Many mothers-to-be ask themselves what their baby looks like and what it actually feels or hears in each week of pregnancy. The journey from conception to birth is a process of constant change. However, only at the very beginning of pregnancy are they rapid – with time the changes become less “spectacular”, so by listing the individual stages we will focus on the most important stages of fetal life, counting from the moment of fertilization.
- Week one: when fertilization occurs, i.e. the union of the egg cell with the sperm cell, the zygote moves along the uterus. At the same time, it divides into cells (on the seventh day after fertilization, there are already about 100 of them). They then implant in the wall of the cervix.
- Week Twoi: germ layers begin to form, which will transform over time into the organs of the child. The embryo is already a collection of several hundred cells, is 0,5 to 1 mm, translucent and gray. From one germ layer will arise the brain, nervous system, hair and skin, from another – liver, pancreas, digestive system, thyroid gland; from the third circulatory system, skeleton, connective tissue, muscles and genitourinary system. A bearing is formed.
- Week three: the embryo is already about 1,2 mm. It takes on an oblong shape, increasingly resembling a child (previously it was a disc of cells). The neural tube that connects the brain to the spinal cord closes.
- Week four: a heart slowly begins to form, which is initially a bent little tube. On day 22, the ventricles of the heart separate. The length of the embryo is 3-4 mm, the buds of ears and eyes are formed on both sides of the head. It looks like a tadpole because it has a trunk ending in a tail. The brain also develops gradually.
- Week five: the future baby already has its own bloodstream. During this period, there is a rapid growth – at the beginning of the fifth week it is 4-5 mm, and at the end it is already 11-14 mm. Limbs resembling tiny fins appear.
- Week six: the heart divides into the right and left ventricles, hands and fingers, intestines, the beginnings of the eyes, nose and mouth appear, as well as the bronchi, which are the primary airways.
- Week seven: it is also a period of rapid development. The hands and feet have webbed fingers, the neck appears, the head is more and more straightened, the trunk and limbs become longer. The circulatory system, digestive system, kidneys and liver begin to function, the skeletal system is fully formed. There are also reproductive organs, but not visible on ultrasound.
- Week eight: from this moment on, the embryo transforms into a fetus, as it looks more and more like a human being. Congenital defects usually develop before the eighth week of life, so after this period the risk is definitely lower. The fetus weighs about 5 g and is already 3 to 4 centimeters long.
- Week nine: eyelids appear (closed until the 25th week of fetal life), irises, nail buds appear. The eyes move forward.
- Week ten: the baby already weighs 8 to 10 grams and is 5 to 6 cm long. The cartilage skeleton turns into a bony skeleton, the skin becomes pinkish, the beginnings of hair bulbs appear. He can now open and close his mouth, move his limbs, wrinkle his forehead, suck his thumb and wrinkle his forehead.
From that moment, the changes are not so rapid, so there is a jump by a few weeks.
- Week 12: the beginning of the second trimester. The trunk is growing, the child already weighs about 50 g and is 10 cm. The middle ear develops, the body is covered with a soft down, the nervous system works. Baby can move head up and down.
- Week 15: he can make more and more movements, kicks, somersaults, and therefore they will become felt by the future mother.
- Week 17: the baby begins to hear, especially to soft and calm sounds. He does not like noise, may react to it with fear. The first hair begins to grow, the baby already weighs 150 g.
- Week 20 – 25: the child’s growth slows down. It looks more and more like a newborn, the connections necessary for memory and thinking are formed in the nervous system. Taste buds form on the tongue. Over time, the lungs mature, white blood cells that fight infections appear. The baby is practicing breathing. By the 25th week of pregnancy, the baby is so big that it fills the entire uterine cavity. He looks almost like a newborn, he has eyelashes, eyebrows, and his hair is getting longer. The eyelids slowly open, the baby is already receiving tactile stimuli.
- Week 26 – 34: at 26 weeks, the baby assumes the fetal position. His brain is developing very fast. At 27 weeks, the eyes begin to move, they become sensitive to light, the baby becomes rounder. At 30, all senses are functioning, he can turn his head from side to side. It continues to strengthen the lungs through breathing exercises. 32 weeks is the development of the immune system, thanks to which the baby will be able to fight off minor infections. At 34 weeks, the hair covering the body disappears, the central nervous system, lungs and digestive system are almost completely developed.
- Week 38: A typical newborn weighs 3,5 kg and is approximately 50 cm tall. It is now fully developed and ready to meet the world.