The Miracle of a Child

One of my daughters is pregnant with her first child. As with each of my children and grandchildren, I enjoy tracking the development of the baby week by week. It's a marvel to see how quickly and intricately the baby grows in the womb of his or her mother. By the end of the first trimester all body systems have developed and are working. The only thing left is for the baby to grow in size and weight.
  It's good to reflect on the growth and development of a child inside it's mother for it helps us to remember that it is not just a fetus or a product of conception but a person, a little human being, a marvelous creation of God.  The following is that development, week by week.


Week 1: Conception; the baby is smaller than a grain of sugar, but the instructions are present for all that this person will ever become.
Week 2: The baby attaches and burrows securely into the wall of the mother's womb. Week 3: The baby's blood vessels and sex cells form. Foundations of the brain, spinal cord and nervous system are laid.
Week 4: The baby's heart has begun to beat. Eyes, ears and lungs begin to form.
Week 5: Tiny arms and legs appear, as well as the baby's face. The baby's blood is now separate from the mother's.
Week 6: Tiny fingers and toes develop. The baby's brain is divided into 3 parts for emotion and language, hearing, and seeing.
Week 7: Buds of the baby's milk teeth appear. 99% of the muscles are present, and brain activity is detectable.
Week 8: The baby begins spontaneous movement and is now well proportioned, about the size of a thumb. Every organ is present, but immature. The skull, elbows, and knees are forming.
Week 9: If prodded, hands and eyelids close. Genitalia become visible, indicating whether the baby is a boy or girl. Muscular movement begins.
Week 10: The baby's fingerprints begin to form. Nerve and muscle connections have tripled. Eyelids fuse together temporarily to protect the baby's delicate developing eyes.
Week 11: The baby "practices" breathing and facial expressions, even smiling. The baby can also urinate and stomach muscles can contract.
Week 12: The baby is now 3 inches in length and weighs 2 oz. with fine hair on the face. The baby is able to swallow and feels and responds to skin stimulation.


Truly you have formed my inmost being; you knit me in my mother's womb. I give you thanks that I am fearfully, wonderfully made; wonderful are your works. Psalm 139:13-14