Sacred Heart of Jesus Catholic Church
Hot Springs Village, Arkansas
5 month fetus in wombYou may begin to feel your baby move, since he or she is developing muscles and exercising them.  This first movement is called quickening.  Hair begins to grow on baby's head.  Your baby's shoulders, back, and temples are covered by a soft fine hair called lanugo.  This hair protects your baby and is usually shed at the end of the baby's first week of life.  The baby's skin is covered with a whitish coating called vernix caseosa.  This "cheesy" substance is thought to protect baby's skin from the long exposure to the amniotic fluid.  This coating is shed just before birth.  By the end of the fifth month, your baby is about 10 inches long and weighs from 1/2 to 1 pound.