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• By day 20 after conception, the foundations of the brain, spinal cord, and the nervous system have already been established.

• At day 21, the heart begins to beat.

• The backbone and muscles have begun to form by day 28.  The Arms, legs, eyes, and ears have also begun to show.

• At one month old, the embryo is now 10,000 times larger than the original size at fertilization and is developing rapidly.  Increasing quantities of blood are being pumped through the circulatory system.  A unique barrier is created by the placenta that keeps the mother's blood separate while still allowing food and oxygen to pass to the embryo.

• Around day 35 the eyes begin to darken as pigment is produced and five fingers can now be discerned in the hand.

• Brain waves can be detected around day 40.

• Week 6 after conception the liver begins taking over the production of blood cells and the brain begins to control muscle movement and the organs.

• Spontaneous movement of the embryo begins around week 7.  Also, the jaw forms, including teeth buds in the gums.  The eyelids will soon seal to protect the embryo's light-sensitive eyes and will reopen at about the seventh month.

• At week 8, the embryo is now a little more than an inch long and is now referred to as a fetus.  Everything that will be found in a fully developed adult is now present.  The fetus' body will now respond to touch, however, the mother will not be able to feel movement until the fourth or fifth month.

• By week 9, fingerprints are already evident in the skin.

• By week 10, the fetus can squint, swallow and wrinkle its forehead.

• Around week 11, urination occurs and the face has assumed a baby's profile.  Muscle movements are also becoming more coordinated.

• The fetus begins sleeping around week 12.  When the fetus awakens, it exercises it's muscles by turning it's head, curling its toes, and opening and closing its mouth.  At this stage, the fetus is also breathing amniotic fluid which helps in the development of the respiratory system.

• At about week 13, fine hair has begun to grow on the head, and sexual differentiation has become apparent.

• By the end of the fourth month, the fetus is about 8 - 10 inches in length and weighs 1/2 a pound or more.  Around this time, the mother will begin to "show".  The fetus can now hear the mother's voice, heartbeat and other external noises.  

• By the fifth month, the mother has definitely begun to feel movement.  Loud and startling noises may cause the fetus to jump in reaction to it.

• During the sixth month of pregnancy, the fetus' oil and sweat glands will begin to function.  The fetus is far enough along now that if delivered, he would survive.

• During the seventh month of pregnancy, the fetus will begin to use it's four senses of vision, hearing, taste, and touch.  He can now also recognize the sound of his mother's voice.

• In the eighth month of development, the skin begins to thicken, with a layer of fat stored underneath for insulation and nourishment.  Antibodies are increasingly building and the baby absorbs a gallon of amniotic fluid per day (which is replaced every three hours).

• Toward the end of the ninth month of pregnancy, the baby is ready for delivery.  The baby will normally weigh between six and nine pounds.

Information gathered from Focus on the Family brochure "The First Nine Months".