Pregnancy And Baby Care Articles Fetal Development

...than before. This is the most exciting time of pregnancy. This is when, if you poke your abdomen, your baby feels it and starts responding by moving around in your belly. Your baby’s little face starts taking shape around this time. What’s more, your little bundle of happiness can hear sounds now, so think before you speak with your partner. Your baby’s hair and eyebrows begin to grow. Fine hairs start covering his/her body in order to provide protection. Your baby will shed this hair after a few days post-delivery.

Your baby can now inhale and exhale. The body is trying its best to match up with the large head and to appear proportionate. Your baby receives all nourishment through the placenta. The intestines are still making their way to the body from the umbilical cord. This is the time when you may feel some fluttering in your abdomen. Do not start imagining things—they are not the butterflies. It is your baby that is moving around your abdomen and trying to explore it. Your baby’s thyroid gland is now mature and it starts to produce hormones.  If you are expecting a boy, his prostate gland begins to develop and if your baby is a girl, the ovaries move to the pelvis from the abdomen.

Your baby can suck his/her thumb now and the habit continues even after he/she is born. The bones get harder and stronger with each passing day. However, even during this period, your baby’s skin is very transparent. Your baby is making an effort to make sure that he/she has strong muscles by constant flexing and kicking his/her hands and legs. Your baby also practices moving his/her facial muscles by frowning, squinting, and smiling. Your baby is all set for further development and you can expect fetal development to occur at a fast pace in the coming months.

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