Most people forget that they began as a tiny fertilized egg that transformed into a baby. Although, the journey is awe-inspiring and special and is often called gestation or pregnancy, most people don’t know the details. How did your life progress from a little ball? Well, hold onto that thought; we will be getting around to it.
So, we have created a timeline of sorts that takes you through the transformation and milestones of conception until the day of birth. Little do you know, but you’re nothing short of a miracle!
First Trimester
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Around 4 days after fertilization, we begin life as a little ball. The ball continues to grow for 3 weeks and becomes a blastocyst, which contains DNA that determines our sex, eye color, and all our other genetic traits.
At around 4 weeks of age, we become an embryo. The stage marks the beginning of organ creation and development. Not long after, our hearts begin to beat even though we are as big as a sesame seed!
At around 6 weeks of life, we begin to develop facial features, and buds that soon become limbs. Once the limbs develop, fingers and a nose follow suit.
Into the 9th week, eyes develop, but they are shut. The week after (Week 10) the embryo becomes a fetus and your kidneys, intestines, liver, and the brain begin to function!
By the 12th week, mothers will be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat, and the baby’s bones begin to harden. This is the end of the first trimester!
Second Trimester
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At around 14 weeks, the baby’s kidneys begin to produce urine that is released back into the amniotic fluid. (Psst – the baby drinks this urine and urinates again – it’s a part of a cycle, a gross one to say the least). Also, the baby can make facial expressions and suck his thumb!
From the 16th week onwards, you can determine the baby’s sex via ultrasound.
At around 18 weeks, you will feel your baby kick and move around inside. If you don’t just yet, don’t worry, you will in the following weeks.
During the 19th week, your baby can hear your heartbeat and can also listen to sounds. It is why many women listen to soothing and happy music in the hope that the baby feels the same calm. Mommies and their partners are encouraged to talk to the baby as it can hear voices. Just a reminder – be careful of loud and sudden noises as they can scare your baby.
At 23 weeks of life, your baby will be able to move around, so much so that you will be able to notice it, by simply looking at your belly! Added to that, the baby’s sense of hearing improves.
Week 24 means the baby’s taste buds have begun to develop, and the brain grows quickly. Some hair growth might begin as well! In other words, there will be a lot of development and growth.
Towards the end of the second trimester, at around 27 weeks is when the baby “practices” how to breathe. Plus, your little one can open his eyes now!
Third Trimester
Image: IStock
At week 28, exciting things happen, your baby begins dreaming, can see better than before and begins developing eyelashes
A few weeks after (32 weeks) he begins to develop adorable little fingernails and tiny toenails.
At 37 weeks, your baby is now full-term! Congratulations! His lungs should be functional, but he isn’t ready to come out of the womb until the next couple of weeks.
Finally at around 40 weeks of life, your little member is due a visit to the outside world and ready to live in it :). According to sources, the average weight of a newborn is 7½ pounds, while his average length is 20 inches.
We hope you enjoyed reading about the growth process babies go through, and the journey we have all taken!
