There is still much controversy about whether or not an embryo and fetus should be considered a child and if so, at what week or trimester. It is my belief (and my belief has changed considerably in the last few years) that an unborn child, at any stage, is indeed a child. They have the ability (if given the chance) to be born and hold a special place in someone's heart. It is my intent to show just how early a fetus starts to look infant like and how quickly they develop. You'll notice that in the descriptions, I replaced the word embryo and fetus with baby. The terms embryo and fetus, I feel, are sometimes not used with their true definitions in mind. Some use these words as a way of making the unborn child seem less than what they are. And since I wish to display these photos in the most realistic manner possible, I chose to refer to the embryo and fetus pictured as what it really is--a baby. All photographs are by Lennart Nilsson who first explored the journey of an unborn child. Some are taken from the book A Child Is Born by Claes Wirsen, and the rest are from the magazine American Baby December 1997. Please keep in mind that all measurements given are only an average number. I hope everyone enjoys this trip through the development of an unborn child!

A five week old unborn baby. The eye appears as a black circle and the protruding rounded figure below the eye is his hand. His neural tube (later known as the spinal cord) begins to fuse. From now through the next month is the crucial point of his nervous system and heart development. Soon, his lower limb buds will start to form along with his liver and digestive system. In a week or two, his oral and nasal cavaties will form. At this point, the baby is just about 1/2 inch long, and his heart has been beating for about a week. He has a long way to go, but is getting a good start!

An eight to ten week old baby. He is now over an inch long, and his muscles are already starting to excercise--little feet practice their very first kicks. His upper limbs are longer now and bend at the elbow. His heartbeat can be heard for the first time with a device called a Doppler anywhere from this point to about fourteen weeks. His eyelids are half closed as though he is starting to fall into a peaceful sleep.

A fourteen week old baby. The child is now in his second trimester. In about a week, the child's sex can be determined, and his facial features are becoming more refined. By this point, he is about four to four and a half inches long and weighs about an ounce. He is already starting the first stages of growing hair.

A sixteen to eighteen week old baby. His face is much more detailed as are his hands. His eyeballs are still quite large, but his face has plenty of time to catch up. His neck is long enough now to hold his head away fom his body. At this point, he is between four to six inches long and weighs between three to four ounces. He looks quite content and happy in his warm little home.

A twenty week old baby. He is now covered with a thick coating called vernix which protects him from chapping and abrasions. That soft, downy hair (lanugo) that he started to grow earlier now covers his entire body. He also develops brown fat which keeps him nice and warm although his skin is still pinkish and translucent. In a couple weeks, he will be able to hear his mother's stomach and heartbeat. He may even blink and become startled if he hears a loud noise! He is nearly ten to eleven inches long now and weighs about 10.6 ounces! He's getting there! The flutter of kicking from tiny feet is usually felt around this time give or take a few weeks.

A twenty-six week old baby. The second trimester is coming to a close. His lungs start to make surfactant which helps to keep the lung tissues from sticking together. He is even engaging in such activities as sleeping, turning, sucking, and kicking. He weighs about 1 1/2 pounds and is about 12 inches long now. He may even be viable outside of the womb.

A thirty-week old baby. He is quite cramped inside of his little home, and in about ten short weeks, it'll be time to move out. His face and body are just about fully developed, and now he is working on strengthening his organs. He is even becoming familar with voices heardon a regular basis. As he enters his eighth month, his brain develops more rapidly than in previous months. At this point, he is nearly 15 1/2 inches long and weighs about 3 pounds.

A picture taken later than thirty to thirty-two weeks would be difficult to see clearly being as the baby takes up the entire womb at this point. But from now to the time of birth, the baby is busy hiccuping, responding to outside stimuli, directing body functions, developing sleeping patterns, rolling, and maybe even occasionally giving a swift kick to the ribs! He gains weight and length rapidly. At thirty-two weeks, he weighs about 3.85 pounds and is 15.7 inches long, but by the time he is term (forty weeks), he will weigh an average of 7.1 pounds and be about 19.7 inches in length! Wow! They do grow quickly, don't they?

*I hope you enjoyed your little journey of an unborn child. And hopefully it helped to make my point that an unborn baby is just that--a baby.*