What are some of the other milestones of fetal development?
In addition to the unborn child’s heartbeat, brainwaves, fingerprints and capacity to feel pain, other important milestones include: • At 4 weeks from conception, a baby’s eye, ear, and respiratory systems begin to form. • Thumbsucking has been documented at 7 weeks from conception. • At 8 weeks from conception, a baby’s heartbeat can be detected by ultrasonic stethoscope. • By 9 weeks from conception, a baby is able to bend her fingers around an object in her hand. • By 11 to 12 weeks from conception, the baby is breathing fluid steadily and continues to do so until birth. • By 11 weeks from conception, a baby can swallow. • Between 13 and 15 weeks from conception, a baby’s taste buds are present and functioning. • At 20 weeks, and perhaps as early as 16 weeks from conception, a baby is capable of hearing his mother’s heartbeat and external noises like music. • At 23 weeks from conception, babies have been shown to demonstrate rapid eye movements (REM), which are characteristic of act
