Baby’s brain development
At 35 weeks a baby’s brain weighs only two thirds of what it will weigh at 39 to 40 weeks. So look at the brain’s size at 35 weeks and add half its size again – that’s the growing still to come.
The brain grows rapidly in these last few weeks – in fact the baby’s brain roughly triples in weight during your third trimester with its fastest growth occurring in the final few weeks.
The brain is not just getting bigger, it’s developing too, becoming increasingly complex. In particular, the neurons, which are nerve cells in the brain, are communicating with each other more quickly, increasing in connectivity as the brain matures. This change in size and form of the brain, occurring while the baby is still growing in the uterus, is important for reaching brain development potential in later life.
During the last weeks of pregnancy, a baby is forming brain connections and pathways that are important for learning, movement and coordination.
Allowing development to 40 weeks gives the brain opportunity to reach its full developmental potential.
A baby’s brain undergoes an amazing period of development from birth to five years of age —forming more than a million new neural connections every second. This is more than at any other time in life. The development of the young brain is influenced by many factors, including a baby’s relationships, experiences and environment.
