What is this tool for?

Click here to learn how a tiny embryo grows into a baby. You'll also find links to helpful medical information.

You can use this tool to discover the amazing changes that happen during a pregnancy. Get a close-up peek at the early embryo. See how much a growing fetus changes every few weeks. Read about what’s new every month.

If you have medical decisions to make during pregnancy, you may have to know what stage of growth your fetus is in. For each month, this tool links you to helpful information about testing, healthy pregnancy choices, premature birth, and labor and delivery.

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	From Embryo to Baby in 9 Months

What should I keep in mind?

Every baby is different. Every fetus is different. The images we show you may not be your skin color or your fetus's exact size. But they do tell you a lot about what happens over the course of a pregnancy.

This tool links you to information about prenatal tests. Some of these tests are new and not available everywhere. For example, you might not have chorionic villus sampling or nuchal fold ultrasound in your town. The good news it that you still have excellent options, such as triple or quad screening.

What's next?

If you have any worries about your pregnancy, be sure to talk to your doctor or nurse-midwife. For more information, see the topics Pregnancy, Birth Defects Testing, and Labor, Delivery, and Postpartum Period.

Sources:

Moore KL, Persaud TVN (2003). Before We Are Born: Essentials of Embryology and Birth Defects, 6th ed. Philadelphia: Saunders.

Campbell S (2004). Watch Me Grow! New York: St. Martin's Press.

Related Information

• Birth Defects Testing
• Labor, Delivery, and Postpartum Period
• Pregnancy
• Premature Infant