Your Pregnancy Journey
Stages of pregnancy
Week 8
Baby now measures about 1.6cm. The embryonic tail is just about gone, all organs, muscles and nerves are beginning to function. The brain, nerve cells are branching out to connect with one another, forming primitive neural pathways. Baby's hands now bend at the wrist, and feet are starting to lose their webbed appearance. Eyelids cover more of the eyes and tastebuds are forming |
Week 16
Baby is now some 10cm long & weighs about 100g. In the next three weeks baby will go through a tremendous growth spurt, doubling weight and adding centimetres to length. Your baby's head is more erect than it has been, and the eyes have moved closer to the front of the head. The circulatory system & urinary tract are in full working order, and baby is inhaling & exhaling amniotic fluid through the lungs. |
Week 20
Baby is about 26cm long & steadily gaining weight. A whitish coat of a slick, fatty substance called vernix caseosa begins to cover your baby, protecting the skin during its long immersion in amniotic fluid. Baby is swallowing more this week, good practice for the digestive system. After baby takes in amniotic fluid, the body absorbs the water in the liquid and moves the rest into the large bowel. In the bowel, a sticky by-product of the digestive system, called meconium accumulates. It'll appear in the first nappies after baby is born. |
Week 32
Baby now weighs about 1.7kg and is around 42cm long from head to toe. Although the lungs won't be fully developed until just before birth, your little one is busy inhaling amniotic fluid to exercise the lungs. Baby’s skin is becoming soft and smooth as baby gains weight in preparation for birth. Some babies have a head of hair already, others have only a few wisps. If your baby is a boy, his testicles should have descended from his abdomen into his scrotum. Sometimes, however, one or both testicles won't move into position until after birth. |
