Week 23 - 24
February 3rd, 2007 at 9:33 pm (Stages of Pregnancy)
Your baby has grown to be about 28 cm long (or 11.2 inches) and approximately 600 grams in weight (or 1 lb 5 oz).
Your baby now has definite sleep and wake patterns (although they may sleep up to 95% of the time) and now have REM (or rapid eye movement), which indicates they may be dreaming!
Your baby can now rotate their head and could experience hiccups. Hiccups are caused by the sudden, irregular contractions of their immature diaphragm (the muscle that supports their lungs) and while they may be capable of sporadic hiccoughs as early as 12 weeks gestation, they are generally stronger and more rhythmic by this stage. Some unborn babies hiccup quite frequently. This may be sensed by the mother as small, regular ‘jumps’ in their belly every now and then for short periods of time.
Your baby is now covered with a thick layer of white vernix cream to protect their skin in their watery environment and they now have sweat glands. A fine layer of fat is now forming between their muscle tissues and skin. This covers their blood vessels and makes their complexion look less translucent.