Life Before Birth

Day 1: Conception

Of the 2 million sperm that try to penetrate the mother’s egg cell, only one succeeds.

At that very moment, a new an unique individual is formed!

All of the inherited features are already set - boy or girl, eye color, hair color, skin color, etc...

Day 6-14

The fertilized egg, now known as a zygote, divides in two, then divides again and again.

1 cell - 2 cells, 4 cells, 8 cells, 16 cells, 32, 64, 128, etc...

Day 21 - First Heartbeat!

The baby’s heart began to beat, unsurely at first, gaining strength day by day.

A day later, the baby’s eyes begin to develop.

But it Doesn’t Look Like a Baby!

Your body is made up of trillions and trillions of cells.

We can’t expect the baby to have any recognizable shape - because it just doesn’t have enough cells yet!

It’s like only having four legos to make a castle with - you just need more legos to give it shape.

Day 28 - 32

Two tiny arms and legs appear.

The nose and mouth begin to develop.

Blood flows in the baby’s veins from her pumping heart.

Day 41 - Fingers and Toes!

Baby’s fingers begin to form, followed by the toes a few days later.

Many moms just now realize they might be pregnant, since they’ve missed their second period.

Some teen moms still have no idea they are pregnant due to their irregular menstrual cycles. 6 weeks

Day 52 Spontaneous Movement

The baby starts to hiccup, frown, squint, move arms and legs, turn head, stretch, open her mouth, yawn, and suck her thumb.

99% of her muscles are present, each with its own nerve supply. 7 weeks

8 Weeks

Every organ is present, the heart beats steadily, and of the 4,500 structures in the human body, 4,000 are already present.

10 Weeks

Fingerprints have already started to form.

If prodded, her eyelids and and hands close.

12 Weeks

The baby swallows and responds to skin stimulation.

She can now smile.

14 Weeks

The baby is active, but mom doesn’t feel anything yet.

16 Weeks

The baby may turn somersaults.

She develops sleeping habits.

The ovaries of girls contain the beginnings of eggs.

18 Weeks

About halfway there!

40 Weeks - Happy Birthday!