Fetal Development: The Complete Week-by-Week Guide 2026

At 23 weeks, the baby’s face is now beginning to look much like how it will when he is born. At 22 weeks, the baby has eyelashes, eyebrows, and nails. The most premature baby on record to survive outside the womb was born at just 21 weeks and 1 day. At week 19, all five senses are developing, and baby can now swallow! In week 16, Andrew’s ears are well-formed enough to hear and he can react to light.

By week 36, the baby typically moves into a head-down position. A detailed anomaly scan can usually reveal the sex of the baby and the formation of facial features. Eyelids cover the eyes, and the major internal organs continue forming. By week 40, the fetus is typically 19 to 21 inches long, weighing between 6 and 9 pounds—about watermelon size. The lungs mature, the brain develops significantly, and fat stores build.

Second trimester

  • It typically takes three to four weeks from the first day of your last period for the HCG to increase enough to be detected by pregnancy tests.
  • Nestled comfortably in the womb, your baby is constantly growing and changing.
  • An abdominal pregnancy can result in the death of the fetus and where this is rarely not resolved it can lead to its formation into a lithopedion.

They’re helpful in determining how likely a baby is to have complications at birth. It’s hard to pinpoint specific weeks as being more or less important. Each trimester or phase of pregnancy carries its own unique risks. From the moment of conception, the hormone human chorionic gonadotrophin (HCG) will be present in your blood. Your provider may encourage you to perform kick counts, which is a way to track how much the fetus moves.

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His hands can support his entire weight at this time, and he recognizes his mother’s voice. In week 30, his weight increases to over one kilogram (2.2 pounds). Myelin begins to form around his nerves to protect them.

  • The predominant British, Irish, and Commonwealth spelling is foetus, except in medical usage, where fetus is preferred.
  • The first trimester of pregnancy ends at the end of week 12 (gestational age).
  • Your baby’s eyesight is developing, which may enable them to sense light filtering in from the outside.
  • Fetal development is a continuous, dynamic process that begins at conception and ends at birth.
  • If you’re past your due date, you may not be as late as you think, especially if you calculated it solely based on the day of your last period.

By the end of the seventh week of pregnancy, or five weeks after conception, your baby’s brain and face are the focus of development. From this point onwards to about eight weeks, the newly formed baby is called an embryo. This diagram illustrates the key stages from fertilization to 20 weeks of fetal development, providing a clear visual guide for understanding this process. Whether you’re a first-time mom or a healthcare student eager to learn, following the week-by-week stages of fetal development can help make sense of what’s happening and when.

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That allows them to shift as their head squeezes through the birth canal. The bones in your baby’s skull aren’t fused yet. Your baby is the size of a papaya. You’re probably gaining about a pound a week now. Your baby is the size of a coconut.

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After the 8th week, healthcare providers refer to the embryo as a fetus. You’ll see distinct changes in the fetus, and yourself, during each trimester of pregnancy. It’s about two weeks ahead of when conception actually occurs. By the end of the eighth week, most of the embryo’s organs and systems take shape. Structures and organs like the neural tube (which later becomes the brain and spinal cord), head, eyes, mouth and limbs form. There are about 40 weeks to a typical pregnancy.

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Let’s start with the broader picture, the three trimesters of pregnancy. The brain and central nervous system also become more responsive during the second trimester. Perhaps most noticeably, the fetus increases about six times in size. During the second trimester, or months four through six, the heartbeat grows stronger, and other body systems develop further. The end of the third month also marks the end of the first trimester of pregnancy. By the end of the month, all parts of the body will be formed.

Abortion of a human pregnancy is legal and/or tolerated in most countries, although with gestational time limits that normally prohibit late-term abortions. Some authors argue that fetal pain is possible from the second half of pregnancy. Smoking during pregnancy may also lead to miscarriages Fetal Alcohol Disorder and low birth weight (2,500 grams (5 pounds 8 ounces).

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With no comparably powerful set of imagery at its disposal thus far, the abortion-rights movements will likely remain on the defensive with respect to questions of fetal personhood.”4 Regarding ultrasonography, pro-abortionist Sarah Ackley said, “The anti-abortion movement can, with little effort, marshal such images as evidence of fetal personhood. For example, third-trimester abortionist Warren Hern has written, “We respond to all requests from schools for educational presentations concerning abortion.

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The first trimester is exciting, but also when most people develop unpleasant symptoms like morning sickness and fatigue. So, if you’re three months pregnant, you’re about 12 weeks. The fetus will change a lot throughout a typical pregnancy. After ovulation, the opened follicle develops into a structure called the corpus luteum. The eggs develop in small, fluid-filled cysts called follicles.

Fetal development seven weeks after conception

Once they have reached the correct location, they begin to form connections with other neural cells, establishing rudimentary neural networks. By the end of the embryonic period, the basic structures of the brain and central nervous system have been established. The earliest signs of neural tube development are the emergence of two ridges that form along each side of the neural plate. At this point, the mass of cells is now known as an embryo. The connective web of blood vessels and membranes that form between them will provide nourishment for the developing being for the next nine months.

Week 36–40

Watching a baby grow during pregnancy is nothing short of amazing. Hearing develops around week 18 but becomes more refined by week 25. The fetal heartbeat usually begins by the end of week 5 or early in week 6.

The fetus is about 17 to 19 inches long and weighs from 6 to 7 pounds. The fetus is about 17 to 18 inches long and weighs as much as 5 pounds. Most internal systems are well-developed, but the lungs may still be immature. You’ll visit your provider biweekly and then weekly. The fetus changes position frequently and responds to stimuli, including sound, pain and light. By the end of the sixth month, the fetus is about 12 inches long and weighs about 2 pounds.

At 4 weeks, the embryo begins forming foundational structures for future growth. The early stages of development involve rapid cell division after fertilization. This section provides an overview of the timeline from conception to 20 weeks. Foetus – 20 weeksBy 20 weeks, the fetus is more developed, with visible hair, nails, and the ability to hear sounds, as shown in the diagram. The diagram highlights the fetus’s development, including the formation of fingers and toes.