Fetal Development Week By Week: 40 Weeks of Development

The sacred miracle of women is pregnancy and motherhood. From the time a fetus is “incubated” for forty weeks until the mother receives a little angel, it is a process full of tears and sweat. According to the World Health Organization WHO, vaccination for pregnant women is an important step to protect both mother and fetus from some viruses and bacteria that cause diseases during the 9 months and 10 days of pregnancy. Therefore, mothers should also remember to get vaccinated before and during pregnancy.

To avoid these worries, refer to WiliMedia’s useful information on pregnancy care by week to make the most of your time with your fetus on October 9.

WiliMedia will provide you with detailed, useful and timely information from the first weeks of pregnancy to the last days of pregnancy with a series of articles on pregnancy care by week. Remember, although you may have similar pregnancy symptoms, your pregnancy will not be exactly the same as another woman’s.

Pregnancy and the development of the uterus

A woman’s pregnancy usually lasts about 40 weeks, or 280 days, from the first day of her last menstrual period. The total of 280 days is divided into three trimesters, each lasting 12 to 13 weeks, or 3 months.

A mother’s uterus will undergo many changes during pregnancy. In particular, the uterine wall thickens and the blood vessels in the uterine wall expand to nourish the developing fetus. In addition, the uterine wall must also stretch more to make room for the fetus to grow. The uterus will be many times larger than normal, especially when the mother begins to give birth.

The Formation of a Fetus

From an embryonic cell to a complete organism involves a series of miraculous stages and developments called the process of embryogenesis, also known as fetal development. Here is a summary of this process:

• • The average pregnancy of a woman is forty weeks, starting from the first day of her last menstrual period. The 40 weeks of pregnancy are divided into three cycles, each lasting about three months.
  • When the egg and sperm meet, conception occurs within 12 to 24 hours.
  • During this process, the characteristics and gender of the person are determined immediately.
  • Mothers should learn about the age of the fetus to better understand the development of the fetus.

Fetal development in each week

• • First week:

The first day of the last menstrual period is also the beginning of the conception process.

• • Week Two:

On the day you ovulate, the sperm meets the egg and fertilizes it within 12 to 24 hours. This simple biological event sets in motion a series of increasingly complex processes that lead to the creation of a new human being. The fertilized egg will continue to divide into many cells over the next several days. During this time, it will travel down the fallopian tube, reach the uterus, and begin to penetrate the uterine lining.

• • Week Three:

A tiny ball of hundreds of rapidly multiplying cells is now nestled in the nutrient-rich lining of the uterus. This ball, called a blastocyst, has begun to produce the hormone hCG, known as the pregnancy hormone. This signals the ovaries to stop producing eggs.

• • Week Four:

Our ball is now officially called an embryo. It is about four weeks from the first day of your last period, when your next period should normally be. Signs of pregnancy may start to appear at this time. By this time, home pregnancy tests will be positive. At this point, your baby is about the size of a poppy seed.

• • Week five:

The fact that the cells are growing faster than in week four shows that your baby is growing this week. The embryo begins to develop into a fetus. This is when your baby develops its circulatory system, heart, and central nervous system, which includes the brain and spinal cord. At this week, your baby is about the size of a sesame seed.

• • Week six:

Your baby’s ears, mouth, and nose begin to develop, and the brain and intestines begin to develop. (About the size of a green bean), your baby is between 4 and 7 mm in size. During this time, your baby is about the size of a small pea. The skeletal system begins to develop, the ears, nose, and mouth change shape, as do the nervous and digestive systems (intestines).

• • Week 7:

Your baby has doubled in size since last week. Your tail is still there, but it will disappear soon. During the seventh week, your baby forms the placenta and amniotic sac. The placenta enters the uterine wall to absorb oxygen and nutrients. Your baby is now about 9 to 15 mm long (about the size of a peanut). During this period, you may feel sick, urinate more often, and be irritable.

• • Week 8:

You won’t feel your baby start to move. Your baby’s arms and legs are in the process of forming. The primitive nervous system is forming as nerve cells begin to branch. The respiratory tract begins to extend from the throat to the lungs.
Its current size is 16 to 22 mm. At this point, the baby’s lungs are starting to develop like a berry, long from head to tail. Ultrasound can record the baby’s heartbeat.

• • Week 9:

The baby at week 9 is about 5cm in size, about the size of a grape (crown-rump length 23-30mm). The genitals begin to form when a fold appears to separate the baby’s head and chest. Mothers can already monitor their baby’s movements from weeks 8 to 9.

• • Week 10:

Our little one has completed one of the most important tasks in development. Although your skin is still translucent, you can bend your legs and arms, and small details like fingers and toes have begun to form. Your baby is 31 to 40mm long from head to rump.

Your baby is about the size of a cherry. Even though he is still so small, he has already begun to do things like twisting, moving and wriggling his limbs in the womb. Because the brain is developing so quickly, when you have an ultrasound, you can see that his forehead is quite high forward.

• • Week Eleven:

Our baby is almost fully formed. Because the diaphragm is developing, he can kick, stretch and even hiccup, although you haven’t noticed yet. At this point, your length from head to bottom is 41-51 mm.

By now, the umbilical cord has completed its task of providing nutrients and removing waste from the fetus. Although this is the time when the larynx begins to form, it still needs more time to complete.

The fetus has a relatively human-like shape and size. The heart and brain of the fetus develop rapidly. Teeth are forming in the gums.

• • Week Twelve:

This week the fetus’s small reflexes include: flexing and extending fingers, curling toes and sucking mouth. Although you still can’t feel the baby’s movements. The fetus this week is about 8cm long and weighs 60g. Your baby is about the size of a lemon now!

• • Week Thirteen:

This is the last week of the first trimester. Fingerprints, veins and internal organs are now clearly visible through the skin on your little one’s fingers. Your baby can also frown, grimace and lift his or her head easily. Between 13 and 20 weeks, the biparietal diameter shows how your baby is growing.

• • Week Fourteen:

What happens when you enter the second trimester?

Miscarriage usually occurs after the first trimester. Early pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness and fatigue have disappeared in many expectant mothers. This is a good time to start regular exercise during pregnancy if you are feeling more energetic now and have never exercised before.

• • Week Fourteen:

Your baby can now move his or her facial muscles and his or her brain has nerve impulses. In addition, the kidneys are also working. At this time, you can also see your baby sucking his thumb on the ultrasound image. Your baby is now as big as a lemon! (About 87 mm from rump to head).

Your baby will gain weight and size rapidly from now on, an average of about 2g per week. The cells of the central nervous system have multiplied by millions and the baby’s genitals have developed more clearly.

• • Week 15:

The fetus at week 15 is about 10.1 cm long and weighs about 70 g, equivalent to a small apple. Although the baby does not open its eyelids, it can still see light coming through the mother’s belly. Therefore, many babies can move towards the light if the mother uses a flashlight on her belly. At this point, the baby is likely to have Down syndrome, which can be detected through a blood test.

• • Week 16:

Your baby is about the size of an avocado as his skeletal system develops. Are you surprised to find that your baby has eyebrows, eyelids, fingernails, toenails, toes and fingers? Another interesting thing is that the surface of your baby’s skin is covered with a layer of lanugo. This is done to protect your baby’s delicate skin from the surrounding amniotic fluid.

• • Week 17:

A 17-week-old fetus is about 13 cm in size and weighs 140 g, equivalent to a small radish. This week, your baby can move its joints, its sweat glands are more developed and it can hear sounds from outside.

• • Week 18:

Your baby’s weight this week is about 190 grams! At this point, your baby in the womb becomes more active and is about the size of a pomegranate. Your baby’s body also develops more evenly than before. Your baby is also starting to grow hair on his head.

• • Week 19:

You can have an ultrasound to determine your baby’s sex now because his genitals were completed the week before. He is 15 to 20 cm long and weighs about 250 g. Under his gums, the first baby teeth begin to develop.

Your baby’s senses are developing, including hearing, taste, touch, sight and smell so he can hear your voice. If you like, you can talk, sing or read aloud to him.

• • Week 20:

Your baby is now the size of a banana and weighs about 300 grams. At 20 weeks, he is the size of a mango, measuring about 16.4 cm long. He is still actively swallowing amniotic fluid to practice for the digestion process later. Although the baby’s eyes are still closed, the fetus can move its pupils.

• • Week twenty-one:

Your baby weighs about 360 grams! He is about the size of a banana, his limbs are getting stronger, his jawbones are forming, his hair and eyelashes are starting to grow, and he is about the size of a banana. You will breathe more quickly as he gets bigger because the uterus is pressing on his diaphragm.

• • Week twenty-two:

Your baby is now about the size of a newborn, weighing about 430 grams and about the size of a small pumpkin. His kicking and turning movements are much more obvious and stronger than before, making you feel more pain in your belly. This is also the time when your baby’s taste buds begin to develop.

• • Week twenty-three:

With the nostrils open and the facial features clearly formed, the baby at week twenty-three is about the size of a large mango, weighing about 500g. The baby’s body becomes rounder, the skeleton and skull are still developing. The baby’s ears are getting better at hearing sounds. The little one can still recognize some sounds heard inside the womb.

• • Week twenty-four:

Your little one has grown to about 600g, the size of an ear of corn. The baby has gone halfway through the process of forming and developing in the mother’s womb. The baby’s fingers, palms and feet begin to accumulate fat. The fetus grows like a corn cob with the skin stretched to gradually accumulate fat until birth. The nervous system, senses and hearing have developed remarkably, especially the baby can blink. Therefore, the pregnant mother will be able to notice the baby’s movements more clearly.

• • Week Twenty-Five:

Your baby now weighs about 660 grams. The baby’s blood vessels can be seen on ultrasound because their skin is still thin. The baby is about the size of a cantaloupe and weighs about 660 grams. From here, the baby’s organs and body parts have developed and he or she is rapidly gaining height and weight.

• • Weeks Twenty-Six, Twenty-Seven:

Your baby weighs about 760 grams. This is the last week of pregnancy in the second trimester. Your baby’s brain is now very active, and he or she sleeps and wakes on a regular schedule. Inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid from you helps your baby develop his or her lungs. These breathing movements are used to practice his or her first breath at birth.

Third Trimester: What to Expect?

As your baby presses on the nerves in your back and hips during the third trimester, you may urinate more frequently or have leg cramps.

The joy of parenthood is approaching as the honeymoon phase of pregnancy ends. Now is a good time to complete tasks such as registering for childbirth classes, seeing your doctor more often, and creating a baby registry.

• • Week Twenty-Eight:

By this week, your baby is almost ready to live an independent life. He or she is about the size of an eggplant and weighs about a kilogram. Because the brain is almost fully developed, the baby’s head is smaller than before, so their kicks are more decisive and powerful.

• • Week Twenty-Nine:

Your baby gains about 200 grams per week from week 29 to week 34. Because your baby’s eyesight is developing better, it is very good for you to practice prenatal education at this time. In particular, your baby will remember your voice very well if you spend a lot of time talking to your baby every day.

• • Week 30:

A pint of amniotic fluid surrounds your baby, but the amount will decrease as your baby grows and takes up more space in your uterus. Your baby is about the size of a large cabbage and can open and close his eyes more quickly. His head is also getting bigger to give his brain more room to develop.

• • Week 31:

Our baby can now bob his beautiful head. His little legs have a layer of fat under his skin. His lungs have developed and he is about 41.2 cm long, about the size of a coconut. What’s more, he has a pretty good sense of sight and can distinguish between light and dark.

• • Week 32:

A change in position is an important milestone in your baby’s development this week. His body becomes plumper and his skin is no longer as wrinkled as it was before birth. Your baby now weighs about 2kg and is about 42cm long.

• • Week Thirty-Three:

The bones of your baby’s skull are joined together by cartilage, making it easier for your baby’s head to pass through the birth canal. Your baby’s skull will not fully fuse until he or she is an adult.

Your baby is about 43.7 cm long and weighs about 2.3 kg. Your baby’s body temperature is more stable and is not as dependent on your body temperature. In addition, your baby has settled into a breech position, as if its head is facing down in preparation for birth.

• • Week Thirty-Four:

Your baby’s central nervous system is developing along with the lungs. Babies born between 34 and 37 weeks are healthy and can live a long life. The average baby weighs about 2,100 grams. Your baby gains about 200–250 grams a week from week 34 to week 40.

• • Week thirty-five:

Mommy, this place is getting crowded Your baby’s kidneys are fully developed and his liver is able to process some waste. Your baby is about 46.2 centimeters long, about the size of a squash. His body is basically done functioning, so he should be fine at birth at this point.

• • Week thirty-six:

Your little one gains about thirty grams a day. He’s about 47 centimeters long and weighs about 2.6 kilograms. His other organs are almost complete, while his brain and lungs continue to develop until birth.

• • Week Thirty-Seven:

Your baby isn’t quite ready to enter the world yet, even though your due date is fast approaching. Your baby’s lungs and brain will be fully developed over the next two weeks. By this time, your baby has developed into a separate individual and is about the size of a papaya. Your baby’s body weight will increase rapidly.

• • Week Thirty-Eight:

Does your baby’s eye color concern you? Your baby’s irises are not yet pigmented, so if your baby is born with blue eyes, they will darken until he or she is about a year old. In a normal person, this would be the last week of pregnancy, so your baby wouldn’t be considered premature if he or she were born at this point. The layer of fat under your baby’s skin is getting thicker so he or she can maintain a stable temperature after birth.

• • Week thirty-nine:

Although your baby is fully developed, your little one is still storing fat to help regulate her body temperature when she enters the outside world. At this stage, her movements have become very natural, similar to those of a newborn baby.

• • Week forty:

If you calculate your due date based on the first day of your last period, your due date will not be as late as you think. Sometimes women ovulate later than expected. However, to ensure that you can continue your pregnancy safely, your doctor will perform tests such as an ultrasound and a non-stress test if there are no signs of labor on your due date. South Asian babies from 38 to 40 weeks weigh an average of 3,200 to 3,300 grams.

• • Week forty-one, forty-two:

This is the time when the “stubborn” children have not yet arrived. If after that, the baby still does not “demand” to come out, the mother should see a doctor to induce labor to prevent the fetus from having low amniotic fluid.

Conclusion:

The moment of seeing the baby for the first time is wonderful. However, exactly what will happen next is unpredictable, so it is normal for the mother to feel anxious. To ensure the best health for both mother and fetus, consult a doctor and go for check-ups throughout the pregnancy.

With the above information, perhaps the mother has witnessed many miracles about the development of the fetus during the weeks in the womb, right? Mom, try to keep a comfortable mind to have a healthy pregnancy and wait for the baby to come into the world

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