Your Second Trimester
Fetal Development
At the end of 4 months:
- Fetus is 6 1/2 to 7 inches long
- Weight is about 6 to 7 ounces
- Fetus is developing reflexes such as sucking and swallowing. Fetus may begin sucking his/her thumb
- Tooth buds are developing
- Sweat glands are forming on palms and soles
- Fingers and toes are well defined
- Sex is identifiable
- Skin is bright pink, transparent and covered with soft, downy hair
- Although recognizably human in appearance, the baby would not be able to survive outside the mother's body
At the end of 5 months:
- Fetus is 8 to 10 inches long
- Weight is about 1 pound
- Hair begins to grow on his/her head
- Soft woolly hair called lanugo will cover its body (and some may remain until a week after birth when it is shed)
- Mother begins to feel fetal movement
- Internal organs are maturing
- Eyebrows, eyelids and eyelashes appear
At the end of 6 months:
- Fetus is 11 to 14 inches long
- Weight is about 1 3/4 to 2 pounds
- Eyelids begin to part and eyes open occasionally for short periods of time
- Skin is covered with protective coating called vernix
- Fetus is able to hiccup