A typical pregnancy is usually 40 weeks long and is divided into three trimesters. Here is a detailed description of each of the stages of pregnancy, what happens to the mother and how the fetus develops into a baby during the 40 weeks of pregnancy from the first day of the last menstrual period till the day the baby is born.
First Trimester
The first trimester is from week one till week 12.
Initially the baby is an embryo from which the body parts organs will develop.
6 Weeks
At 6 Weeks, the lower jaw, tongue and vocal cords begin to develop. The hands and feet of the baby form like paddles with a web between the fingers and toes. At this stage the baby’s heartbeat is twice as fast as mother’s and the heart begins to divide and form left and right chambers.
2 Months
At 2 Months, the baby has grown into a size of a kidney bean. The baby consistently moves and has distinct slightly webbed fingers.
8 Weeks
At 8 Weeks, the nerve cells in the baby’s brain begin to branch out to connect to each other and form the neural pathways. The baby develops eyelids that are initially translucent. The baby also develops knees and the feet are now long enough to meet in front of his/her body whereas the hands are fixed at the wrist and meet over the heart. The fingers are slightly webbed but are still growing longer.
10 Weeks
At 10 Weeks, the baby’s Liver starts to make blood cells. The fingers are now web-less and start to grow finger nails. With the baby’s developing brain, the forehead bulges and starts to become prominent and the mother’s uterus has doubled in size from the size of a pear to the size of a grapefruit.
12 Weeks
At 12 Weeks, baby’s intestine start to settle into the abdominal cavity. Baby’s eyelids become less translucent and begin to move close together whereas the ears are now close to the final position on the sides of the head. At this stage, mother’s uterus starts to rise above the pelvic bones
Physical & Emotional Changes during First Trimester:
Early Pregnancy is quite a dramatic time for many women. The body changes frequently during the first trimester. A woman may face many signs of early pregnancy throughout the first trimester due to the hormonal changes going on in the woman’s body.
The early changes in a woman’s body that signify pregnancy show up in the first trimester. A missed period is the first sign that you are pregnant. The hormonal changes during this period will effect almost every organ of your body along with physical changes.
You may experience Fatigue, Sudden Tiredness, Swollen and tender Breasts, Nausea with or without vomiting, Dizziness, Cravings, Mood Swings and mixed emotions, Frequent Urination or Constipation.
To know about more about these changes see: Signs of Early Pregnancy.
The first Trimester can bring all sorts of conflict in emotions. The most important thing you may think is will this baby survive or will I miscarry. But generally in the first trimester, you may feel the realization that you are pregnant and what does this mean for you and its impact on your life.
It is very common for parents to feel extremely positive and a bit low. But if you are unable to drive yourself out of the dark period and feel it is becoming more negative and worse with time, you must seek help and talk to an expert.
Changes in the Woman’s Daily Routine:
Each pregnancy is different and even of you have been pregnant before, you may feel different with each subsequent pregnancy. Some of the changes in the body may cause you revise your daily routine.
You may want to eat more frequent or smaller meals. You may also want to go to bed earlier than usual.
Tips for First Trimester:
If you are confirmed with pregnancy or looking forward to one, the first thing you should do is quit all unhealthy things, restrain from alcohol and smoking and eat healthy balanced diet. It is important for you to stay fit. If you are not an Olympic athlete, do not go out and become one during pregnancy but try to get some gentle walk or exercise two to three times a week. Remember that putting on a lot of weight during pregnancy can lead to complications and is even harder to lose after you have the baby.
The second trimester starts from week 13 till week 27.
3 Months
At 3 Months, the baby is 3 inches long and weighs around an ounce. Her tiny unique fingerprints are now in place.
14 Weeks
At 14 Weeks, the baby’s brain is now capable of sending impulses to the baby’s face and the face can now show expressions like squinting, frowning and grimace. The baby’s arms have are now long enough and will be in proportion to the body by the end of the week.
The baby is now starting to develop a fine layer of hair all over the body known as lanugo.
At this stage, the mother’s uterus starts to push against her belly.
4 Months
At 4 Months, the baby’s size has grown upto 5 inches long and weighs around 5 ounces. From now onwards, the baby’s skeleton will start to strengthen and will harden from rubbery cartilage to bones.
18 Weeks
At 18 Weeks, the baby will start to flex his/her arms and legs which is called “Kicking”.
20 Weeks
At 20 Weeks, the baby gets covered in a greasy white substance to protect the skin from amniotic fluid.
The top of mother’s uterus is now even with her belly button.
5 Months
At 5 Months, the baby is now more than 10 inches long and the eyebrows, eyelids and ears are in place.
22 Weeks
At 22 Weeks, the baby’s skin looks wrinkled until he/she gains enough weight to fill it in.
At this stage, the tooth buds form under the gums and baby’s eyes are fused shut while the eyes are developing under them. But, the baby has no eye color yet.
The mother’s belly button start to pop out.
24 Weeks
At 24 Weeks, baby’s taste buds begin to develop. Also, the lungs now start to develop ‘branches’ forming respitory tree.
6 Months
At 6 Months, the baby now weighs a pound a a half and the wrinkled skin starts to smooth out with weight gain and baby fat.
26 Weeks
At 26 Weeks, the baby’s respond to sound is growing more consistent.
If the woman is pregnant with a son, his testicles will begin to descend into his scrotum. This process will take 2 to 3 days.
The mother might experience backache due to the weight shift.
Physical & Emotional Changes during Second Trimester:
In the second Trimester, women are mostly focused on believing that they are actually having the baby.
The nausea and morning sickness that you were facing during the first trimester starts to ease off and may completely go away by this time. Also, the sense tiredness may also ease and you may feel much better. However, you will also notice more changes to your body. Most prominently, the baby bump will start to show and by the end of the second trimester, you will even be able to feel your baby move. Overall, this is the most healthy and wellest period in pregnancy. During this period, you will start to feel more pregnant and feel more into it.
Some of the physical changes that you may notice include
Back, abdomen or thigh aches or pains
Stretch marks on the abdomen, thighs, buttocks and breasts
Darkening of skin around the nippples
You will also notice a line running from belly button to public hair line.
You may develop patches of dark skin usually on the face
Numb or Tingling hands
Itching on abdomen, palms or soles of your feet.
Swelling of ankles, fingers and face.
The physical symptoms that you might need to go and seek help about are severe headaches, spots in front of the eyes, sudden and extreme swelling or bleeding. Other than that, all the light pains and aches that you may feel are usually quite normal.
Call your doctor if you have nausea, vomiting, loss of appetite, yellowing of the skin or fatigue combined with itching. These may indicate a liver problem.
Third Trimester
The third and last trimester is from week 28 till birth.
28 Weeks
At 28 Weeks, the baby’s body gets covered in layers of fat in preparation for life outside. By this time the baby has developed eyelashes and will turn the head towards a content shining from outside the mother’s belly.
7 Months
At 7 Months, the baby has grown up to more than 15 inches long and weighs about 3 pounds. The baby is now capable of closing the eyes and following light.
30 Weeks
At 30 Weeks, the baby is now capable to distinguish between light and dark. The amniotic fluid keeps increasing until birth. The mother’s uterus also continues to grow in size and she may feel off balance.
32 Weeks
At 32 Weeks, the baby’s fingernails and toenails are fully grown. Some baby’s will have a full head of hair.
8 Months
At 8 Months, the baby weighs around 4 pounds and his/her lungs are fully developed. Baby’s layers of fat are filling in making the baby look rounder.
34 Weeks
At 34 Weeks, the baby is still gaining body fat that is crucial to regulate the body temperature at birth. 99% of the babies born at this stage can survive.
36 Weeks
At 36 Weeks, the baby is now at a head down position and is continuously dropping lower into the pelvis. The Braxton Hicks contractions may be more frequent now.
9 Months
At 9 Months, the average baby is now more than 19 inches lon and weighs around 7 pounds. The babies vary widely in size and weight at this stage.
38 Weeks
At 38 Weeks, the baby has developed a firm grip.
If the baby is born with brown eyes, they will most likely stay that color. Whereas, if the baby is born with blue or dark grey eyes, they may stay that color or change into hazel during the first year.
41 Weeks
At 41 Weeks, the amniotic fluid has now decreased and the baby’s skin starts to peel due to the long ‘bath’.
At this stage, the mother’s cervix starts to dilate and soften to prepare for childbirth.
Physical & Emotional Changes during Third Trimester:
During this final stage of pregnancy, the discomforts that you might have experienced during the second trimester will likely continue alongwith some new ones.
As the baby grows longer, it pushes against your belly and puts pressure on your internal organs. As a result, you may find your self short of breath and experience difficulty breathing as well as you may also want to urinate more frequently.
You may also experience physical changes like
Swollen ankles, fingers and face
Hemorrhoids
Tender breast with watery pre-milk secretions from the nipples
Contractions that can be a sign of real or false labor
You may also experience heartburn or difficulty sleeping
The movement of the baby is very important and we now know that the best judge is the mother. If your baby is moving actively and suddenly you feel that it has start to move a lot lesser, you should never ignore it and ask your health professional. your baby’s movements are the best indicator that your baby is well.
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