You are now
- Week 1
- Week 2
- Week 3
- Week 4
- Week 5
- Week 6
- Week 7
- Week 8
- Week 9
- Week 10
- Week 11
- Week 12
- Week 13
- Week 14
- Week 15
- Week 16
- Week 17
- Week 18
- Week 19
- Week 20
- Week 21
- Week 22
- Week 23
- Week 24
- Week 25
- Week 26
- Week 27
- Week 28
- Week 29
- Week 30
- Week 31
- Week 32
- Week 33
- Week 34
- Week 35
- Week 36
- Week 37
- Week 38
- Week 39
- Week 40
Days 57 to 63
- Your baby
The foetal sac is now the size of a hen's egg. The foetus inside is three centimetres long - the size of a jelly baby! Some of the chorionic villi will now disappear, leaving others to grow and become the placenta. Eyes and ears develop rapidly at this time, and the beginnings of the skeleton are present. Your baby's heart has four chambers and beats twice as fast as yours. Muscles are developing so a scan would now show real movement. Amazing.
See how your baby grows in our week by week image gallery.
Top button of your jeans tricky to fasten? You may have noticed a slight thickening of your waistline. Don't blame it on the baby, yet! The foetus only weighs four grams, or maybe an eighth of an ounce. It's probably just fluid retention. Remember to keep popping those folic acid supplements - current advice is to keep them going until you're 12 weeks. And hopefully, if you were a smoker, you're now well on the road to a smoke-free life - for you and your baby.
Pregnancy health: protecting your baby from tobacco smoke is one of the best things you can do. Cigarettes restrict oxygen supply to your baby, so their heart has to beat harder every time you smoke. Second-hand smoke can cause low birth weight and cot death. Also, babies whose parents are smokers are more likely to be admitted to hospital for bronchitis and pneumonia during the first year of life. You can get free help and advice on how to stop smoking. Talk to your midwife or health visitor or call the NHS Pregnancy Smoking Helpline on 0800 169 9169.
Disclaimer
All content within BBC Health is provided for general information only, and should not be treated as a substitute for the medical advice of your own doctor or any other health care professional. The BBC is not responsible or liable for any diagnosis made by a user based on the content of the BBC Health website. The BBC is not liable for the contents of any external internet sites listed, nor does it endorse any commercial product or service mentioned or advised on any of the sites. Always consult your own GP if you're in any way concerned about your health.
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