Pregnancy: Weeks 23-26

In the sixth month, your baby's brain is growing rapidly and hearing is well developed. (In fact, studies have found that unborn babies can communicate a preference for classical music over rock.)

A human fetus at 26 weeks. At this time, your baby will weigh about 1½ pounds and be 9 inches long.

Week Number 23

• Eyebrows and eyelashes are forming.
• Lips are becoming more distinct.
• Eyes are becoming more developed, but they still lack color.
• The first signs of teeth appear beneath the gum line.

Week Number 24

• Blood vessels in the lungs are developing.
• The head is still large compared to body size.
• The baby can swallow.

Week Number 25

• The body is beginning to become plump.
• The skin becomes wrinkled.
• If the baby were born now, it would attempt to breathe.
• Taste buds are forming.

Week Number 26

• The face and the body generally assume the appearance of an infant at birth.
• Baby begins to make breathing movements although there is no air in the lungs.
• Will respond to touch.

As your second trimester ends, take some time to sit back and enjoy it. Very soon your pregnancy will be over and all the days you dedicated to creating a new human being will be only a vague memory. Cherish them now.