Your Baby – Week One

Cell fusion has begun, and the sperm and egg’s nuclei shed their protective membranes as they meet – merging within twelve hours.  The mother’s 23 chromosomes and the father’s 23 chromosomes attach, creating a blueprint for further cell creation.  Cells have begun to split and finally form the morula, which glides along the fallopian tube toward the uterus by the second day.  By the fourth day, the morula enters the uterus.  It’s shape changes to a single layered hollow sphere, filled with fluid.  On one side, a group of cells gathers together, forming what will be your baby.  The rest of the morula becomes the protective membranes that will connect to the uterus.

The cells that will be your baby soon divide.  One layer will develop into the skin, sense organs, spinal cord, nervous system and brain.  The other layer will become the lining of the baby’s gut, which will include the intestine and the stomach.