Fifth Month
Half the pregnancy has now passed, and the fetus is about 12 inches long. The mother has definitely begun to feel movement by now. If a sound is especially loud or startling, the fetus may jump in reaction to it.









Sixth Month
Oil and sweat glands are functioning. The delicate skin of the growing baby is protected from the fetal waters by a special ointment called "vernix." If the baby were given the proper care, he would survive.









Seventh Month
The baby now uses the four senses of vision, hearing, taste and touch. He can recognize his mother's voice.











Eighth Month
The skin begins to thicken, with a layer of fat stored underneath for insulation and nourishment. Antibodies increasingly build up. The baby absorbs a gallon of amniotic fluid per day; the fluid is completely replaced every three hours.








Ninth Month
Toward the end of this month, the baby is ready for birth. The average duration of pregnancy is 280 days from the first day of the mother's last menstrual period, but this varies. Most babies (85 to 95 percent) are born somewhere between 266 and 294 days. By this time the infant normally weighs six to nine pounds and his heart is pumping 300 gallons of blood per day. He is fully capable of life outside the womb.



[Fetal Development Index] [Months One & Two] [Months Three & Four]