• He is beginning to run out of space to move in the uterus and is tucked into the fetal position.
• His movements in the womb may be less frequent as a result of cramped space, but he is growing and delivering stronger punches and kicks.
• He will have periods of deep sleep and periods of being actively awake, much like a newborn baby.

Source: Valley Medical Center, Weekly Parenting Email

• Approximate length 16 to 18 inches, weight 4 to 5 pounds.
• He is beginning to develop his own immunity to mild infections. If he were born now, he could survive outside the womb and resist some disease.
• His appearance is similar to that at birth, but he will fill out more in the next few weeks.
• He may be positioning for birth with his head turned down toward the pelvis.

Source: Valley Medical Center, Weekly Parenting Email

• His skin color changes from dark red to pinkish as the fat underneath his skin increases.
• His fingernails have reached the end of his fingertips. He may have scratches or marks on his face at birth from his fingernails.
• The hair on his head, eyelashes, and eyebrows grow longer.

• Approximate length 15 to 16 inches, weight 3 to 4 pounds.
• He is able to use all five of his senses, hearing sounds and seeing bright lights in his mother’s environment, and tasting, touching, and even smelling the amniotic fluid surrounding him.
• His toenails have grown and are completely formed.

Source: Valley Medical Center, Weekly Parenting Email

• His growth in height or length will be slower from this point on, but he will continue to gain weight.
• His skin still looks red and wrinkled, but as he accumulates more fat, his skin will become increasingly flesh colored and smooth.
• Lanugo, the fine hair covering his body since the fifth month of pregnancy, is beginning to disappear.
• Sometime between now and birth, his testes will have completely descended.

Source: Valley Medical Center, Weekly Parenting Email

• Approximate length 14.5 inches, weight 2 to 2.5 pounds.
• His bone marrow has taken over red blood cell production.
• His eyes are opening and closing, and he is turning his head and practicing “looking” movements.
• He is very active, and movements can be felt outside the abdomen; expect about 10 movements to occur every 12 hours. Some doctors advise monitoring and counting his movements.
• The convolutions, wrinkles or “gyri” on the surface of the brain appear as it continues rapid growth and contains more brain cells.

Source: Valley Medical Center, Weekly Parenting Email

• He has eyelashes on his eyelids, his eyes can move in their sockets, and he can distinguish light and dark, but he cannot discern specific objects yet.
• His senses are becoming fine-tuned and more responsive to light, sound, taste, smell, and touch.
• His skin is becoming smoother as body fat accumulates beneath the skin.
• His brain is developing further, and he can direct breathing movements.

Source: Valley Medical Center, Weekly Parenting Email

• Approximate length 14 inches, weight 2 to 2.5 pounds.
Babies will kick most frequently in the seventh month, usually at night and early morning.
His eyelids have opened.
His lungs are capable of breathing in air. The alveoli begin secreting “surfactant,” which keeps them from collapsing.
At this point, he is only taking in small breaths of fluid in the womb, but he could survive and breathe outside the womb with medical assistance.

Source: Valley Medical Center, Weekly Parenting Email

• The baby will grow rapidly during this week and gain about half a pound.
• The brain and nervous system continue their rapid growth as they become more complex.
• By this time, rapid bone formation is occurring, requiring more calcium for bone development, especially during the third trimester.
• It is making breathing movements but will not be able to fully take in air at this point.

Source: Valley Medical Center, Weekly Parenting Email

• Approximate length 12 to 13 inches, weight 1.25 to 1.5 pounds.
• It still has no fat on it’s body yet, but it’s arm and leg muscles are well developed.
• It’s eyelids are sealed, but it makes facial expressions: frowning, squinting, and pursing it’s lips.
• It’s nostrils are opening and preparing to draw air into it’s lungs.
• The alveoli (“air sacs”) in the lungs are forming, but not enough that it can breathe outside the womb.

Source: Valley Medical Center, Weekly Parenting Email