Your Developing Baby: Week 11

Last week, your baby stopped being a fetus and graduated to an embryo! Baby-to-be is looking more and more like a newborn. Her nose is adding definition, while her ears are moving into place farther back on her head and her eyes are moving farther apart. Even though her eye lenses and eyelids are formed, she'll keep them shut until week 27. Still, her head overwhelms the rest of her body. In fact, her head makes up nearly half of her crown-rump measurement (CRL). Don't worry -- that's about to change. In the coming weeks she'll experience a growth spurt.

Along with other organs developing in her body, Baby-to-Be's genitalia are beginning to form this week too. By the end of the week, her (or his!) body parts will have formed into either a clitoris and labia majora or a penis. While you might be anxious to find out whether you're having a boy or a girl, the sonographer won't be able to tell at this point.

With a live image of your growing baby-to-be, you'd be able to see her wiggle and kick and make all sorts of movements with her arms and legs, which are becoming longer each day. The bones inside are becoming stronger and harder as the skin on the outside develops more layers (but it's still translucent). Despite all this movement, your baby-to-be is barely 1-1/2 to 2 inches long and only weighs 1/4 of an ounce. You won't be able to feel her jerky gestures just yet, but as she adds more weight and strength you should be able to feel her movements soon.

Fetus: In human development, the term used to identify a developing baby, after the embryonic stage and before birth.

Copyright © 2010 Meredith Corporation.

Images courtesy of the American Institute of Ultrasound in Medicine - AIUM.org