9 months of amazing JOURNEY

Each month brings unique changes for baby's growth and development. Generally, it is measured by weeks, lasting 40 weeks or 266 days from conception. Join me as I tour and find out how we develop and become a baby.

1^st month
The egg and the sperm meet in the outer third of the Fallopian tube and travel over the course of the next seven to ten days, down the tube to the uterus. Once in the uterus, the fertilized egg will implant into the fluffy, nutrient rich lining of the uterus.

The baby is called a blastocyst as it implants. The baby measures about 0.1-0.2 mm. At the end of the fourth week of pregnancy, the chorionic villi are formed. The yolk sac is helping to sustain the pregnancy until the placenta is fully formed.

2^nd months
The second month of pregnancy is a critical month in fetal development. The baby goes from being a blastocyst to an embryo. Early on in this month the baby’s heart will begin to beat. First it beats slowly, then very rapidly, later in pregnancy the heart rate will slow a bit more.

In the beginning of this month it’s hard to tell which way is up on the baby. As this month progresses it becomes very easy to tell which end is the baby’s head is and which end is the baby’s bottom. By the end of the month the baby’s upper and lower limb buds will also appear. And the primordia of the liver, pancreas, lungs, and stomach are evident. While the baby is a girl or a boy, it is not yet apparent without genetic screening.

The baby is now measuring between 8-11 mm from crown to rump (CRL). By the end of this month heart activity is always present on ultrasound. Toe and finger rays are present, though not quite enough for you to count yet.

3^rd months
During the third month, the baby’s bones begin to ossify or harden. The baby is already moving spontaneously, but you usually can’t feel these movements for awhile yet. Your baby’s eyes are large and open. Eyelids will form later. External ears have formed.

External genitalia begin to differentiate, though it’s still very difficult to tell whether the baby is a girl or a boy without genetic screening. The baby moves from being an embryo to the fetal period, now called a fetus. S/he also loses their tail!

The baby’s head is the biggest part of their body. It is about 1/2 the size of the rest of the body. While the head is large, the brain’s structure is similar to what it will be at birth. S/he weighs about 14 grams and is approximately 3.54 inches in total length.

4th months
The placenta has taken over production of the hormones needed to sustain your pregnancy. The baby is also making some of its own insulin and bile. The baby even urinates into the amniotic fluid in small amounts every 45 minutes or so.

The baby’s heart pumps about 25 quarts of blood a day. All of the teeth have formed.

The baby is about 3 ounces (85 grams) and 6.3 inches (16 cms). The gender may be detectable by ultrasound. Though gender predictions at this point are much harder to rely on.

5^th months
No new organ structures are really forming at this point in pregnancy. Though the pads of the fingers and toes are forming. Your baby is also developing his or her finger prints. The baby is also forming permanent teeth buds behind the baby teeth that are already formed. A baby girl will also begin to develop primitive eggs in her ovaries. Gender is usually visible by ultrasound, though accuracy varies.

The baby’s movements may be more apparent. Loud noises may even cause your baby to startle. It’s still pretty unusual for your to be able to feel your baby move at this point unless this is not your first pregnancy. You may be aware of sleep wake cycles in your little one.

The baby is also covered in a fine hair called lanugo and may begin to develop a lotion like substances on their skin called vernix. The weight is now up to 10 ounces (283 grams) and the baby measures about 25 cms total length, about 9.8 inches.

6^th months
Eye brows are forming now and the lanugo darkens in color. The baby is moving and practicing breathing for when he or she will be born. The baby may or may not be head down, because of the amniotic fluid your baby can move all around still.

The baby is also depositing brown fat. The brown fat will help him or her regulate body temperature at birth. This brown fat will continue to be laid down until birth.

S/he weighs in at 1 lb 5 ounces (595 grams) and 30 cms or 11.8 inches total length. A few babies are born this early. They do have some chance of survival depending on many factors(immature).

7^th months
Baby’s movements at this point in pregnancy have gone from wild kicks and flurries to smaller movements as the room becomes crowded in the uterus. At about week 28 babies begin to start turning head down. This is automatic in most babies and they seem to like it that way.

The baby can sense light and dark in the uterus. This may also effect the pattern you notice of sleep and wake cycles. The uterus is also not a silent environment. While the baby can hear your heart beat, your digestive system, etc. your baby can also hear your voice as well as others close by. Think of what you can hear in a pool.

The baby's eye lashes are developing, as subcutaneous fat is deposited. If it’s a baby boy, his testes will probably begin descending. The baby is about 13.8 inches long (35 cms) and weighs about 2 pounds 4 ounces (1 kilogram)! A baby born at this time has a good chance of survival with the help of medical technology.

8^th months
The baby is really getting ready to be born. Red blood cell production is done entirely by the baby’s bone marrow. Amniotic fluid is still present and the baby urinates into it daily, about a half a liter of urine a day.

The baby's irises can now dilate and contract in response to light. He or she opens and closes their eyes at will. Even the finger nails reach the end of the fingers. Some babies might even need a nail trim at birth! The baby may have a lot of hair on their head or none, both extremes are normal.

The weight gain has been fairly incredible recently. The baby has put on about 2 pounds of weight, mostly fat and muscle tissue, since last month, bringing the total to an average of three pounds eleven ounces (1.7 kilograms), and measurements to 40 cms or 15.8 inches!

9^th months
The baby’s organs have been finished forming for a long time. Now is the time for finishing touches. For example, the lungs make final preparations for birth by secreting surfactant to help them expand at birth. Your baby’s kidneys are still producing lots of urine every day, helping to make up the almost two pints of amniotic fluid.

While the baby may be putting on half a pound a week up until about week 37 at which point weight gain slows drastically. The average birth weight is still about seven and a half pounds. The baby will measure between 18-22 inches at birth.

The majority of babies will show up from two weeks before this date to two weeks after this date. Labor is caused by the baby’s signals to the mother’s body that he or she is ready to be born. “UHAAAA!!! WELCOME TO THE WORLD!”

Thanks to babycenter for this article.