Your baby-on-the-way is about ½ of an inch long now, measuring from crown to rump; possibly growing to 1 full inch by the end of the week. He or she is close to the size of a medium grape! Your baby weighs just a little over 1 gram, but already has a tongue and teeth buds are forming under the gums. The detail of your baby’s mouth, lips and upper and lower jaws are distinctly visible. Eyelids are forming, but until their development is complete, your baby’s eyes appear to be open. Your baby’s face is becoming increasingly more recognizable as a human now, although the head is still very big and out of proportion to the rest of the body, because of fast-paced brain growth. Your baby’s little body will catch up soon to the size of his or her head.
The tiny limb buds which formed recently have already developed into arms and legs with paddle-like feet and hands. The leg and arm bones are becoming harder and lengthening and your baby’s major joints are forming including elbow, wrist, knee, hip and shoulder joints. This allows your baby’s arms and legs to bend. Your baby is moving around because of the muscle contractions starting now, but of course you won’t be able to notice these movements for a while. He or she is just beginning to test out the brand new muscles and joints which have recently developed.
Internal organs such as the liver, kidneys, lungs, intestines and heart are developing and refining. The pituitary gland and pancreas are also present, as well as the gallbladder. Your baby’s heart is beating very fast, approximately 150 beats per minute, about twice as many as your heart! The heart’s pumping capacity has increased and the aortic and pulmonary valves of the heart have become distinct. Soon, your doctor or midwife will be able to pick up your little one’s racing heart by using a Doppler device, so you can hear it out loud!
