12 weeks development… phase 2 begins
Your baby’s face now has a distinctly human appearance.
Her eyes, which started out on the sides of her head, have moved closer together on her face, and her ears are near their final positions on the sides of her head.
Your baby’s intestines, which have grown so rapidly that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into her abdominal cavity about now.
Her kidneys are secreting urine into her bladder and she has the ability to swallow and absorb and discharge fluids.
Her nerve cells have been multiplying rapidly, and synapses (neurological pathways in the brain) are forming.
our baby may have acquired more reflexes by now, including sucking, and she’ll even squirm if you prod your abdomen.
Hands, now complete, are growing fingernails. Even tooth buds are appearing.
This week, your placenta takes over the important task of hormone production.
The head is about one-half of the crown-to-rump length and rests on the well-defined neck instead of shoulders.
Sucking muscles of mouth fill out cheeks, tooth buds continue to develop and salivary glands begin to function.
Scalp (hair) pattern is discernible.
Heartbeat can be detected with external instruments.
Lungs develop further as the fetus inhales and exhales amniotic fluid, which is essential for air sacs within lungs to function properly.
Heart pumps about twenty-five quarts of blood per day and increases to three hundred quarts per day by the time of delivery.
Fully functional spleen will assume functions supervised by liver such as removal of old red blood cells and production of antibodies.
Fetus’ sex can be detected as sexual organs (female or male) become clearly visible.
Arms have almost reached final proportion and length, though legs are still quite short relative to fetus’ body.
Hands, particularly the thumbs, become more functional.
Muscles function more smoothly.
Fetus is more flexible and has advanced movements of head, mouth and lips, arms, wrists, hands, legs, foot, and toes.
Muscles and nervous system continue to advance.
Sweat glands appear and body hair begins to grow.
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