Congratulations! You're pregnant and the next nine months promise to be among the most exciting and tumultuous of your life. Do you know what's going on with junior?

The First Month: Baby's neural tube forms. This is the foundation for the nervous system. Heart and primitive circulatory system also form.

The Second Month: The first heartbeats begin and the heart begins to pump blood. Fingers and toes begin to develop and the baby's length from crown to rump is around 0.6 inch.

The Third Month: Baby graduates from 'embryo' to 'fetus'. Kidneys start to function and amniotic fluid builds up. Genitals develop for your boy...or girl.

The Fourth Month: Fetus is over two inches long. Very fine hair called 'lanugo' develops all over the baby's body.

The Fifth Month: Fingernails and toenails are growing. Baby's heartbeat might be detectable with a monitor. Cartilage is transforming into bone in the baby's skeleton. Mom can sometimes feel the baby moving.

The Sixth Month: Baby has discernable sleep and awake times. The fetal liver has begun to break down bilirubin. Baby's brain is growing rapidly at this point. The ears have developed to the point where your baby can hear you (so keep singing in the shower!)

The Seventh Month: Baby develops swallowing reflex. Surfactant is secreted in the lungs, this will help keep your baby's lungs inflated once he or she arrives. Baby can now tell light from dark.

The Eighth Month: By now, all major organ systems (except the lungs) have finished developing. Although your baby's not growing in length as quickly as before, the weight is still climbing. Babies can dream too, starting around the eighth month!

The Ninth Month: Baby is now receiving antibodies from Mom. Position is probably head down now. Things are getting pretty cramped!

The Home Stretch: Weight of the baby is still climbing...to over seven pounds (or beyond). You may have noticed that your belly has the hiccups sometimes! Any day now you'll be a parent. And then the fun really begins!



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EE St*John is the web-mama-master at http://www.online-maternity-clothes.com>http://www.online-ma ternity.clothes.com