The child’s movements can now be felt by the mother, as the child’s physical activity grows increasingly vigorous. By late in the pregnancy, not only can the child’s movements be felt externally, they can be seen as the growing child twists and turns in an increasingly confined space.
Essential Facts
• The child’s mouth makes sucking motions and she has begun to swallow amniotic fluid. • Tooth development is now underway. • The skin is still mostly transparent. • Swallowing and chest movements are present. • The liver and pancreas have begun to function. • The child’s head and body take their proper proportions. • The heart is now beating 110–180 beats per minute and pumping 23.7 liters (25 quarts) of blood every day
For Further Discussion
Millions of eggs are now growing in the fetal ovaries, and a uterus is present. When this little girl is born, her body will contain all of the eggs that it will ever produce, and they are being produced now—five months before she is even born!