Prenatal development occurs in three stages: conception, embryonic, and fetal. Each stage lasts approximately 40 weeks, with the fetal stage being the longest. It’s important for mothers to understand each stage to better comprehend their baby’s development. The conception stage lasts two weeks, during which the egg implants in the uterus. The embryonic stage lasts until 11 weeks, with the embryo developing arms, legs, and a heartbeat. The fetal stage begins at 11 weeks, with the fetus developing major organs, hair, teeth, and nails, and ending at around 40 weeks when the baby is fully developed.
There are three stages of prenatal development: the stage of conception, the embryonic stage, and the fetal stage. Each stage of prenatal development takes place over the course of approximately 40 weeks, which is the average length of most pregnancies. The conception stage is the shortest and the fetal stage is the longest. It’s a good idea for a mother to be aware of exactly what happens during each stage of development so that she can have a better understanding of what is happening to her baby and her body.
The stage of conception only lasts about two weeks and during this time the sperm reaches the egg and implants itself inside. After implantation, the egg travels through the fallopian tubes into the uterus. It can take an entire week for the egg to reach the uterus and implant itself inside. At this stage, the egg is called a zygote and cell division has already begun. Cell division continues until the zygote becomes a blastocyst, which is already made up of the primitive building blocks that make up a human body.
Once the blastocyst attaches to the uterine wall, it becomes known as an embryo and the embryonic stage of prenatal development begins. At this stage of development, the embryo starts to look like something resembling a baby as the cells continue to divide. The embryonic stage typically lasts until a woman is 11 weeks pregnant. By the end of the embryonic stage, the embryo will have arms, legs and a heartbeat. It is at this stage of prenatal development that most women get their first ultrasound, which helps a doctor determine that the baby is developing normally.
At the end of 11 weeks, the embryo becomes known as a fetus and the fetal stage begins. Most women associate the fetal stage with the onset of the second trimester, which occurs at the end of the third month of pregnancy. During this time, a baby’s gender and other major body organs begin to form, and the fetus may have hair, teeth, and even small fingernails and toenails before this stage ends. This is the stage of pregnancy where most women feel their babies kick for the first time, and gender can usually be determined with an ultrasound at around 20 weeks. By the end of the fetal stage, at about 40 weeks, the fetus will normally be fully developed and ready to deliver.
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