Your baby is growing and developing rapidly! During the second trimester, you will begin to feel your baby’s first movements, known as “quickening.” Throughout these weeks those tiny movements will develop into full kicks and jabs! You will also be able to learn the gender of your baby, and other important information during your Anatomy Ultrasound. Here is an outline of how you can expect your baby to develop week by week.

WEEKS 13-16 OF PREGNANCY  

• Eyebrows, eyelashes, and fingernails form.  
• Arms and legs can extend.  
• External sex organs are formed.  
• The placenta is fully formed.  
• The fetus can swallow and hear.  
• The outer ear begins to develop.  
• The neck is formed.  
• Kidneys are functioning and begin to produce urine.  
• In male fetuses, the testicles begin to descend from the abdomen.  ‘
• Genitals become either male or female at week 14.

WEEKS 17-20 OF PREGNANCY  

• The sucking reflex develops.
• If the hand gets to the mouth, the fetus may suck his or her thumb.  
• The skin is wrinkled, and the body is covered with a waxy coating (vernix) and thin hair (lanugo)  The fetus is more active.
• You may be able to feel him or her move.  
• The fetus sleeps and wakes regularly.  
• Nails grow to the tips of the fingers.  
• The gallbladder begins producing bile, which is needed to digest nutrients.  
• In female fetuses, the eggs have formed in the ovaries.  
• It may be possible to tell the sex of the baby on an ultrasound exam.

WEEKS 21-24 OF PREGNANCY

• Real hair begins to grow.  
• The brain is rapidly developing.  
• The eyes begin to open.  
• Finger and toe prints can be seen.  
• The lungs are fully formed but not yet functioning.