Nine Months with Angel

Like you, Angel began her life from the moment of conception as a single cell. She spent approximately 40 weeks in her mother's womb growing and preparing for her final entry into the world.

There will never be another like her. Not even from the same parents. Such is Angel. Irreplaceable like her own set of fingerprints, her own genetic codes.

Fourth Week

Angel is now 10,000 times larger than the original fertilized egg and developing rapidly. Her heart is pumping quantities of blood through the circulatory system. The placenta forms a unique barrier that keeps the mother's blood separate while allowing flood and oxygen to pass through the embryo. Her backbone and the muscles are already forming. Arms, legs, eyes and ears have begun to show.

Eighth Week

The formation of all her organs is complete. Everything is now present that will be found in a developed adult. The heart has been beating for more than a month, the stomach produces digestive juices and the kidneys are functioning. Forty muscle sets begin to operate in conjunction with the nervous system. At this stage the cartilage begins to change to real bone cells.

Twelfth Week

Her features are now becoming more defined. Her lips open and close, she wrinkles her forehead, she raises her eyebrows, she turns her head. Her eyes are covered by eyelids if they don't seem to be. Fingernails grow on the hands and feet, the spinal column becomes bony and little outgrowths of breasts appear upon the young chest.

Sixteenth Week

Angel is now nearly 6 inches long. Her body has filled immeasurably. It has begun to crowd its living quarters. Her head, neck and spine curve to follow the circular uterine cavity. She now occupies all the room in her mother's pelvis. The first thin transparent layer of skin begins to replace the temporary protective membrane. The eyes are still closed and her nose, eyes and lips and ears are shaping up.

Twentieth Week

Angel is about 12 inches long and weighs about 1 pound. Her mother has definitely begun to feel movement by now. If a sound is especially loud, the baby may jump in reaction to it. Her mother will also feel Angel's hiccups. She might sit upright with straightened back and legs crossed in a yoga-like position or she could be lounging back with her arms folded under her head. She may pedal her legs, make crawling movements, roll over or turn somersaults

Twenty Fifth Weeks

Her oil and sweat glands are functioning. The delicate skin is protected from the foetal waters by a special ointment called vernix. She opens her eyes when the eyelids become unsealed. She scans the darkness. She may blink if there is a sudden noise. For the last few weeks she has virtually all the neurons she will ever have in her brain. Variations in her heart beat can be recorded. She drinks the amniotic fluid and will survive outside the womb if she was born early.

Thirtieth Week

She is now using the four senses: vision, hearing, taste and touch and recognizes her mother's voice. There is still space enough for her to straighten up, as she puts her hand to her mouth to suck her thumb. Her eyes are open, her eyelids are fringed with lashes and she often moves her eyes as if searching for something to see. The amniotic fluid is reduced by half to allow her room to grow. She is gaining weight quickly and by the end of the seventh month may weigh 4 pounds.

Thirty Fifth Week

Angel's skin is beginning to thicken with a layer of fat stored underneath for insulation and nourishment. Antibodies are building up. She absorbs a gallon of amniotic fluid per day; the fluid is completely replaced every three hours. Her taste buds are developed and she seems to have a sweet tooth. She is responding to familiar noises such as her mother's voice and music and she will gain two more pounds this month.

Thirty Eight Week

She is likely to add only one pound now because she will get less nourishment from the ageing placenta in the run-up to birth. An essential part of her weight gain, about one pound of it, is laid down as covering fat which will help to keep her warm. It will also make her more attractive as her body becomes chubbier. Her face fills out more as her cheeks fatten up. She will soon take up her position for birth.