12 Weeks...

Your baby weighs about 14 grams and is about 2-1/2 inches in length. His or her reflexes are functioning, and the digestive tract is active and secreting bile - all to prepare your baby for life outside of your body. Stem cells, the "mother cells" that will become heart, brain, liver, bone, blood, nerve, and immune cells, continue to differentiate to form your baby's major organs. Although your baby's brain continues to grow, the components now have the same structure they will have at birth. If your OB or midwife uses a fetal Doppler, you may be able to listen to your baby's heartbeat - many moms-to-be are amazed by how fast it is. This may be the sweetest sound you have ever heard.





*Vocal cords begin to form - While perhaps not quite ready to be introduced to the nearest opera stage, your infant will use these immediately following the moment of birth. Bet you can't wait to hear that first cry!
*Those precious eyes begin to move closer together - Are you wondering if he will have mommy's crystal green eyes, daddy's laughing brown ones, or maybe out of the gene pool will emerge grandma's clear blue!
*Ears shift to their normal place on the side of the head
*Intestines move farther in to your child's body
*His or her liver begins to function - Responsible for cleansing the blood, storing nutrients, and providing needed chemicals, this is an important event!
*The pancreas begins to produce insulin
*Guess what? Your baby's average size is now at a whopping length: 2.13 inches (5.4cm) and weight: 0.49 ounce (14gm)