subject: Fetal Development Stages - What's My Baby Doing During Pregnancy? [print this page] Any expectant parent can tell you, one of the most intriguing parts of pregnancy is figuring out what stage of development your baby is at. Having even the roughest knowledge that your unborn child is rapidly developing from a small ball of cells into a full fledged human being is pretty awe inspiring. Figuring out where exactly in that process your baby is in is a little more complicated, but in general there are three separate and distinct fetal development stages into which all pregnancies will fall. These three stages are conception, embryonic development and fetal development.
The first stage of any pregnancy actually begins before you are even pregnant. There are 40 weeks of pregnancy, with the first week being a woman's menstrual cycle. Once your body has completed your monthly period, your uterus will begin developing a rich, blood perfused layer of cells that is perfect for providing sustenance for a growing baby. In week two, conception actually takes place, with a sperm fertilizing the egg. The fertilized egg then makes its way down the fallopian tube, and into the uterus, dividing and splitting into many cells all along the way. This is the earliest stage of pregnancy, and is usually undetected by the pregnant woman.
Once the fertilized egg finds its way to the uterus, it will implant itself in the blood rich lining, and continue to divide and split itself. At this stage, the pregnancy has entered the stage known as embryonic development. Simply put, the fertilized egg is growing and changing, with the cells being organized into those that will eventually become a fetus and those that will be the placenta, which will nourish and sustain the unborn child. The embryonic development stage of pregnancy lasts until approximately the eleventh week of pregnancy, at which point, the baby is now called a fetus.
The final stage of pregnancy is fetal development. For the next 29 or so weeks, your unborn child will be developing all of its organs and body parts, in preparation for the big day when you will meet for the first time. From the 29th through 40th weeks of pregnancy, the main focus is the development of the lungs and the addition of weight. On average, a fetus will gain an ounce a day from the 37th week until they are born.
There is so many intriguing and intricate details to find out about in the fetal developmental stages during your pregnancy! Discover more today!
by: Troy Truman
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