(bright uplifting music)
At around eight inches long
and a smidge over a pound,
your little pup is actually
looking a bit like a Shar-Pei,
very cute, but still very wrinkly.
Poised to put on pounds,
baby's birthday suit has outpaced the fat
that'll start to accumulate very soon.
As a result, saggy skin hangs loosely
from those little limbs like long johns
that are two sizes too big.
Your baby's skin is also cellophane thin
and has taken on a reddish cast
thanks to the vivid
network of blood vessels
developing underneath.
Right now, it's a look only a
mother or father could love.
Luckily, a tough, protective
protein called keratin
is being added to your baby's skin cells
and that'll thicken his skin
as he continues to gestate
in your cozy uterus.
Don't worry, his skin will be soft,
sweet and suitable for stroking
by the time he checks out of Motel Mommy
and checks into your arms.
But before he's ready to
face the world outside,
he's going to have to be
able to breathe in it,
and, for that important
function to function,
his lungs will have some maturing to do.
Right now, the maturation
process is beginning,
though it'll be a while
before those tiny lungs
will be ready for the breathing big time.
Small capillaries are forming in the lungs
and specialized lung cells
called pneumocytes are developing.
These all-important cells
will produce surfactant down the road,
the crucial substance
that'll help baby's lungs
expand after birth, but
more about that later.
In the meantime, take a look
at that amazing placenta,
your baby's recently
completed life support system.
The pancake-shaped
placenta, attached to your
uterine wall and connected to your
growing baby by the umbilical cord,
acts as a sophisticated trading
post and filtering system,
transferring oxygen and
nutrients to your fetus
and removing waste products.
It also protects your baby,
serving as a sort of
fetal security checkpoint
by preventing harmful
substances and infections
from passing from your
system into your baby's.
And if that's not enough to dazzle you,
the placenta is also hard
at work producing hormones,
estrogen and progesterone,
that keep your pregnancy going strong.
Pretty impressive for a
network of blood vessels.
(light music)
