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Fetal Development in Second Trimester
A full term pregnancy consists of nine months or forty weeks or three trimesters. Each trimester brings new changes in fetal development. The second trimester comprises of week 13 to week 26. Each week stimulates growth in your child.
Fetal Development Week 13 to Week 16
Your baby grows from 3 inches long to 5 inches by the end of 16 weeks. The weight of your child increases from an ounce to three and half ounces. Within a short span of three weeks your baby’s bone development takes form. Tiny ribs begin to appear...Related Articles
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...Your baby’s gender will be more apparent and red blood cells start forming in your baby’s spleen. Your baby’s skeleton takes form which you can see with the help of ultrasound images. Ears reach their final position while facial muscles develop. With the development of the facial muscles, your baby appears to exhibit various emotions such as sucking, frowning and squinting.
Fetal Development Week 17 to Week 20
This period of growth is marked by the accumulation of fat deposits. Fat deposits help the baby keep warm and also provide energy to the baby. The ears of your baby will now become more pronounced. Your baby can now hear the sounds inside you and he/she will also get startled by loud noises in your environment. Your baby can also recognize your voice and the baby’s sensory development advances to the final stage. Your child now weighs around six ounces and is about 6 inches long. The lungs develop and the baby begins to inhale and exhale amniotic fluid. The urinary tract and circulatory system also takes shape.
Fetal Development Week 21 to Week 24
The baby is now covered with fatty substances that keep the baby warm, protect the skin in amniotic fluid and also helps ease delivery. Your baby’s weight increases from being about three fourth of a pound to a pound and is now about 12 inches long. The eyebrows and eyelids are fully developed. The fingernails also now cover the fingertips. Your baby inhales amniotic fluid as a breathing practice. The baby appears like a newborn now except that the baby does not look very chubby.
Fetal Development Week 25 to Week 26
Your baby now weighs more than a pound and about two pounds by the end of the second trimester and has little baby fat. The baby now fills the space in your uterus and has a rapidly growing brain. The baby now makes clear breathing movements though the lungs are not filled with air. The baby may now like to explore the interiors of your uterus. The baby’s lungs, liver and immune system continue to develop.
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Fetal Development Second Trimester
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