Baby now kicks and flutters!
Floating in the amniotic fluid, your baby can now bring their hands to their face or straighten their legs and suck their toe [1].
The baby’s brain is growing too. The cortex is now differentiated, and the hemispheres are further separated from the middle and medulla oblongata. The nervous system is growing in complexity — it has now been divided into the central and peripheral systems [2].
The baby’s head is round and still disproportionately large. Even though the baby's eyelids are closed [3, 4], they can start to perceive light. The diaphragm, which is the muscle membrane that separates the chest from the stomach [5], also forms this week, while the corpus luteum gradually fades, transferring its duties to the placenta [6].
What we can see on an ultrasound
In this picture, a baby swimming in amniotic fluid leans comfortably against the walls of the amniotic sac. The baby’s profile outlines their little button nose, mouth, and even a tiny ear — a bit lower than where it will be when fully developed.
The baby’s head is still very large, almost half the size of the body. In this picture, a tiny neck is also visible. And so is the heart — the small dot seen in the baby’s chest. Though the legs are not visible, you can see the outline of the baby’s right hand.
The baby swims in amniotic fluid, which is the large dark outline seen in the picture. The spiral is the umbilical cord, which provides a close connection between mother and child. It is connected to the placenta, and blood flows through its vessels providing the developing baby with nutrients and oxygen.
