For I know well the plans I have in mind for you…
plans for your welfare and not for woe,
so as to give you a future of hope.
– Jeremiah 29:11
The intricacy of the weeks of pregnancy are incredible as we journey through them. God has plans for the baby for growth and love. He chose that mother for that baby. He designed the necessary weeks for the baby’s ideal development. However, even when babies do not always reach the ideal number of weeks for life inside the womb, God has gifted special doctors and medical staff to support the baby’s life until they can support themselves or until God calls them home to Heaven if they are not strong enough for life here. Either way that baby’s soul has been given eternal life from God for He cherishes every soul He calls into life.
Twenty-Third Week
Continuing to grow, the baby is now about the length of romaine lettuce and the size of a papaya. The baby’s skin is wrinkled since the baby still needs to put on weight to fill out the skin. Muscles in the baby are growing and strengthening with all their busy daily activity inside the womb. Brain development is speeding up during this time. The baby will also react to light shined on the mother’s tummy. The baby’s pancreas is already starting to produce insulin.
Babies born before this week struggle to survive, but there is a chance with the very specialized care of a neonatal intensive care unit or NICU for short. Every day and week that the baby can stay growing safely within the amazing place of the mother’s womb, the more developed and prepared the baby’s body is for life outside of it. These coming weeks are so especially critical to the heath and survival of the baby.
Twenty-Fourth Week
The baby is now about the length of a newborn onesie at 12 inches and is the weight of a pineapple at 1.5 pounds. The baby’s ears are continuing to develop and will begin to respond more to sounds. The tastebuds on the tongue are increasing in their sensitivity. At this point in development, the baby is gaining better odds of surviving outside the womb if born early. In preparation for the big moment, the baby’s body is producing white blood cells to fight infection and sickness. The baby is in a time of rapid growth gaining about 3 to 6 ounces each week.
The baby’s respiratory system is developing the branches of the lungs and the substance that lines the air sacs. The lungs still need much development; so, if a baby was born this early, they would struggle to breath. All the baby’s needed oxygen is still coming through the placenta.
Twenty-Fifth Week
The baby is the length of a xylophone toy at 12.5 inches and weighs about 1.75 pounds. The baby’s skin is starting to lose its transparency and is slowly becoming opaque. Sometimes by this time, people can hear the baby’s heartbeat if they put their ear to the mother’s belly. The heartrate is still fast at 140 beats a minute and will slow down about birth.
The baby’s bone marrow is now the key place for blood cell production taking over from the liver where it was produced early on. The baby’s nose is working and can smell different odors in the amniotic fluid. The lungs have finished the forming of the branches, small passageways, and the capillaries; but there is still much more development needed in the coming weeks.
Twenty-Sixth Week
The baby is about 2 pounds and 13 inches long now. Eyes are fully developed, and their fused eyelids have finally opened. Most baby’s eye colors at this age are bluish but their eye color will change shortly after birth to their lifelong color. They have beautiful eyebrows and eyelashes by now too. If the baby is a boy, the testes have fully descended by this week. The standard reflexes that you see in a newborn can now begin to be seen at this stage. The baby’s intestines are developing and absorbing more efficiently the nutrients in the amniotic fluid. The baby is more aware of the world around them as their senses are refining.
A baby fills a place in your heart that you never knew was empty.
(Baby Love Quotes)
References:
Resources include: https://www.pregnancybirthbaby.org.au/pregnancy-week-by-week, https://www.webmd.com/baby/your-pregnancy-week-by-week-weeks-21-25 and https://www.verywellfamily.com
Baby Love Quotes retrieved from https://www.paperheartfamily.com/quotes-about-babies-love/
Author: Laura Stephens
