The organs developed in the first semester grow bigger, even though the seeds of development have been sown and "except for certain parts of the brain and lungs, all the cells the baby will ever have are there" by now (Bontragaer 2005, p.5). The third trimester, which takes place between 28 and 32 weeks, is a process of maturation: "In the first two trimesters, most fetuses are pretty much the same size at the same age…in the third trimester, babies start to grow at different rates" (Bontragaer 2005, p.6). Behaviors as well as anatomical structures are obvious, and third trimester fetuses swallow, breathe, sleep, wake, and even suck their thumbs (Bontragaer 2005, p.6). Thus the baby during the third trimester seems to be preparing itself to live in the outside world. "In the third trimester the fetus increases the surface area of its brains to astronomical proportions. In fact, so...
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