Fetal Development Weeks 27 Through 30

Hey -- how's the view in there, baby? Right about now, your little one will open his eyes (they've been closed for a couple of months) and take a look around. So what does he see? Studies have shown that, at the very least, he is able to detect changes in light. If you shine a flashlight against your belly, your baby may move toward (or sometimes away from) its beam. Your baby's first visual impressions outside the womb will be sorted into light and dark, too -- that's why many toys designed for newborns are black and white.

Eyelashes appear around this time, too. On a newborn, lashes make charming frames for the eyes, but they also serve an important protective role, shielding the sensitive surface of the eyeball from any debris.