An infant’s bones first begin to develop shortly after conception and do not finish developing till they are grown-up. It may be difficult to accept this when you are being poked from the inside by a pointy elbow joint or when a small nether is pushing on your bladder, but an infant’s bones are really formed by what the mother and child consume over the years. Read this article to learn more about fetal development of your baby’s skull, skeleton, and bone development.
It might be hard to envisage while looking at a petite new-born, but that baby has approximately 300 bones and these bones are developing and changing form every single day. On the other hand, adults have 206 bones that make up close to fifteen percent of their body mass. Even though bones seem to be hard and stiff, they are in reality made up of calcium and live tissue which is forever being built-up and thrown-away throughout existence.
In This Article
- Fetal Development of Baby Bone Formation
- Skull Development in Fetus
- Fetal Development of Baby’s Spine
- Fetal Development of Baby’s Limb Bones
- How You Can Help Your Baby’s Bone Growth During Pregnancy?
- What Are the Major Milestones in Fetal Bone Development?
- Ensuring Healthy Skull, Skeleton and Bone Development in Fetus
- FAQ’s
Fetal Development of Baby Bone Formation
During the very primary days of gestation, the fundamental boundary of all of the infant’s bones is constituted according to the instructions from different gene sequences. At about seven weeks of pregnancy, the mapping of an infant’s full skeletal system has been set down.
Almost all bones begin as cartilage, a hard but flexible body part that in time changes into bone. Grown-ups contain few cartilage, primarily in the joints. Level bones – like the collarbone, many facial bones, parts of the pelvis and skull start out as flat protection of tissue known as membranes. Every bone develops in the aforesaid manner in a process named ossification. At roughly ten weeks, bone tissue begins to sort as membrane or cartilage. And then, phosphate and calcium, minerals stocked in the body and refilled by the nutrients consumed, are added to the tissue to toughen it.
Skull Development in Fetus
An infant’s skull is not a unitary big bone, like a grown-up’s. It begins as detached bones united by bendable tissue. The soft spots can be felt between the bones, known as fontanels, on the back and top of an infant’s head.
At the time of birth, the softness of the skull bones and the free connections between them let the skull to be slightly compressible into a bullet like form that much easily fits through the birth canal, which is why some infants have clearly pointed heads straight after they are born. Within a couple of days, though, the bones arrange themselves and the skull goes back to a concave shape.
The fontanel on the rear of the head normally closes by the time an infant is about four months old but the one on the crown typically does not close till the infant’s first birthday.
During the first three years of a child’s existence, the skull develops quickly as the brain triples in mass and establishes a thousand trillion nerve links. The brain continues to increase in weight and size till the child is just about 16 years, and the skull continues to grow over till the age of 20.
Fetal Development of Baby’s Spine
An infant’s spinal column starts out as matched blocks of tissue, better-known as somites, on either side of the developing spinal column. These blocks in time turn into vertebrae (single spinal bones), as well as the muscles, rib cage and skin.
The first set of somites appear at about five weeks of pregnancy, and over the next couple of weeks, the figure increases to thirty five. During this period, it is possible to perceive the somites during a sonography examination; looking like a twine of pearls. At eight weeks, the somites vanish as they evolve into various kinds of tissue.
Fetal Development of Baby’s Limb Bones
Between five and six weeks of pregnancy, the fetus sprouts paddle shaped buds which increase and turn into hands. At eight weeks, the fetus has flipper-like leg buds. The hands reach the concluding dimensions by approximately fourteen weeks but the legs take a couple of weeks longer.
By sixteen weeks, the fetus begins to move the limbs in a coordinated manner. Although this might not be felt till about eighteen weeks or even later, the tumbling can be seen on ultrasonography. As the pregnancy advances, the motions become so noticeable that sometimes it may feel like the fetus is kick-boxing. Several researches suggest foetal motion aids in strengthening infants’ bones.
[Read : Everything About Baby Kicks And Fetal Movements]
How You Can Help Your Baby’s Bone Growth During Pregnancy?
It is essential to have adequate phosphorus and calcium to ensure that the infant’s bones turn out healthy and strong. Vitamin D is also necessary as it assists the body to utilize calcium with efficiency. Phosphorus insufficiency is uncommon, however, having a decent amount of vitamin D and calcium is vital.
Thousand milligrams of calcium is needed in a day. Dairy products like hard cheese, yogurt and even ice cream are great sources of calcium and supply lots of phosphorus and vitamin D as well. Non-dairy nutrient sources include almond-milk, bread, cereal, calcium-fortified juice, leafy greens like bok choy and kale, as well as tofu and salmon.
If the intake is less than thousand milligrams of calcium from antenatal supplement and food, it is best to check with the doctor if calcium as a separate supplement is required. Calcium chews are a simple means to help increase consumption.
The suggested day-to-day measure of vitamin D during gestation is 600 IU (international units). Most antenatal supplements comprise 400 IUs. Since vitamin D inadequacy is common during gestation, few experts suggest more. Deficiency of vitamin D may result in irregular bone development, breakage of bones, or rickets in infants.
However, it is important to consult with the doctor prior to consuming more vitamin D. A test may be needed to check for deficiency, and if deficient, the doctor will prescribe the intake.
What Are the Major Milestones in Fetal Bone Development?
The following table gives a complete glimpse of the fetus’s bone development milestones to be achieved.
| Pregnancy Week | Key Milestone |
| 5 Weeks | Basic set of somites come out to turn into a portion of the spinal column. |
| 7 Weeks | Bone outline for the full skeletal system is constituted and cartilage is formed. |
| 8 Weeks | Somites vanish and joints begin to form. |
| 10 Weeks | Bone tissue forms and begins to harden (ossification) |
| 16 Weeks | Infant moves the limbs. |
| 16 – 40 Weeks | Bone tissue continues to develop. |
| During Birth | Your infant has more than 275 bones |
Ensuring Healthy Skull, Skeleton and Bone Development in Fetus
The process of bone development and growth in babies is an extraordinary one. To ensure the bones remain in good health for a long time, it is vital to follow a few nutrition rules.
- Include flourishing foods rich in calcium like almonds, low-fat dairy options (cheese, milk and yogurt), leafy greens, like spinach and collard greens, seeds and white beans.
- Include weight-bearing workouts, like weight-lifting or walking, as a part of the regular exercise routine or an entertaining family-time activity. Workouts which risk-free trial the muscles and bones aid in promoting bone wellness throughout the time of life, but it is never too soon to begin pondering about this.
- Include adequate vitamin D in the diet or via supplements. Vitamin D assists the body to assimilate calcium. Acquiring sufficient protein is likewise crucial in the long-run for muscle and bone strength. If the family adopts vegetarianism beforehand, speak with a dietician to know about great sources of protein apart from meat.
As we can see, the development of various parts of the fetus such as skull, skeleton, and foetus go through many changes from very early stages of gestation and continue post birth too. All the organs are vital for the proper growth and development of the baby.
[Read : Why is Exercising a Good Idea During Pregnancy?]
FAQ’s
1. How Many Bones Does an Infant Have?
Infants are born with approximately 270 to 300 bones during birth. Over a period of time, several of an infant’s bones join (i.e. fuse) together, so that by the time the tiny one is in their 20s, they’ll likely have 206 bones.
2. Why do Infants Have More Bones than Adults?
At the time of gestation, the skeleton, which will one day assist the infant’s entire body, begins as cartilage, a stiff tissue that is tender and more bendable than bone. This enables the infant to pass via the birth canal and allows for development once they arrive.
As the tiny one acquires more calcium (from the mother throughout the gestation and later from the nutrients they consume on starting solids), the cartilage bit by bit ossifies to turn into hard bone. About the time they are two to three years old, few of the bones start to grow jointly. The process will not be fully accomplished till after they are grown-up to let the whole body develop.
3. Which Bones are Infants Born Without?
When infants are born, many of their “bones” are specialized cartilage which, in time, changes to bone as they develop. Grown-ups do have several cartilages, however, less than infants. Almost all of the cartilage in grown-ups is situated at the end of bones to aid them to slide softly above each other at the joints. Cartilage yields a bendable form and shape to organs such as the nose and ears.
An example of a bone that infants are born without is the patella or kneecap. The patella begins as cartilage and significantly hardens to bone between the ages of two and six. Various areas of cartilage in the knee start to change together and in time join together to become a coagulated bone.
Read Also:Fetal Development – Know Everything About Your Baby’s Brain and Nervous System
