THE MIRACLE OF LIFE

Life begins at conception and is to be protected until its end, due to natural causes.

In between, as Sir William Liley has pointed out, life does not develop - it is simply there. "What does develop is the morphological structure, the earthly home of life, the physiological performance of that structure, behavioural traits and personality."

Some milestones of the first nine months of life.

Conception



Father's sperm penetrates mother's egg cell. Within the hour, genetic instructions from both parents interact to establish the design and inheritance of a new and unique individual - at this stage no bigger than a grain of sugar.

1st day



Cell division begins. The first cell divides into two, the two into four, and so on.

5-9 days



Now a ball of hundreds of cells, the new individual burrows into the wall of the womb. Already the child's sex can be determined.

14 days
Mother misses her first menstrual period - suppressed by a hormone produced by her child.

17 days
Blood cells are forming.

18 days
The heart is forming.

20 days
Foundations of the brain, spinal cord and entire nervous system are laid

24 days
The heart begins to pulsate.

28 days
Forty pairs of muscles are developing along the future spine. Arms and legs are budding.

30 days
From one cell to millions of cells, the embryo has grown 10,000 times and is 6-7mm (1/4 in.) long. The brain has human proportions. Blood flows in veins (but the child's bloodstream remains separate from the mother's throughout pregnancy).

35 days



The pituitary gland is forming in the middle of the brain. Mouth, ears and nose are taking shape.

40 days
The heart's energy output is already 20 percent of an adult's.

42 days
The child's skeleton is formed (in cartilage, not yet bone). The brain co-ordinates movements of muscles and organs. Reflex responses have begun. In boys, the penis is forming. (And the mother misses her second period.)

43 days
Brain waves can be recorded.

45 days
Spontaneous movements have begun. Buds of milk teeth have appeared.

7 weeks

Lips are sensitive to touch. Ears may already resemble a family pattern.

8 weeks



The child is a well-proportioned, small-scale baby, measuring just 3cm (1 1/8 in.) sitting up and weighing a gram (1/30 oz.). Every organ is present. The heart beats sturdily. The stomach produces digestive juices. The liver manufactures blood cells. The kidneys begin to function. Taste buds are forming.

8 1/2 weeks
Fingerprints are being engraved. Eyelids and palms of the hand are sensitive to touch.

9 weeks
The child will bend his or her fingers around an object placed in the palm. Thumb sucking occurs. Fingernails are forming.

10 weeks
The entire body is sensitive to touch (except for the sides, back and top of the head). The child squints, swallows, puckers up his or her brow and frowns.

11 weeks
The baby urinates. He or she can make complex facial expressions - even smile.

12 weeks
Activity has become vigorous and behaviour shows distinct individuality. The child can kick legs, turn feet, curl and fan toes, make a fist, move a thumb, bend a wrist, turn the head, open the mouth and press lips tightly together. Breathing is practised.

13 weeks
The face is prettier and facial expressions already resemble those of parents. Movements are graceful and flowing. Reflexes are vigorous. Vocal chords are formed (but in the absence of air the baby cannot cry aloud). Sex organs are apparent and primitive sperm or egg cells are present.

4 months
The child can use hands to grasp, swims and turns somersaults.

4-5 months

Mother first feels her baby's movements.

5 months
Sleeping habits appear. To sleep, the child settles into a favourite "lie". A loud noise, such a door slamming, will provoke activity. The child also responds to sounds in frequencies too high or low for adults to hear.

6 months
Fine baby hair grows on eyebrows and head. A fringe of eyelashes appears. Most of the skeleton has hardened. Weight is about 640g (1lb 6oz.) and height about 23 cm (9 in.). Babies born at this age have been known to survive.

7 months
Permanent eye teeth are present. Eyelids open and close, and eyes look around. Hands grip strongly. Mother's voice can be heard and recognised. The baby begins to accumulate some fat.

8 months
Weight increases by 1 kg (just over 2 lb) and the baby's quarters begin to get cramped.

9 months
Labour begins (triggered by the child) and birth occurs, usually 255-275 days after conception. Of the 45 generations of cell divisions between conception and adulthood, 41 have taken place. The remaining four will occur during the rest of childhood and adolescence.

The milestones listed above have been documented by scientific research. Slight variations, of hours or days, may exist and future research using more sensitive methods may show that some of these milestones occur earlier than is now realised.

We also recommend "Where Does Life Begin?" - a full-colour foetal development Web page booklet put together by the National Right To Life Committee (U.S.A.) as a superb educational resource. Queensland Right to Life has, with the help of a young university student who was doing an assignment, put together a beautiful colour brochure on foetal development. It is called "Diary of the first nine months" and it is available upon request.