive premature birth.*
(*Source: M.
Allen et. al., "The Limits of Viability."
New England Journal
of Medicine. 11/25/93: Vol. 329, No. 22,
p. 1597.)
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PICTURES
TELL A
THOUSAND
WORDS
Six Weeks
Sixteen Weeks
Twenty Weeks
"Samuel"
Twenty One Weeks
Picture
used with permission by
Michael Clancy.
Click here for Samuel's Story
(more pictures on the way)
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