Happy Birthday, Baby Chris!

Photo by Alex Hockett on Unsplash

Just in time for Christmas, Baby Chris has been born! The Endowment for Human Development explains:

The fetus initiates labor resulting in the transition from fetus to newborn. Powerful contractions of the uterus result in childbirth and the expulsion of the placenta, which now weighs about 1/6th as much as the newborn. At birth, the oxygen received through the placenta is suddenly replaced by the onset of air breathing.

Over the past nine months, Baby Chris has grown from a single-celled organism, to a tiny embryo with brainwaves and a beating heart, to a first trimester fetus, to a second trimester fetus, to being capable of surviving outside the womb, to finally being a third trimester fetus. Baby Chris has been the same person all along, and is no more human now than yesterday.

We have documented this beautiful continuum of humanity for educational purposes, and all Baby Chris-related posts are archived here. You can also get prenatal development information at your fingertips (for debates, sidewalk counseling, etc.) by downloading the free See Baby app on your smartphone.

Although “Baby Chris” is a fictional name, one of the coolest aspects of this project was hearing from SPL supporters who happened to conceive in late March and were thus able to follow their own children’s progress along with the progress of Baby Chris. We wish you all safe, healthy births and share in your excitement!