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What's my baby like now? What does it look like, what are its organs like, does it feel or hear something? - these questions bother every future mother. Read on to see how a fetus develops week after week - from conception to birth.
Here is a description of the fascinating changes thanks to which a new person develops from two small cells. These changes take place constantly, but only at the beginning of pregnancy are very intense, because everything is just emerging, and at a rapid pace. Then, in the second and third trimesters, when all important systems and organs have already developed, the changes are not so spectacular, so we do not list each week in turn, but describe more important events in the child's fetal life.
Note: - in our pregnancy calendar, the age of pregnancy is counted from the moment of conception.
1. pregnancy week
Fertilization occurs in the fallopian tube, i.e. the connectionof the eggwith the sperm. The resulting zygote travels along the fallopian tube touterus , dividing into more and more cells. On the third day there are nine, on the fourth - 16, and on the seventh - about 100. Between the fourth and the seventh day, this cluster of cells (blastocyst) nests in the mucosa of the uterine wall.
2. pregnancy week
The embryo already consists of several hundred cells. They are arranged in three so-called the germ layers from which the baby's various organs will develop. One leaflet will develop the nervous system with the brain, skin and hair, while the other leaf will develop the digestive system, liver, pancreas, and thyroid gland; from the third - the skeleton, connective tissue, circulatory system, genitourinary system and muscles. The inside of the blastocyst fills with amniotic fluid and the placenta is formed. The embryo is 0.5-1 mm long, grayish and translucent.
3. pregnancy week
17. or on the 18th day after fertilization, the disc of cells, which used to be the embryo, tapers into the oblong shape of the future baby. The neural tube that connects the brain to the spinal cord is closed. The embryo is approximately 1.2 mm long.
4. pregnancy week
The heart begins to form - at first it is just a single small tube, bent in the shape of the letter S, but on day 22 it has chambers that begin to contract. The brain is divided into the forebrain, midbrain and backbrain. The seeds of the eyes and ears are formed on both sides of the head. The embryo resembles a kijanka - it hascurled torso and tail. Its length is 3-4 mm.
5. pregnancy week
The fetus grows very quickly - at the beginning of this week it is 4-5 mm, and at the end 11-14 mm (from the top of the head to the bottom, i.e. without legs - this is how the length of the fetus counts until the end of pregnancy). Limb buds appear (first the arms, then the legs), which look like very short fins. The baby already has its own bloodstream, in which blood begins to circulate.
ImportantWhat is Gestational Age and Fertilization Age?
Doctors calculate the age of pregnancy, taking the date of the last menstruation as its beginning, so according to these calculations, pregnancy begins … two weeks before conception. It does not seem to make sense, but the adopted method of counting is because most women are not able to pinpoint when conception was achieved, but usually know the date of their last period.
In our calendar we use the conception age, i.e. the age counted from the beginning of a new life. So if, for example, you are eight weeks pregnant, see the information on week six to find out what is happening to your baby now.
6. pregnancy week
In the 6th week of pregnancy, palmar plates appear in the buds, from which the fingers and toes develop. The heart begins to divide into the left and right ventricles. The bronchi appear - the primary respiratory tract. The intestines are formed, the pancreas begins to function. The beginnings of the nose, eyes and mouth appear on the face.
7. pregnancy week
The torso and limbs are visibly lengthened. The hands and feet already have fingers (so far connected by a membrane), the head becomes more straight and the neck becomes visible. The kidneys, liver, digestive and circulatory systems function. The skeleton is completely formed, initially made of cartilage. The reproductive organs are different - the boy has penis and testicles, and the girl has ovaries, but this cannot be seen in a standard ultrasound examination yet.
Pregnancy calculator
For every expectant mother it is important to know which week of pregnancy she is in. If you want to calculate the week of pregnancy and due date, use our calculator.
What you want to know:
8. pregnancy week
When she is eight weeks old after fertilization, most of the systems and organs are already developed. The embryo begins to resemble a human - from then on we call it a fetus. From now on, the risk of birth defects is lower, because most of them occur by the end of the 8th week of gestation. The fetus is 3-4 cm long (plus the legs) and weighs 5 g. Some researchers noted the first uncoordinated movements of the limbs during this period!
9. weekpregnancy
Nail buds began to appear on the fingers, and irises began to appear under the fused eyelids. The heart is now fully formed. All the internal organs have been formed, they will only grow and mature from now on. The eyes that were initially on either side of the head move forward. The eyelids are already there, but they will remain closed until the 25th week of gestation.
10. pregnancy week
The toddler is 5-6 cm long and weighs 8-10 g. His skin has turned pink, although it is still so thin that blood vessels can see through it. Hair bulb buds appeared in it. The cartilage skeleton begins to be replaced with bone. The pituitary gland produces hormones. The child spontaneously moves limbs (mom does not feel it yet), knows how to open and close her mouth, smile, wrinkle her forehead and suck her thumb.
12. pregnancy week
This week is the beginning of the 2nd trimester. The fetus grows very quickly - it is about 10 cm tall and weighs about 50 g. From now on, the growth will affect mainly the torso, not the head, thanks to which the disproportions between the dimensions of the head and the rest of the body will be reduced. His whole body is covered with a soft nap (lanugo), which acts as a temperature regulator. The nervous system begins to work. Movements become smoother, the neck supports the head that the baby can turn up and down (but not sideways). The hearing aid develops in the middle ear.
15. pregnancy week
A child has fully formed arms and legs - bones, muscles and joints. He moves his arms and legs, bends his wrists, his elbows and arms, and his knees. He can stretch his legs, kick them, turn from side to side, and even somersaults. The movements are beginning to be felt by the expectant mother or she will begin to feel them soon.
17. pregnancy week
The child begins to hear - he likes calm and gentle sounds, and he can react with fear to loud noises. The baby has his own and unique fingerprints on his fingers. He also has hiccups sometimes - this works the diaphragm and prepares the muscles for breathing. His skin is covered with goo. The first permanent hairs start to grow around the upper lip and eyebrow. The baby curled into a ball measures 12-14 cm, and upright (with legs) - 25 cm. It weighs 150 g.
20. pregnancy week
Halfway through the pregnancy, the baby's growth is now slowing but his organs are still improving. The toddler began to regulate the rhythm of the day. Complex connections are formed between nerve cells in his brain, necessary for remembering and thinking, and the nerve cells responsible for the work of individual senses develop. On the tonguetaste buds are formed. In a boy, the testicles begin to descend from the pelvis to the scrotum, producing primitive sperm. In appearance, the baby looks more and more like a newborn. Rolled into a ball, it measures 18-20 cm, and after straightening the legs - 30 cm. It weighs 300 g.
22. pregnancy week
Your baby's body begins to produce white blood cells to fight infection. The lungs begin to mature - their cells produce a surfactant, a substance that prevents the alveoli from sticking together. The little one practices breathing by drawing amniotic fluid into his lungs. If for some reason he was born now, he would have 20 percent. chance of survival.
25. pregnancy week
The baby fills the entire uterine cavity, and his face and body almost look like a newborn baby. The face clearly shows the fully developed eyelashes and eyebrows, the hair is getting longer. The taste buds are completely formed on the tongue and in the mouth. The eyelids fused so far begin to open, and the retina is also formed - thanks to this, the child will be able to see. Research on cerebral activity shows that in this period the baby perceives tactile stimuli. It measures 23 cm (plus the legs) and weighs approx. 900 g.
26. pregnancy week
The baby in the womb is getting tight. It takes a fetal position, and sometimes it is already upside down. The brain grows so fast that the bones in the skull are pushed forward. Until now, the surface of the brain has been flat - this week, characteristic folds and furrows begin to form on it.
27. pregnancy week
The eyes move in the sockets, they become sensitive to light - with a large dose of it, the child may see lighter spots and streaks. It can even tell the difference between sunlight and artificial lighting! As a result of filling the subcutaneous tissue with fat, the child's body becomes round. It weighs approx. 1250 grams, and the whole body is 37 cm long.
29. pregnancy week
The child practices opening and closing his eyes - they are often open during the day and closed at bedtime. The irises appear, but their color is not yet final - it will not settle until 6-9 months after birth. The brain continues to develop rapidly.
30. pregnancy week
All the baby's senses are functioning. It also masters a new skill - turning the head sideways. The baby's "breathing exercises" (that is, breathing without air, whose place in the lungs is currently taken up by amniotic fluid) constantly strengthen the lungs. The child measures approx. 30 cm (plus the legs) and weighs 1800 g.
32. pregnancy week
Fat continues to build up under the skin, turning it from red to pink.The baby is cramped, so his movements are much slower - the baby rolls sideways more than kicks under the ribs. Toddler's body develops its own immune system, which helps fight minor infections.
34. pregnancy week
The central nervous system is now mature, and the lungs and digestive system are also almost fully developed. The uterus restricts the child's free movement, which is already very tight. The fluff that covered his body is disappearing. The baby swallows it together with the amniotic fluid - it is from this nap and from the swallowed exfoliated epidermis meconium, i.e. the baby's first poop after birth.
36. pregnancy week
The pregnancy is officially terminated - the baby is mature for delivery, which can occur at any time. The placenta works less and less efficiently, clots and clumps of calcium form in it.
38. pregnancy week
The baby, fully formed and armed with over 70 reflex reactions, is ready to go out into the world. A typical newborn is around 50 cm tall and weighs nearly 3.5 kg.
"M jak mama" monthly