Seven Weeks

By seven weeks, the baby has grown into an

embryo about the size of a raspberry and has a
tiny beating heart.
Head, mouth, liver, and intestines begin to take
shape. Facial features are visible, including a
mouth and tongue.
The major muscle system is developed, and the
unborn child practices moving.
Fetus at 7 Weeks
Three Months
The baby is now about the size of a kidney bean and
is constantly moving and shifting.
The nervous system is responsive and many of the
internal organs begin to function.
Vocal chords are complete, and the child can
sometimes cry (silently).
The brain is fully formed, and the child can feel
pain. The fetus may even suck his thumb.
Three Months
Four Months
The baby is now about 4 inches long - the size of an
avocado.
His heart is pumping about 25 quarts of blood each
day and his body is covered with a layer of downy
hair called lanugo.
The child blinks, grasps, and moves his mouth.
Four Months
Five Months
The fetus now weighs approximately half a pound and
about 10 inches long from head to toe.
The child can hear and recognize his mother's 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.
Five Months
Six Months
The baby is nearly a foot long and weighs more than a
pound. His red, translucent skin is wrinkled and his
lips, eyebrows, and eyelids are distinct.
The fetus can now inhale, exhale and even cry. Eyes
have completely formed, and the tongue has
developed taste buds.
The child practices breathing by inhaling amnionic
fluid into developing lungs.
Under intensive medical care the fetus has over 50%
chance of surviving outside the womb.


Six Months
Seven Months
By now, the baby weighs about 2 pounds and is nearly
15 inches long. His body fat is beginning to form in
preparation for life outside the womb.
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.
Seven Months
Eight Months
The baby may have hair or peach fuzz on the head
and has probably turned head-down in preparation
for birth.
The fetus sleeps 90-95% of the day, and sometimes
experiences dreaming.
He may weigh almost 4 pounds

Eight Months
Nine Months
At nine months, the average baby is about 18 inches
long and nearly 6 pounds.
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 travel through the lungs.
Nine Months
BIBLIOGRAPHY
Gustavus. GustavusAdolphus College.
<http://homepages.gac.edu/~jkloubec/HES%20239/fetald
evelpmentpowerpoint.htm >