[ FYI: Neonatalogists are special medical doctors who take care of babies born before term. They have a very specialized skill and training. Some babies have even been operated on in the womb to correct problems before the baby is born.]

The baby is attached to the placenta by the umbilical cord that is cut after birth and becomes the "belly button". By week 26-29, the eyes open again, and the baby's hair is growing long .The baby looks plump and round. By week 28 if the baby is a boy the testes will descend into the scrotum. By weeks 30-234, the baby is plumper, pinker color, [not transparent as before] and has long fingernails.By week 35-38 the lanugo is gone, and the vernix caseosa is very thick. In boy babies the testes are complete but in girls the ovaries have not completely positioned themselves. Myelination in the brain begins.During the final weeks in the womb the baby gains about 14 gms of fat daily, and by birth will weigh about 3400 gm. Male babies usually weigh more than female babies at birth.

When the baby is ready to be born, he or she will drop down in the womb so that the baby's head is pressing against the mother's cervix to cause it to open.

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This site created by gloria poole [RN] of Colorado. Postal Mail to PO Box 61513, Denver, Co, 80206, or Email me at nurse at onlineeducator.biz. Thanks!

A Color Atlas of Life Before Birth, a book by Marjorie A England, is one of the most fascinating books on human development I have ever seen. The photos of the baby in the womb are beautiful and they will convince you that a human being is human, and alive,growing and developing in their natural, God-made incubator.

At the end of eight weeks after fertilization the new being is called medically a "fetus". The fetal growth period continues until birth and is when the baby grows the most. By week 9 the baby's head is nearly half the size of the body. The neck elongates and extends so the chin is lifted up off the chest. The eyelids are fused together and remain that way until week 25. Fingernails appear. The upper arms become large in proportion to the rest of the body.The midgut which had herniated into the umbilical cord now returns to the abdominal cavity and bile is produced.

By week 9, the sexual organs are complete and the sex can be determined.

By week 10, the baby has doubled in length. The abdomen enlarges as the organs grow. The ear moves from low on the neck to the proper position, and the eyes are in the front of the face. The baby has such thin skin that the blood vessels and organs can be easily seen. Usually by this time, the baby sucks his thumbs.

In weeks 13-16 the baby grows rapidly! The bones are forming and the skeleton can be clearly seen on xray. Tiny fine hairs called "lanugo"  cover the baby's body. By this time, the baby definitely looks like a scrawny baby!

By week 15 the baby begins to gain some weight. By week 17 the proportions of the baby's legs are normal and looks right. The mother can definitely feel the baby moving about by now. In the 18th week a cheesy like substance called vernix caseosa forms and covers the baby to protect the skin from the amniotic waters. Myelination of the spinal cord begins.The eyelids and eyebrows are well developed by week 20.

Baby is still wrinkled but as he or she gains weight the appearance changes and the baby looks much as he or she will look at birth . Baby born from week 25 onward are considered "viable'"meaning that they have the capability to live outside the mother's body in special incubators. Some babies younger than 25 weeks have survived without complications.