FIRST TRIMESTER: (1 to 3 months)
Week 1: |
Conception takes place. The baby is smaller than a grain of sugar, but the instructions are present for all that this person will ever become. |
Week 2: |
The baby attaches and burrows securely into the wall of its mother's womb. |
Week 3: |
The baby's blood vessels and sex cells form. Foundations of the brain, spinal cord and nervous system are laid. |
Week 4: |
The baby's heart has begun to beat (day 21). Eyes, ears and lungs begin to form. |
Week 5: |
This is the time of the first missed period when most women are only just beginning to think that they may be pregnant. The baby is around 5mm long. Tiny arms and legs appear, as well as the baby's face. |
Week 6: |
The baby is around 10mm long. Tiny fingers and toes develop. |
Week 7: |
Buds of the baby's milk teeth appear. |
Week 8: |
The baby begins spontaneous movement. Every organ is present, but immature.  |
Week 9: |
Genitalia become visible, indicating whether the baby is a boy or a girl. Genitalia become visible, indicating whether the baby is a boy or a girl.  |
Week 10: |
The baby's fingerprints begin to form.  |
Week 11: |
The baby 'practices' breathing and facial expressions, even smiling.  |
Week 12: |
The baby is able to swallow and feels and responds to skin stimulation. The baby is now fully formed!! It just has to grow and mature. It has all its organs, muscles, limbs and bones, and its sex organs are well developed.  |
SECOND TRIMESTER: (3 to 6 months)
Week 14: |
The baby can hiccup and flex its legs. A strong heartbeat can be heard.  |
Week 15: |
He/she grasps the umbilical cord and sucks his/her fingers. |
Week 16: |
The baby's legs are longer than his/her arms. |
Week 20: |
The baby is around 15cm long and weighs 400g. Eyebrows and lashes start to grow. |
Week 22: |
The baby's eyelids and ears are well formed. A cycle of waking and sleeping may be established. |
Week 24: |
The baby is able to swallow and feels and responds to skin stimulation. The baby is now fully formed!! It just has to grow and mature. It has all its organs, muscles, limbs and bones, and its sex organs are well developed. |
THIRD TRIMESTER: (3 to 6 months)
Week 28: |
The baby is about 26cm long and weighs about 900g. The heartbeat is around 120 to 140 beats per minute - about double an adults heart rate. |
Week 30, 31: |
The baby can hear both the mother's and another person's voice, despite his/her watery surroundings. The baby's tastebuds are now developed and he/she is able to distinguish between sweet, sour and bitter tastes. |
Week 32: |
The eyes are open for some of the time. The skin is covered with a layer of vernix which prevents it from drying out. |
Week 33: |
The baby's lungs secrete a soapy fluid which keeps them open, ready for breathing. |
Week 34: |
The baby is now 32cm long and weighs 2kg. The head should be down, ready for birth; although around four per cent of babies are born bottom first - this is the breech position. |
Week 35: |
The different parts of the baby can be felt through the mommy's tummy. |
Week 38, 39: |
The baby is now quite plump. There is no longer room for him/her to stretch out and make big movements, but he/she can still lift and turn his/her head. |
Week 40: |
The baby is around 35-37cm long, weighs around 3.5kg and is ready to be born.  |