Week 18--Changes and Developments

Welcome to another week in the marvelous development cycle! This week the baby has grown significantly and measures between 5.5 to 6 inches from crown to rump and weighs about 7 ounces!
Chalk that up to one more step in becoming a real baby (instead of those tiny creepy doll ones). The baby can now also yawn, stretch, and make facial expressions, not to mention that he/she is starting to make poop already and storing it in the colon! Are we all excited yet?? Here are a few other changes to expect this week:

• the skeleton can be clearly outlined in the ultrasound of the fetus
• Ears stand out from the head
• Lanugo (soft, fine hair) covers the entire body
• Pads (the fatty, soft parts) are forming on the fingertips and toes
• The eyes are looking forward rather than out the sides of the head
• If the baby is a boy, his prostate gland is beginning to develop
• The baby's bones begin to harden
  
• The baby's taste buds are beginning to develop, allowing him/her to distinguish sweet from bitter

The part I am most excited about: baby is hearing fairly well during week 18, because the bones in the inner ear and the nerve endings from the brain will have developed. This means that the baby will hear sounds like my heartbeat and blood moving through the umbilical cord! I am so excited to not feel crazy while talking to myself anymore.

So there you have it. Those are the changes for week 18. Have a great week.