Baby Chris is 25 Weeks Old

Graphic via the Endowment for Human Development

[This is part 26 of a multi-part series chronicling a pregnancy through the lens of “Baby Chris.” Click here for other parts.] 

25 weeks after fertilization (27 weeks LMP), Baby Chris is 14 and a half inches long and weighs 2 pounds—about the size of a head of cauliflower. Baby Chris experiences hiccups, which the mother can sometimes feel.

The lungs have started producing surfactant, an important component in respiration. The Endowment for Human Development notes:

The absence of [surfactant] is often a limiting factor in the viability of premature newborns, as its absence precludes successful breathing. Neonatologists, or doctors specializing in the care of newborns, can introduce a drug form of surfactant to the lungs of premature babies, stretching viability, or the age at which survival outside the womb becomes possible, even farther back in pregnancy. 

Eye development continues this week, with rods detecting low light and cones allowing color vision.

For more on life in the womb, download the free See Baby app.