There is a lot going on with your baby this week. Your baby’s intestines are migrating from the umbilical cord into his or her abdomen. The villi are also forming in the intestines, and these help in peristaltic movements and digestion. The liver begins to secrete bile and the pancreas is even secreting insulin! All twenty teeth have formed and are waiting under the gums, while your baby has begun to practice swallowing by taking in the surrounding amniotic fluid and pass it back in his urine. Your baby can smile and his vocal cords are quickly developing, too. He looks more and more human as his eyes move closer together and the ears are beginning to move to what will be their normal positions. Your baby weighs between approximately 13 and 20 grams (1⁄2 and 3⁄4 ounce) and is approximately 21⁄2 to 3 inches long (which is the size of a medium shrimp).
This week marks the end of the embryonic period. Most of the vital systems are developed now, and baby starts really growing, at times, growing as much as an inch this week.
Little hairs, known as lanugo, will start to cover their body this week, as their sense of taste and smell are further refined.
Fingerprints have formed on your baby’s tiny fingertips, her veins and organs are clearly visible through her still-thin skin, and her body is starting to catch up with her head — which makes up just a third of her body size now.
Travis Agnew serves as the Lead Pastor of Rocky Creek Church in Greenville, SC. His most recent book is Just (About) Married.
