Our Brain - In Utero (Before Birth)
What happens during the first three months (the first trimester) of pregnancy?
the first trimester
Sixteen days after conception… your baby’s “neural plate” - the foundation for what will become your child’s brain and spinal cord - begins developing. It isn’t until the end of the first trimester that it actually develops into a brain. However, nutrition AND external stimuli CAN IMPACT your child’s growth and development - positively OR negatively. Learn more here.
Months four, five & six - and your baby’s brain.
During the second trimester, gyri and sulci begin to appear on the brain’s surface. These “ridges and fissures” increase the surface area of the brain about thirty times, allowing for a significantly greater amount of neurons to grow and develop. Myelination also begins. Find out what else develops during the middle three months of pregnancy here.
The last three months of pregnancy: what is happening?
Your baby’s brain will almost triple in weight during these last three months of prenatal development. The cerebellum is rapidly developing; that’s the part of the brain that controls muscle movement - not just gross motor movement, but also fine motor, including swallowing, making noises (and eventually talking), and so on. Check out what else is going on with the brain this trimester here.
Learn about the care needs for YOU and your baby’s developing body during your pregnancy here.