25 Weeks Today!

Miran is now 25 weeks! Here is a run-down on his development at this stage:

• He is fully formed. All internal organs and systems are in place and just need to continue maturing. By the end of the week, he will probably weigh over 2 lbs.

• He looks just as he will look at birth, only smaller. His head and body are in proportion, and his facial features are developed. He can make facial expressions, such as squinting and frowning. Sometime this week, his eyes will open.

• He has eyebrows, eyelashes, and fingernails/toenails.

• The brain cells that involve conscious thought are rapidly developing. He is beginning to be able to remember things and to learn from experience.

• He can hear sounds and recognize familiar voices. He may be startled by loud noises or intrigued by someone talking to him through my belly. (No matter how much he has been kicking, he is always still whenever Kieryn is talking to him.)

• He can distinguish light and dark.

• He has voluntary control of his movement and can suck his thumb, etc. (At his 20 week ultrasound, we saw him sucking his forefinger.) He will have already developed preferred sleeping positions and may even already be right or left-handed.

• He has now developed a sleeping/waking pattern similar to the one he will have as a newborn.

• If born this week, he would have about a 67% chance of survival.

• In just 12 weeks, he will be considered full-term!