This week your baby may begin to move by itself. As each week passes, new developments give your baby tremendous personality.
Your baby is now capable of many of the expressions that make babies so adorable but unfortunately you still have many weeks to go before you can start photographing them.
The bones in your baby's face have now formed and features may be visible with ultrasound. Your baby will begin to develop very fine eyebrows and lashes.
Facial muscles are fully developed. Your baby will be able to make uncontrolled facial expressions. Your baby's eyes, though still closed, are light sensitive. The bones forming your baby's ears have begun to harden, enabling your baby to hear some sounds for the first time.
Your baby's body is growing rapidly and taking on more conventional proportions. Legs are growing faster and are now longer than the arms. Toes may be visible by ultrasound.
Calcium deposits in your baby's bone structure may permit doctors to see its bones on an x-ray. The central nervous systemAn intricate network of structures that runs extensively throughout the body and activates, coordinates and controls all functions of the body.
The nervous system consists of two parts, the central nervous system and the peripheral nervous system. The central nervous system is composed of the brain and the spinal cord. The peripheral nervous system includes the cranial nerves and spinal nerves.
Afferent fibers carry sensory impulses to the central nervous system. Efferent fibers carry motor impulses in the form of electrical energy from the central nervous system to the muscles and other organs.
Somatic fibers are those associated with the bones, muscles and the skin. Visceral fibers are those associated with the internal organs, blood vessels and mucus membrane. All of the functions are coordinated by a network of tiny structures including neurons, axons, dendrites and ganglia.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. is being developed.The types of movements your baby can make are greatly increased, though the muscles are not yet controlled by the brain.
MyelinA white fatty substance that forms sheaths around the nerve fibers through the body.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions., a layer of fat, will coat the nerves that link to the brain. Once complete, signals will be passed between the brain and muscle tissue permitting coordinated movement.
If your baby is a girl, ovaries will have developed more fully and descended from the abdomen to her pelvis. By now about five million ova will have been formed.
Your uterus is growing rapidly to make room for both your baby and the placentaThe placenta is a large disk shaped membrane responsible for providing nourishment to the fetus during pregnancy. It consists of three parts, the fetal part made up from the chorion membrane surrounding the fetus, the maternal part, formed from the decidua basalis layer of the uterine lining, and the intervillous space between the two plates. It is connected to the fetus by the umbilical cord and consists of tissue from both the mother and the embryo.
Its function is complex. It has been described as a simple organ that combines the functions of a kidney-dialysis machine, heart and lung machine and intravenous drip. It consists of enormous numbers of blood vessel branches that permit the exchange of nutrition and oxygen, from the mother's bloodstream to the fetus and the removal of wastes to the mother to be excreted. The placenta's remarkable quality is that it does so without the blood of the mother mixing with that of the baby.
It also is responsible for the production of vital hormones including, estrogen, progesterone, and human chorionic gonadotropin. After birth, the placenta is delivered, and is sometimes referred to as the afterbirth.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions.. There is also considerable amniotic fluidThe liquid, which is produced by both the fetal membranes and the fetus that surrounds the baby during pregnancy. The liter of fluid at term serves to protect the fetus during pregnancy and also provide active chemical exchange.
The amniotic fluid consists of maternal and fetal plasma in varying concentrations. The pH of the fluid is almost neutral and clear, although lipids and desquamated fetal cells can make it cloudy.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. surrounding your baby which is contained by the amnionA membrane that surrounds the amniotic cavity, covering the fetal side of the placenta and the outer surface of the umbilical cord. It also becomes the outermost layer of skin on the developing fetus.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions..
Movement of the fetus up then down in the fluid allows your baby to develop muscle tone. You will probably not be able to feel this movement right now because there is enough fluid to dampen any kicks.
Don't worry about your breasts swelling and increased tenderness at this stage of your pregnancy. You will notice veins becoming visible caused by bloodflow to the breasts increasing while Montgomery's tuberclesThe small bumps on the areola surrounding the nipple, they are sebaceous glands which normally enlarge during pregnancy.
Visit our comprehensive glossary for more pregnancy terms and definitions. become more pronounced. Milk glands in your breasts are preparing for your baby's birth.
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