by tkbrown
She looked upon the child in her arms and was amazed-- in awe of what her body had created-- and she knew, without a doubt, she had been blessed. From the moment of conception your child grew from a one-celled ovum-- to the babe in your arms-- directed by dna and rna strands of life combining mother and father to create a new person through genetic procreation. Two weeks after conception your child's sex, hair color, eye color, . . . height, and skin tone have already been determined. As the babe grew, your body nurtured, sustained, protected the growing embryo, and by week three there was a primitive but beating heart. By week four, eyes and ears, a spinal cord, muscles, arms and legs, even nerves were present as the amniotic sac and the placenta provided nourishment. Six weeks into your baby's life, eyes, arms, hands with all ten fingers, legs, and feet were much better formed. Your child was able to move and respond to touch. At nine weeks, The embryo became a fetus-- able to grasp, suck his/her thumb, and by the tenth week fingerprints were visible. In addition to sensing touch your baby could feel pain. At twelve weeks, your child slept and awakened. Gender was apparent by week thirteen, and at the fourteenth week your baby was growing rapidly; hair was visible, you could begin to feel energetic movement, and you began to show as your "baby bump" began to become visible. By the eighteenth week, your baby's ears were fully functioning and your voice could be heard. Your babe weighed about a half pound (as much as a small can of tomato sauce) and was eight to ten inches long. You began to wear maternity clothes, and the blessing of having a child became much more real to you. Week twenty-two marked an important developmental milestone. Your baby's head now formed about one-third of total length, and if born at this point, may have survived outside the womb-- with intensive medical care. At the twenty-sixth week, taste buds were fully formed, eyes and lungs were fully functioning, and your baby could cry. Your "baby bump" had grown considerably. At thirty weeks, senses of vision, hearing, taste, and touch were being used. Eyes were able to open and close; your child could look around and recognized your voice. Between the thirty-sixth week and the fortieth week, your body began to prepare for your babe's entry into the outside world. Your child shifted downward and into position" now ready for the big day. Full-term, your child will weigh, on average, six to nine pounds and is ready for life outside the protection of your womb. When born, at the fortieth week, your baby's heart is pumping 300 gallons of blood a day. As you speak to this baby in your arms, a tiny smile forms, the eyes flutter open in recognition of your voice. and you know you are blessed.
~~~~~~~~~~ Pregnancy is God's test of our ability to truly love another person unconditionally and His way of saying, "You have what it takes to love this child and teach him/her the way to live."
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Photo Above: courtesy of depositphotos.com.
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Sources:
Cherry, Kendra (1 June 2020). Stages of Prenatal Development. “very well mind.” verywellmind.com. (8 May 2022). https://www.verywellmind.com/stages-of-prenatal-development-2795073#:~:text=The%20process%20of%20prenatal%20development,known%20as%20the%20fetal%20period.
Eds. Foundations of Life. (2022). Fetal development. “Events.” foundationsoflife.org. (8 May 2022). https://foundationsoflife.org/unplanned-pregnancy-free-pregnancy-services/fetal-development/.
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by tkbrown 
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