Baby Chris is 16 weeks old

Image via the Endowment for Human Development

[This is part 17 of a multi-part series chronicling a pregnancy through the lens of “Baby Chris.” Click here for other parts.] 

Sixteen weeks after conception (18 weeks LMP), Baby Chris is 5 and a half inches long and weighs almost 7 ounces—about the size of a bell pepper. The ears, previously low on the sides of the head, have migrated to their final positions. Lung development is ongoing, with bronchioles and respiratory sacs beginning to appear. In female babies, the uterus and fallopian tubes are established.

According to the Endowment for Human Development, “[t]he vast majority of neuron multiplication in the brain is complete by 16 weeks.” The retina now has discrete layers. Beneath the gums, enamel is developing on Baby Chris’s teeth.

Follow Baby Chris’s growth from conception to birth by downloading the free See Baby app!