Second Trimester Fetal Development and Growth

Table of Contents

How your baby grows in the second trimester

Week 14 of pregnancy Muscles lengthen and become organized. The mother will soon start feeling the first flutters of the unborn child kicking and moving within. Week 15 of pregnancy The fetus has an adult’s taste buds and swallows amnionic fluid, as it practices sucking in anticipation of a diet of mother’s milk at birth. Week 16 of pregnancy Five and a half inches tall and only six ounces in weight, eyebrows, eyelashes and fine hair appear. The child can grasp with his hands, kick, or even somersault.
Week 18 of pregnancy Although the fetus is submerged in water, muffled sounds can pass thought the amnionic sac. The baby hears the beating of the mother’s heart and digestion of food she eats. Although shut, the eyes are sensitive to light.
Week 19 of pregnancy The fetus explores its underwater world with its hands and feet. It may touch the umbilical cord with its fingers. It will turn its head and suck its thumb at times. Every day the fetus becomes more agile as it learns with kicking legs and waving arms
“Life is present from the moment of conception.” – Dr. Jerome Lejeune, late professor and world renowned geneticist, University of Descarte, Paris
Week 20 of pregnancy The child can hear and recognize her mother’s voice. Though still small and fragile, the baby is growing rapidly and could possibly survive if born at this stage. Fingernails and fingerprints appear. Sex organs are visible, and using an ultrasound device, the doctor can tell if the child is a girl or a boy. Week 24 of pregnancy In his own little world about 12 inches in diameter, the fetus has everything it needs including warmth, nutrition, and stimulation. The fetus is beginning to resemble a newborn, even though there are still three months left in the pregnancy. The baby weighs about a pound.