$Unique_ID{PAR00424}
$Pretitle{}
$Title{Pregnancy:  The Sixth Month:  Your Growing Baby}
$Subtitle{}
$Author{
Editors of Consumer Guide
Ellis, Jeffrey W
Ellis, Maria}
$Subject{Sixth Month Growing growth face Eyelashes eyebrows Fingers toes
Fingerprint Fingerprints footprint footprints Lanugo hair skin vernix caseosa
aware awareness amniotic fluid sac}
$Log{
Your Growing Baby (Sixth Month)*0042401.tif
25-26 Week Fetus, male*0060212.tif}

Miracle of Birth


The Sixth Month:  Your Growing Baby


     During his sixth month, your baby is continuing to add weight and length,
and his tiny, thin body is beginning to fill out.  The baby is now between 11
and 14 inches long and weighs one-and-a-quarter to one-and-a-half pounds.
Quite a growth spurt in only one month!
     By now, your baby's features have undergone considerable refinement.  His
face is well defined and resembles that of a newborn.  Eyelashes and eyebrows
are quite distinct, although the eyelids remain closed.
     Other small details are also being formed this month.  Fingers and toes
continue to develop a newborn appearance.  Fingerprints and footprints--which
are unique to each individual and which will remain throughout life--are just
beginning to form.  Lanugo hair still covers your baby's body, but dark,
coarse hair is already making its appearance on the scalp.
     Even though he is rapidly filling out his body, your baby's skin during
his sixth month is still red and wrinkled, with very little fat beneath it.
Over the next three months, more and more fat will form under the skin to
eventually give baby a slightly chubby appearance.
     During this month, a baby's skin develops a protective covering called
vernix caseosa.  This whitish-yellow, cheesy substance sticks to his skin with
the help of the lanugo and forms a thick barrier that protects the skin from
the amniotic fluid.  By the ninth month, almost all of this coating will
disappear, although some babies may still have some around the creases of
their arms and legs when they are born.
     During his sixth month, scientists believe that your baby is probably
becoming aware of his environment.  His tiny brain is beginning to function
and his ears and eyes have developed to the point where they can sense things
inside and outside your body.  For example, you may become aware that your
baby moves and kicks after a loud noise, such as the crash of a pan or dish
hitting the floor.  In some cases, you may also find that the baby stops
moving in response to quiet, soothing music.  It is also believed that he may
actually be able to see some faint light as it passes through the walls of
your abdomen and uterus.
     Your baby is now floating in nearly a quart of amniotic fluid.  He is
connected to the placenta by the umbilical cord like an astronaut in space
connected to the mother ship.
     The clear, watery amniotic fluid serves many purposes for your developing
baby.  It helps to keep his body temperature normal, it provides an
environment in which he can move about freely and exercise his growing
muscles, and it helps to cushion him from any injury that may occur to your
abdomen.
     Just prior to delivery, the amniotic sac will break, releasing its fluid
into your vagina.  In some cases, it will break on its own:  in others, your
doctor may purposely break it with a special instrument.