This is when the mother can first feel fetal movement, called quickening, and the fetal heartbeat can be heard with a special stethoscope called a fetoscope. The fetus finds a favorite position. Baby begins to develop a regular schedule of sleeping, sucking, and kicking. Hands can grasp. Hair, eyebrows, and eyelashes are formed.
Skin covering the body is reddish and wrinkled with little fat.
The fetus has distinct foot and fingerprints. The fetus continues to develop and grow, reaching about 14 inches and almost three pounds by the 28th week. By the end of the trimester, respiratory and circulation are well developed and the eyes begin to reopen. The third trimester is the period of gestation devoted to refining structures and perfecting function. The baby is fully formed and now each system begins to mature.