BABY DEVELOPMENT

Some say human life begins at birth; however, science tells us that long before then, even before the mother feels her unborn baby's movements within, the miniature infant wakes and sleeps, squirms about, squints, swallows, breathes fluid, hiccups, digests, hears, tries to cry, can feel pain, flexes his or her fingers, punches, kicks,and even sucks his or her thumbs or toes! Life really begins at conception. When the sperm joins the ovum (egg) to form one cell, the new life has inherited 23 chromosomes from each parent or 46 in all. This one cell contains the complex genetic blueprint for every detail of human development--the child's sex, hair and eye color, height, and skin tone.

Most pregnancies are not even detected until the 6th week. By then the baby's heart has been beating for three weeks, brain waves can be read, and the nervous system has been complete for about two weeks. He or she is about to begin moving, although the mother will not feel it for another 3 1/2 months. By the 8th week the baby's skeleton, head, face, arms, legs, fingers (and fingerprints), toes, circulatory and major muscle systems are complete, and all of his or her bodily organs are present in rudimentary states. At 10 weeks the unborn child is already more than two inches long, all body organs are also present at this time, and all that is needed now is nourishment and time to grow. By the 12th week the baby already shows a distinct individuality in both appearance and behaviour. The baby now sleeps, awakens and exercises its muscles energetically--turning its head, curling its toes,and opening and closing its mouth. The palm, when stroked, will make a tight fist. The baby breathes amniotic fluid to help develop its respiratory system. By the 13th week fine hair has begun to grow on the head, and sexual differentiation has become apparent. By the end of the fourth month, the baby is eight to ten inches in length and weighs a half pound or more. The ears are functioning, and there is evidence that the baby hears the mother's vice and heartbeat, as well as external noises. By the sixth month, oil and sweat glands are functioning, delicate skin is protected from the fetal waters by a special ointment called "vernix", and the baby, if born in this month and given the proper care, would survive. In month seven the baby now uses the four senses of vision, hearing, taste and touch and can recognize his or her mother's voice. During the eighth month, the baby's skin begins to thicken, with a layer of fat stored underneath for insulation and nourishment. Toward the end of the nineth month, the baby is ready for birth and by this time the infant normally weighs 6 to 9 pounds, his or her heart is pumping about 250 gallons of blood a day, and he or she is fully capable of life outside the womb.

(Above information taken from "The First Nine Months" brochure published by Focus on the Family and "How You Began" from Life Cycle Books.)