The Many Stages of Fetal Development

All the major parts of fetal development happen in the first few weeks, which is why it’s important to take care of yourself at this stage, get as much rest as possible and make sure you are getting all your essential vitamins and minerals (especially folic acid). Early fetal development consists of the development of bones, blood vessels, all the major organs and circulatory systems.


If you want to know exactly what's going on in the womb each week you can easily pick up a fetal development chart which will allow you to keep track of what is happening to your baby and when. By week six basic facial features will appear and the fetus will be
able to open and close its mouth, and by week eight the fetus will have eyelids, elbows and webbed fingers and toes. Fetal brain development can be particularly fascinating; by week ten your baby will produce 250,000 new neurons every minute. Most parents can't wait to find out the sex of a baby. That is usually determined at week eleven.