Stages of Baby Development & Abortion Procedures
First Trimester Baby Development {0-12 weeks}
Conception - All of the inherited features of this new person are already set – whether it’s a boy or girl, the color of the eyes, the color of the hair, the dimples of the cheeks and the cleft of the chin. He or she is smaller than a grain of sugar, but the instructions are present for all that this person will become.
The first cell, formed from the union of ovum (egg) and sperm, soon divides in two. Each of these new cells divides again and again as they travel toward the womb.
Day 6-14 - The new individual attaches to the wall of the womb. Sensitive pregnancy tests can already be positive at this early stage.
Day 21 - The heart begins to beat, unsurely at first, gaining strength day by day. A day later the eyes begin to develop.
Day 28-32 - Two tiny arms make their appearance and budding legs follow two days later. The beginnings of the mouth take shape. Blood flows in the baby’s veins but stays separate from the mother’s blood.
Day 44 - Facial muscles develop. Eyelids begin to form, protecting the developing eyes. Internal organs are present, but immature. 99% of muscles are present. Electrical activity is detectable in the brain.
Day 52 Spontaneous movement begins. The baby then develops a whole collection of moves over the next 4 weeks including hiccuping, frowning, squinting, furrowing the brow, pursing the lips, moving individual arms and legs, head turning, touching the face, breathing (without air), stretching, opening the mouth, yawning, and sucking.
First Trimester Abortion
Abortion Pill (10 to 11 weeks gestation)
A medical, or pharmacological, abortion takes place when two drugs are taken days apart to end the baby’s life and expel him or her from the womb. Mifepristone and Misoprostol are prescribed by a physician and supplied by most pharmacies in Canada. Mifepristone blocks an essential hormone, progesterone. This cuts of blood and nutrition to the baby who will die inside the mother’s womb. Misoprostol is then taken to cause the uterus to contract and expel the baby from the uterus.
Abortion Pill Reversal: Mothers who take the first abortion pill and change their mind, can sometimes reverse the process by taking a prescription form of progesterone, which can be prescribed by a physician. Click here to learn more.
Suction/Aspiration Abortion (up to 16 weeks gestation)
This is a surgical abortion (in a hospital or clinic) where a suction catheter is inserted into the mother’s womb to suction out the preborn baby, tearing its body into pieces. This is sometimes followed by sharp metal curette, which scrapes out any remains from the uterus.
Second Trimester Baby Development {13-24 weeks}
13 Weeks - The face is prettier, and facial expressions may resemble the parents’. The baby is active, but mom doesn’t feel anything yet.
4 Months - Nostrils and toenails become visible. The baby may suck her thumb, turn somersaults and has a firm grip.
5 Months - The testes descend in boys. Mom may feel the baby kick, turn or hiccup. Each side of the brain has a billion nerve cells now.
21-22 Weeks gestation - This is considered the "threshold of viability": babies born at this stage can sometimes survive with intensive medical care.
Second Trimester Abortion
Dilation and Evacuation
This is a surgical abortion taking place in hospital or clinic. The mother’s cervix (opening to her uterus) is dilated. Suction is often combined with forceps which are used to dismember and extract the baby. However, a combination of methods can be used in abortion after 13 weeks. As the baby grows larger and its bones become harder, the baby becomes more difficult to extract. The head of the baby is large and must be crushed before it can be removed.
After 19 to 20 weeks, a solution of urea or saline is sometimes injected into the amniotic sac before the abortion. This kills the baby and stimulates contractions.
The medical team will collect and assess all the baby’s body parts to ensure that no pieces have been left behind in the uterus.
Third Trimester Baby Development {25 weeks to birth}
6 Months - The baby’s body is now fully developed. She now just needs to put on weight and grow larger. This little life is considered viable, meaning with medical care she can survive outside the womb. The child sleeps and wakes, nestling in her favourite positions to sleep, and stretches upon waking up.
7 Months - The eyelids begin to reopen, preparing to see the outside world. Eyelashes have now become well developed.
8 Months - Skin becomes pink and smooth. The pupils of eye respond to light. Fingernails reach to the tip of the finger. The baby is really getting cramped now.
9.5 Months - The child triggers labour, and birth occurs, an average of 264-270 days after conception.
Third Trimester Abortion
The first step in this days-long process, is for a doctor to inject a chemical into the baby’s heart with a large needle. This causes the baby to go into cardiac arrest and die. Sometimes the injection is placed into the brain or another area, also ending the baby’s life, although it may take longer.
The mother is given drugs to induce labour. Once these drugs take effect, which can take days, the mother will usually experience severe cramping and bleeding and will eventually give birth to a dead baby. If delivery is incomplete, an evacuation will occur similar to that of a second trimester abortion.
In Canada, there are no legal restrictions on abortion, even through to the end of the third trimester.
Primary References:
Carlson, B., Human Embryology & Developmental Biology, Toronto: Mosby Publication; 3rd edition, 2004.
Moore, K. and Persaud, T., The Developing Human, Clinically Oriented Embryology, 6th Edition, Philadelphia: W.B. Sanders, 1998.
O’Rahilly, R. and Muller, F., Human Embryology and Teratology, 3rd Edition, New York: John Wiley and Sons, Inc., 2001.
Tsiaras, A. and Werth, B., From Conception to Birth, a Life Unfolds, New York: Doubleday, 2002
World Health Organization, Human Reproductive Program, Abortion Care Guideline, 2022 https://srhr.org/abortioncare/