Fetal Development General

Charlotte Lozier Institute Launches Updated Unborn Baby Development Guide, New Pregnancy Calculator

Charlotte Lozier Institute

May 7, 2026

The most advanced pro-life prenatal resource includes the latest research, imagery, and a new pregnancy calculator

Washington D.C.—Ahead of Mother’s Day, Charlotte Lozier Institute (CLI) launched an updated version of Voyage of Life (VoL) along with a new pregnancy calculator. VoL is an interactive, educational website created by CLI that uses up-to-date, peer-reviewed research and medically grounded visuals to illustrate human development from fertilization through birth.

VoL updates include:

The Latest Science: Dive deeper into the miracle of life with the latest prenatal research, now expanded with 700+ new citations from CLI and peer‑reviewed medical and scientific studies.
Vivid Imagery: Visualize your baby’s development like never before with almost 50 groundbreaking, high-definition images.
Pregnancy Calculator: Discover what amazing milestones are happening and when, with a calculator that estimates how far along you are in your pregnancy journey.

First launched in 2021, the inspiration behind VoL was to provide a pro-life, science-based response to Planned Parenthood’s Pregnancy: Month by Month page. Planned Parenthood’s pregnancy breakdown ignores many scientific realities about unborn babies, instead focusing on negative pregnancy symptoms mothers are experiencing.

Katrina Furth, Ph.D., CLI associate scholar and lead researcher and writer for VoL, said:

“The updates to the Voyage of Life website add hundreds of new details about the breathtaking complexity of a single cell transforming into a complex, living human body. As people come to understand how early the unborn baby is drawn to faces, capable of feeling, and moving in response to touch, they will see the humanity of the unborn and start giving the youngest among us the protection that they deserve.”

Karen Czarnecki, executive director of CLI, said:

“These updates to Voyage of Life reflect what science continues to confirm—that from the earliest weeks of development, a distinct human life is present. This fact is ignored by groups like Planned Parenthood because honest science threatens their business model built on denying the humanity of the unborn. Voyage of Life exists to confront this blatant denial with clear, evidence-based science.”

Check out the updated Voyage of Life website here.

Charlotte Lozier Institute was launched in 2011 as the education and research arm of Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America. CLI is a hub for research and public policy analysis on some of the most pressing issues facing the United States and nations around the world. The Institute is named for a feminist physician known for her commitment to the sanctity of human life and equal career and educational opportunities for women.

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Did You Know ?

In the fourth week, the embryonic heart starts beating. The neural tube, which becomes the brain and spinal cord, forms. At this point, a woman has likely only been aware of her pregnancy for one week.

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In the seventh week after conception, networks of neurons produce brain waves that have been recorded as early as 6 ½ weeks after conception. The embryo spontaneously moves his arms, hands, and legs, and may even hiccup. The embryo’s heart now has all four chambers.

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By the seventeenth and eighteenth week after gestation, the fetus shows a clear response to pain in multiple studies, and at least one brain pathway is mature enough to create a perception of pain. The fetus also practices breathing, crying, and breastfeeding in the womb. The fetal heart has beat over 20 million times and circulates about 55 quarts of blood per day.

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In the eighth month of pregnancy the fetal brain is ready to learn! At 32 weeks after conception, neurons are creating 40,000 new connections, called synapses, every second! With repeated exposures, the fetus can learn flavors, nursery rhymes, songs, and even words that she will recognize after birth!

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