The contents of the uterus is called a fetus when the embryo reaches week eight of development. ("Fetus" is the Latin word for "young one" or "offspring.")

Everything that will be found in a fully developed adult is now present. The heart has been beating for more than a month, the stomach produces digestive juices and the kidneys have begun to function. Forty muscle sets begin to operate in conjunction with the nervous system.

The fetus' body responds to touch, although the woman carrying the fetus will not be able to feel movement until the fourth or fifth month.

In other words, the fetus feels the mother, but the mother doesn't feel the fetus.

At 12 weeks of development, the fetus is about two inches long. It has recognizable sleep patterns by this time, and when it is awake, it exercises its muscles by turning its head and curling its toes.

Also at 12 weeks, the fetus will open its palm and make a tight fist when stroked. If it could, the fetus is capable of holding its mother's hand.

After 14 to 15 weeks, ending the pregnancy is more difficult because the fetus is larger and there is much greater blood flow to the uterus.

By the end of the fourth month, the fetus is eight to ten inches in length and weighs a half pound or more.

The ears are functioning, and there is evidence that the fetus hears quite a bit — the mother's voice and heartbeat as well as external noises.

The fetus listens to its mother's voice and heartbeat every day.

The embryo is now about 12 inches long, and the mother feels fetal movement on a regular basis.

If a sound outside is especially loud or startling, the fetus may react with a sudden movement.

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