Fetal Development Timeline -- By: Joy Juedes
Science consistently points to the fact that life begins at conception. But what happens after that? How is an unborn child "knit together" Psalm 139:13) in utero?
One of the most surprising things about fetal development is that nothing significantly new happens after 12 weeks after conception- the child simply gets bigger and matures.
Nearly 90 percent of abortions are done before the twelfth week, when the child is supposedly "blood clots" (Mifeprex [mifepristone] pamphlet) or "pregnancy tissue," (Planned Parenthood document). The twentieth week is about the earliest partial-birth abortions are done. By that time, the baby could survive outside the womb.
Here is a nutshell timeline of a developing unborn child:
- 7-14 days- Cells multiply and become specialized for muscular, neural, reproductive, skeletal, digestive, and circulatory functions.
- 20 days- Eyes start to form
- 22 days- Heart begins to beat
- 23 days- Central nervous system begins to develop
- 4 weeks- Skeleton forms and muscles develop, arms and legs begin to form
- 5 weeks- Nose and mouth form
- 6 weeks- Brain waves can be recorded
- 8 weeks- All organs are present, complete, and functioning (except lungs- they follow a little later)
- 8-10 weeks- Body is completely formed. Responds to touch, fingers and toes defined, has permanent fingerprints, baby can suck thumb
- 8-13 weeks- The child's sex can be distinguished
- 11-12 weeks- Finger and toenails form, the child can make all facial expressions. All organ systems are working, the baby can feel pain
- 15 weeks- "Fluff" appears on the baby's head, also has visible eyebrows, eyelashes
- 16 weeks- Mother can feel the baby move, heart pumps six gallons of blood per day, very rapid growth. Can have REM (dream) sleep
- 18 weeks- the child is now "complete," needing only more time to grow.
- 22 weeks- Mother can feel the baby hiccup
- 20-24 weeks- If born this young, the child could survive outside the womb
