The journey from conception to birth has been about nine months long, and the baby will be born sometime between weeks 38 and 42. Weight gain will continue rapidly throughout these weeks, and hair and fingernails will continue to grow. Since the moment of her conception, the child has been a being of staggering complexity. For nine months, a unique genetic code, defined when the sperm met the egg, has guided the development of this person. Now she is ready to draw her first breath. Welcome to the world, young one!
Essential Facts
• Breast milk will supply important antibodies to replace those supplied by the placenta before birth.
• The newborn baby’s skull bones have not yet fused, which allows them to compress in the birth canal.
• Boys tend to weigh more than girls at birth.
• The newborn’s eyes are fully formed, but the nerves inside her eyes will continue to develop in the weeks after her birth.
For Further Discussion
A newborn baby has about 300 bones, far more than the 206 bones of an adult. Some of these bones are made of cartilage that will turn to bone and fuse together over the next few years. Bone growth is complete by age 25, after which point the bones are as big as they will ever be.