Mother and infant development cannot be separated for almost 9 months. In fact, they're inseparable.  

A pregnant woman undergoes a pregnancy period of 9 months or 37 weeks. But in rare cases it may stretch to about 40 weeks.

Your baby starts developing right from the first day of your last period! So, the merged development start right at the time when the conception occurs inside the Fallopian tube. Both you and your baby undergoes a series of changes over the course of nine months.

Here is...

A Brief Overview of Mother And Infant Development

...to give you some insight on how your baby transforms itself into a beautiful looking child:

----- Sidenote ----- Week by Week Baby Development
If you're interested in a more detailed week by week baby development overview, I suggest you also read...

First Month:

• The first signs of limbs, as bud like structures that will eventually grow as arms and legs,

• The embryo is very small and tadpole like in structure,

• The basic signs of primitive heart and lungs; heart starts to function soon after the 20th day,

• Basic brain and spinal cord structure in the form of a neural tube,

• Basic skin structure starts forming during the third week; this is covered by a viscous like fluid,

• At the end of one month, the fetus weighs just a single ounce!

Second Month: mother and infant development

• This is the time, when all the basic organs are formed, but the rate of development is slow and limited,

• At this stage, the placenta starts exchanging nutrients from the mother's body through a complex process,

• Some sensory organs like ears and eyes form; eyes are very primitive and are always shut,

• Fingers and toes start appearing,

• The embryo starts taking a definite shape and its changes are quite rapid as well,

• However, the overall weight of the embryo is still very small and weighs just a single ounce.

Third Month: mother and infant development

• The embryo turns over to a stage called fetus,

• For the first time, buds will appear inside the mouth, which will eventually become  future teeth,

• When you use a tool called "doptone", you can listen to the first heartbeats,

• This stage is a phase, when the fetus starts picking up weight and a definite morphological shape,

• The fingers and toes develop very short nails,

• All other organs are still very primitive, but growing at a rapid rate

Fourth Month: mother and infant development

• Another crucial month for your fetus; the fetus starts becoming more mobile and agile.

• It can kick and swallow now,

• The skin is radiating, pink and translucent,

• The umbilical cord grows as a thick rope, and starts carrying more nutrients from the mother,

• The growth is full and the placenta is one efficient organ system,

• The overall size of the fetus is around 5 ounces, while the length will be up to 7 inches'

Fifth Month: mother and infant development

• Your fetus is very efficient and highly organized now,

• It can even move furiously; you can see the fetus moving from side to side and head over heel!

• The sleep pattern is also stabilized, and you can see your fetus sleeping at regular intervals,

• The fingernails will also grow very quickly,

• The overall size of the fetus is around one pound, while the length is about 12 inches,

• If you observe carefully, you can even perceive the first real movements of your shifting baby.

Sixth Month: mother and infant development

• In this month, the skin looks very pinkish and covered with very fine hard,

• Movements of the fetus becomes more pronounced and rapid,

• The eyes are completely developed and the first movement of eye lids are visible during this stage,

• There will be both finger and toe prints, and the limbs start to function normally and at regular intervals of time,

• The fetus is growing rapidly; its size reaches 2 pounds, while the length will be 12 inches.

Seventh Month: mother and infant development

• This month is significant, as your baby can move furiously, while it can open and shut its eyes at regular intervals. It can also suck its thumbs!

• The sensory perception towards light and sound is also pronounced, and your baby listens to your heartbeats, and also reacts to external light stimulus,

• The fetus now has a good chance of survival, should there be a premature birth,

• The total weight of the fetus is about 3 pounds, while the length reaches about 15 inches.

Eight Month: mother and infant development

• This is a period of rapid growth,

• The fetus is restricted in its sideways movement, but can kick and scratch at a furious rate,

• However, the skull structure is still underdeveloped to accommodate the baby through the narrow birth canal,

• The lungs are also premature (read about the hazards of premature baby lung development by clicking here), but the baby takes in quite an bit of amniotic fluid - to get breathing exercise,

• The weight of the fetus is 5 pounds, while the length is around 18 inches.

Ninth Month: mother and infant development

• This is the deciding month and a month of preparation for the delivery of your baby,

• Your baby is fully developed now,

• It also gains a fair amount of weight of up to half a pound every week!

• The baby starts shifting its position to the lower pelvis region; it starts shifting with its head in the lower head down position,

• At this time, the baby weighs around 7.5 pounds and reaches a length of about 20 inches.

----- Sidenote ----- Week by Week Baby Development
Go from a brief mother and infant development overview to a more detailed week by week baby development overview
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