he weight is four ounces and the
length two and three-fourths inches. It now is not directly attached to
the lining of the womb but is attached by means of the cord to the
placenta or afterbirth which has been forming slowly. This placenta
consists of fatty tissue surrounding a great many little blood vessels.
The tiny blood vessels lie so close to the blood vessels of the lining
of the womb that the blood passes from one to the other. To do this, it
must pass through the walls of the blood vessels, as the vessels of the
mother and those of the placenta are not directly united. The blood
vessels of the placenta unite to form two veins and one artery which lie
very close to each other and are surrounded by a membrane. These three
blood vessels united together form what we call the cord. The other end
of the cord is attached to the foetus so that the blood can flow back
and forth between the foetus and placenta.

By the end of the third month the limbs have definite shape, the nails
being almost perfectly formed. During the next month the sexual
distinctions of the external organs become well marked.

By the last of the fifth month the weight has increased to one pound and
the length to eight inches. Active foetal movements begin, that is,
the foetus begins to move around and not lie quietly as before. This
is what is usually spoken of as "feeling life," or as "quickening."
There is life from the very beginning but during the first four or five
months the foetus does not move about and so the mother does not "feel
life." This has caused the erroneous idea that there is no life before
the fifth month.

By the end of the sixth month the weight is two pounds and the length
twelve inches. The eyebrows and eyelashes have begun to grow and the
lobule of the ear is more characteristic.

By the end of the seventh month the weight is three pounds and the
length fourteen inches. The surface of the body, which has appeared
wrinkled, now appears more smooth owing to the increase of fat
underneath.

By the end of the eighth month the weight is four to five pounds and the
length twenty inches. The nails have grown to project beyond the finger
tips. Up to this time the body has been covered with a fine hair called
lanugo. This now has begun to disappear and the skin becomes brighter
and is covered with a white, cheesy material called the vernix caseosa.
This almost entirely disappears during the next month, but frequently
there ar