Milestones of fetal development

• A baby’s heart begins to beat 18 days from conception, and by 21 days the heart is pumping blood through a closed circulatory system.

• At 4 weeks from conception, a baby’s eye, ear, and respiratory systems begin to form.

• A baby’s brainwaves can be detected at 6 weeks from conception.

• Thumbsucking has been documented at 7 weeks from conception.

• At 8 weeks from conception, a baby’s heartbeat can be detected by ultrasonic stethocope.

• By 9 weeks from conception, a baby is able to bend her fingers around an object in her hand.
• By 9 weeks from conception, all the structures necessary for pain sensation are functioning.

• By 11 to 12 weeks from conception, the baby is breathing fluid steadily and continues to do so until birth.

• By 11 weeks from conception, a baby can swallow.

• Between 13 and 15 weeks from conception, a baby’s taste buds are present and functioning.
• Fingerprints have formed on an unborn child’s hands by 14 weeks from conception.

• At 20 weeks, and perhaps as early as 16 weeks from conception, a baby is capable of hearing his mother’s heartbeat and external noises like music.

• At 23 weeks from conception, babies have been shown to demonstrate rapid eye movements (REM), which are characteristic of active dream states.

• At six months from conception, a baby’s oil and sweat glands are functioning.

• At seven months from conception, a baby frequently “exercises” in preparation for birth by stretching and kicking.

• At eight months from conception, a baby’s skin begins to thicken, and swallows a gallon of amniotic fluid each day and often hiccups.

• During the ninth month from conception, a baby gains half a pound per week. Of the 45 generations of cell divisions before adulthood, 41 have already taken place.

Many resources are available in print and online for learning more about fetal development. Some of the best books and websites include:

Books on Fetal Development

• A Child is Born by Lennart Nilsson (Dell Publishing, 2003)
• From Conception to Birth: A Life Unfolds by Alexander Tsiaras (Doubleday, 2002)

Websites on Fetal Development

• Science for Unborn Human Life
• Just the Facts
• Visembryo