This article describes the development of your baby and your body during weeks eleven through fourteen of your pregnancy.
As the
third month ends your baby is officially a fetus, and it is completely formed!
Week Number 11
- The head is almost half the size of the fetus.
- The eyelids have fused and will stay that way until week 24.
- The external sex organs are developing.
- The hair follicles of the skin are forming.
- The ears are still abnormally low on the sides of the head.
- Teeth are beginning to form.
Week Number 12
- A skeleton of cartilage is forming.
- The gallbladder secretes bile from the fetus.
- The lungs are completely formed.
- The thyroid gland and pancreas are now complete.
- If the forehead is touched, the fetus will turn its head away.
- The liver is functioning to make blood cells. This organ accounts for about 10 percent of the entire weight of the fetus.
Week Number 13
- The fetus is about three inches long (double its length at week seven).
- The fingernails appear.
- The beginnings of finger- and footprints begin to form.
- Tooth buds appear for all 20 baby teeth.
- The vocal cords begin to form.
- The trachea, lungs, stomach, liver, pancreas, and intestines develop into their final functioning form.
Week Number 14
- The ears have moved from the neck onto the head.
- The sex organs have fully differentiated into male or female.
- The digestive glands are complete.
- The taste buds are numerous and the salivary glands form.
- The vocal cords are complete.
At the end of the third month, take some time to celebrate. Your baby is fully formed and secure in your womb, and you're starting to feel more like your old self with less fatigue and nausea. As the first trimester ends, you can look back, breathe a sigh of relief, and pat yourself on the back for getting through a tough period with flying colors. Now you can look forward to the days ahead when your baby (and you!) will grow in size.
