Month 7 (25 to 28 weeks)
- Eyes are completely formed now…lids open and close, eyes look around.
- Brain can coordinate rhythmic breathing and regulate body temperature.
- Baby continues to gain weight; skin becomes less wrinkled, more pink and smooth.
- Baby has fully developed 4 senses – vision, hearing, taste and touch – and can cough.
- Hands can grip even more strongly now than after birth.
- Hair on head is growing longer and the downy covering (lanugo) on the rest of body is disappearing.
- A second surge of nerve cell production begins now.
Week 26
- Sense of smell is functioning and eyes produce tears.
- Baby weighs more than 2½ pounds and measures about 15 inches from head to heel.
Week 27
- Pupils of the eyes react to light.
- Baby weighs about 3¼ pounds and measures about 16 inches from head to heel.
- With intensive care, a baby born at this stage is capable of breathing air.
Month 8 (29 to 32 weeks)
If baby is born at the beginning of this month, chance of survival increases to 90%.
- Legs are drawn to the chest because there is no longer room to straighten out.
- Sometime in the next two to four weeks, baby shifts into a head down position, preparing for birth.
- Fingernails reach the fingertips and toenails are close behind.
Week 29
- Baby fat fills out and smoothes skin, skin thickens and provides insulation and nourishment after birth.
Week 30
- Breathing movements occur up to 40 percent of the time.
- Baby weighs about 4 pounds and measures about 17 inches from head to heel.
Week 32
- True alveoli, or “air pocket” cells, develop in the lungs. Lungs are capable of transitioning to breathing air.
- Baby weighs about 5 pounds and measures about 18 inches from head to heel.
Month 9 (33 to 38 weeks)
Week 34
- Baby weighs about 5¾ pounds and measures about 18½ inches from head to heel.
Week 36
- Baby weighs about 6¾ pounds and measures about 19 inches from head to heel.
Week 38
- At term, the umbilical cord is typically 20 to 24 inches long.
- Antibodies from mom build up to provide baby with immunity to a wide variety of diseases.
- Baby absorbs a gallon of amniotic fluid per day and the fluid is completely replaced every three hours.
- Baby’s heart will be pumping about 250 gallons of blood a day.
- Baby is fully capable of life outside the womb.
- Baby releases the hormones to initiate labor and birth occurs and average of 264-294 days after conception…ideally around 38 weeks (40 LMP), leading to childbirth. (Be patient! Only 4 percent of babies are born on their due date!)
- At full-term birth, newborn babies typically weigh between 6 and 9 pounds and measure between 18 and 21 inches from head to heel. After birth, baby will continue the process of human growth for many years to come.
