Health & Pregnancy

Baby Development 2nd Trimester Highlights

By now, you may know the sex of your baby. Your baby already has eyebrows and hair. Even more exciting, your baby can recognize your voice!  At this stage, your growing baby has:

• Fully formed organs that continue to grow.
• A hard skeleton.
• A heart that beats 100 pints of blood a day.
• Ears that can hear sounds and know your voice.
• Genitalia that can be seen and the sex determined.
• Early development of bronchioles, the airways of the lungs.
• Vernix, a waxy, waterproof material that covers and protects the baby's skin.
• Fully formed hands and feet that are often put in the baby's mouth.
• Brown fat, which helps produce heat to keep your baby warm.
• Hair and eyebrows on the baby's head.
• Soft, downy hair called lanugo that covers the baby to provide warmth.
• Ovaries in girl babies.
• Testes that remain in a baby boy's abdomen.
• Fully formed fingers and toes with fingerprints.
• A very active brain -- even in sleep.
• Fully formed lungs not yet ready to breathe in air.
• Cute chubby cheeks.