Fetal Development: Month 6

This is the sixth month of fetal development as you end your second trimester. By this time, baby will grow to about 15 inches long and weigh about 2 pounds. This is the stage where baby practices breathing, develops a sense of balance and a great set of taste buds, while baby's eyes continue to define themselves behind sealed eyelids.

Week 23: Time to Practice Breathing

At about 8 inches long and over a pound in weight, baby’s respiratory system takes center stage this week. Baby’s lungs begin producing surfactant which allows the lungs to inflate and keeps them from collapsing and sticking together when they deflate. As baby practices breathing, amniotic fluid moves through baby’s lungs. Fat production also increases at this time, speeding up the process of filling in the still translucent skin which shows organs and bones underneath a reddish hue from baby’s circulatory system pumping blood through the veins.

Week 24: A Balancing Act

Baby’s inner ear which controls baby’s sense of balance becomes fully developed at this stage of fetal development. Baby may notice whether baby is right side up or upside down in the womb. Baby may begin to have a regular waking and sleeping cycle. In keeping with baby’s developing senses, baby may display a hand and startle reflex. Spot check: baby is about 8 ½ inches and weighs about 1 ½ pounds.

Week 25: Growing and Exploring

Capillaries that carry blood through the body are forming both under baby’s skin and in the lung air sacs. Baby’s nostrils, which were plugged till now, begin to open up. Baby’s vocal cords are functioning now, and baby’s hands are fully developed, eagerly exploring baby’s surrounding uterus structures. Rapid brain development continues, and baby’s nervous system begins to control various body functions.

Week 26: It’s All About the Eyes

Baby’s eyes will remain closed for a few more weeks, but inside, the retina continues to develop as the iris which contains the color of the eye gets ready to produce pigmentation. During this sixth month of fetal development, baby is now able to see and hear well, so you may notice that baby reacts to bright light, or loud and vibrating noise brought close to your belly. Baby has more developed eyebrows and eyelashes including more hair on baby’s head. At this stage, baby is about 9 inches long and weighs up to 2 pounds.

Week 27: Taste and Taste Buds

Now the focus turns to baby’s taste buds. At the end of baby’s sixth month in your womb, baby will have more taste buds than at any time after birth. This means baby is better able to taste the various changes in your amniotic fluid based on what you’ve just eaten and might even react to it. Babies have been known to get the hiccups or even kick when moms eat spicy food. Baby’s lungs, liver, and immune system continue to develop and baby’s length is now triple or quadruple that of baby’s 12-week length. The way doctors measure baby’s length also shifts from the crown to rump measurement to the head to toe measurement, charting your baby at about 15 inches long.



References:

Murkoff, Heidi and Sharon Mazel. What to Expect When You're Expecting. Workman Publishing Company, Inc. 2008

The Mayo Clinic. "Fetal Development." www.mayoclinic.com

The Westside Pregnancy Clinic. "Fetal Development." www.wpclinic.org




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