Canandaigua - New York Civil Liberties Union

Canandaigua 214
•
Month 8 (About weeks 32-35)
• Rapid brain growth occurs.
• Except for the lungs, the body organs are mostly developed.
• A baby is premature if he or she is born during this month but has
a good chance of survival.
• Fetal movements can be seen from outside the mother's stomach.
• By the end of the eighth month, the baby measures about 16-18
inches long and weighs about 4-6 pounds.
'.
Conception
-""'~
Month 9 (About weeks 36-40)
• The baby is full-term at 37-40 weeks and can survive outside the
mother's body in most cases.
• The lungs can function on their own.
• The baby will move into the birth position-usually head-down in
the lower part of the mother's belly.
• The baby measures about 19-21 inches long and weighs approximately
6-9 pounds.
Birth
Birth generally occurs about nine months after conception. Babies
are usually born headfirst, allowing them to take their first breaths
soon after passing through the birth canal. Some babies are born
feet first and others through an incision in the mother's abdomen
(cesarean section).
This information is not intended to replace advice given by a medloal professional. Hyou
have any questions, please contact your healthcare provider.
lZt
CHILDBIR.TH
GRAPmCS~
©1978, 2002 Childbirth Graphics,
a division of WRS Group, Ltd.
www.childbirthgraphics.com
800-299-3366 ext. 287
80028-7482-1002
Usually one egg, called an ovum, is released from an ovary about the
fourteenth day after a woman's menstrual cycle. The egg enters one
of the Fallopian tubes.
During sexual intercourse, millions of sperm are ejaculated from the
man's penis into the vagina and move through the cervix and uterus
into the Fallopian tubes. One of the many sperm may enter the egg.
Conception, also called fertilization, occurs when the sperm and egg
join. This usually takes place In the outer third of one of the Fallopian
. tubes.
Zygote
The joining of the sperm and egg creates a single cell called a
zygote. For the next few days, the zygote will travel through the
Fallopian tube and divide into multiple cells that remain in a cluster.
This cluster of cells is called a morula.
The morula develops an outer shell that surrounds an inner group of
cells. This stage of development is called a blastocyst. The outer
cells develop into nourishing membranes that protect the inner cells
that become the fetus.
Between the seventh and ninth day after conception, the blastocyst
.implants in the uterus because the endometrium (uterus lining) has
grown and is ready to support a fetus.