Week 23

Not baby O; just a body double to show you size :)

Week Twenty Three: Sense of balance develops

In addition to advances in your baby's hearing, his lungs are developing to prepare for breathing. And as he gets bigger you may be able to see him squirm underneath your clothes!

• He or she measures over 28cm and weighs up to 550 grams.

• The baby is over 11 inches tall, weighs about a pound.

• The eyebrows are visible.

• The child can successfully suck.

• Bones located in the middle ear harden.

Your baby does a regular 'workout' inside your womb. He or she turns from side to side and head over heels. Thanks to a fully developed inner ear, which controls balance, your baby may have a sense of whether he or she is upside-down or right side up in the womb.

Skin pigment is now forming. The fetus is now proportioned like a newborn except it is a thinner version of a newborn baby since its baby fat has not developed much yet.

The pancreas, essential in the production of hormones, is developing steadily. Baby has begun producing insulin, important for the breakdown of sugars.

If born now, your baby would have a 20% chance of survival, the odds going up with each passing day. By this week, your baby weighs a little over 1 pound (500g). Its crown to heel length is 11 inches (28cm).

As for you, you may feel clumsy now that your centre of gravity has shifted. Your gums may bleed when you brush your teeth and your belly button, once an "innie", may now stick out. It'll revert to its pre-baby state soon after you give birth.