Labor & Child Birth

Fetal brain development

The fetal brain begins to develop during the third week of gravidity. Neural ancestor cells begin to divide and separate into neurons and glia, the two cell types that form the base of the nervous system. By the ninth week, the brain appears as a small, smooth structure. The most active period of baby brain development takes place during the middle of the alternate trimester, when, 250,000 neurons are created every nanosecond.