Fetal Development: Week By Week Guide: Month 6

By the sixth month, you will be able to feel your baby’s movements within you. You’ll be able to feel all the hiccups, the kicks and the thumb sucking. This month is also when you’ll be entering a new trimester altogether, complete with its own changes. At this point, the baby will not be able to live without the nutrition of the uterus, unless placed in specialized care.

Week 25

By now their body actually starts looking like a newborn. Their body also starts getting chubbier making it easier to retain body heat. Their eyes have rods and cones in them but haven’t been opened yet, and they develop hair on their body that falls off after birth and is replaced by the newer hair. You’ll also notice that it is now that their movements are more frequent because their reflexes have started to sharpen.

Week 26

By now, your baby will be able to recognize the voices around them and will respond to them. At this point, their respiratory system starts to develop and their lungs grow. Their nostrils are now very distinct, along with their lips and mouth. Inside their mouth, what will eventually become teeth are beginning to develop.

Week 27

During the 27th week, your baby is now having regular cycles of sleep and consciousness. Your baby is also being able to dream while they’re asleep. Now the cells in their lungs are preparing him to breathe after birth by releasing a substance surfactant. For now, they breathe by breathing in and out amniotic fluid.

Week 28

This is the entry point into your third trimester of your pregnancy. One thing that stands out during this time is that your baby begins to hiccup a lot. This is entirely normal and won’t cause any harm to them. You’ll be able to feel this as light jerks in your womb. With regard to their physical features, they have started to grow eyelashes by now and are capable of producing tears from their eyes. Their heart rate has begun to slow down but is still faster than yours.

Week 29

Their brain has now begun developing convolutions, making it more complex than before. The brain will start developing neurons by the end of this time period. This is also when their bones begin to harden and all the calcium from the milk your drink is deposited in their bones. This is when you’ll begin gaining more weight as well. So ensuring your diet is a balanced one would be highly beneficial for you and the baby.