Although everyone knows that a fetus spends on average nine months developing before being born, it is not always easy to imagine how the baby is changing. What exactly happens in a pregnant woman’s stomach? This fantastic animation gives us the answer.
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A video about understanding pregnancy
This video has allowed us to watch how a fetus develops from practically the point of conception to the day the baby is born, going through all stages of the future baby’s development. And all this in barely four minutes. It is sometimes quite complicated to imagine what a fetus is like during development, but advanced technologies have made it possible for us today to take 3D ultrasounds. With this animation, we can now admire how the fetus’ brain develops and how it moves.
From the first to the third trimester
A fetus develops so much, even from the first trimester. From a collection of cells, the fetus quickly becomes the size of a plum. During the first few weeks, the heart, liver and spinal cord are formed. At the end of the third month, the umbilical cord and placenta are in place.
At nine weeks, the fetus begins to move, but the mother can’t feel these movements until the second trimester. By the 11th week, we can hear the fetus’ heartbeat for the first time using an ultrasound. During the second trimester, the fetus grows from the size of a nectarine to the size of a cauliflower, and the mother’s stomach grows quite impressively.
From this point, she can start to feel the fetus move around inside her belly. Then, it starts to suck its thumb. From this point, the ears are developed enough for it to hear and during the 7 last weeks of pregnancy in the third trimester, the size of the fetus practically doubles. A layer of fat forms under its skin, its eyes open and it starts to react to light and sound. It can even recognize voices.