The first month
Content originally Sourced: Femanin.com
Eeek! You’re pregnant and you probably don’t even know it yet! Crazy huh? For the first few weeks, your precious baby is still a microscopic bundle of cells. It takes 6 weeks for organs to develop, but there are signs of an early placenta. You yourself may well be feeling super tired and possibly sick (at any time of the day/night, sorry.) You may also feel your normal period symptoms such as cramping or bloating, so don’t despair at those if you’re trying!
Week 5: Tadpole babe
Source: Mum Junction
Even at this early stage, the heart and circulatory system have already started to form! Your placenta is already doing its job of getting nutrients and oxygen to your baby. Impressive right? Your breasts might be feeling a bit tender now, and it’s time to do a pregnancy test! Once you’ve seen those two lines, it’s time to start choosing your healthcare provider!
Week 6: Heartbeat!
Source: What to Expect
Your baby might not have a fully formed heart yet, but the cells which will eventually become it are already beating away at 160 bpm! Try to cut down on caffeine if you’ve not done so already. We know you’re oh so tired (sorry), but it can lead to complications of you have too much, a little is fine. Also, get taking those vitamins!
Week 7: Taking shape
Source: Emma’s Diary
Your baby now has leg and arm buds and their tiny facial features are starting to become recognisable. They are also developing an eating tube and stomach. Even more incredibly, your baby’s brain is gaining 250,000 cells per minute! You might find yourself needing to pee more often and constipation and heart burn are also pretty common (and super fun)…
Week 8: Tiny little fingers
Source: Baby centre
On the ends of your baby’s weeny arms and legs, you can just about see webbed fingers and toes bringing to form. They are also developing nerves, bones, muscle and all the other things required for movement. Weird dreams are pretty common round about now, so don’t worry if they, as well as the constant bathroom breaks, are keeping you up. Just get as much rest as you can.
Week 9: Body – done!
Source: Medical News Today
It’s week 9, and your baby is only about the size of a strawberry, but they now have all their main body parts (joints included!) Toes, eyelids, nose… they’re all there. Even tooth buds are beginning to form (when those babies erupt later, it’s not fun. Mind you, if you’re breast feeding then it’s probably for the best…) The placenta is now fully in charge of producing your baby’s growth hormones but you probably aren’t feeling great still. Good news though, you’re well into your second month now!
Week 10: Eyes are fully developed
Source: efelya.com
Although they keep their eyelids closed until around 27 weeks, your baby now has corneas, irises, pupils, lenses and retinas. Their brain is also developing at speed and causing their head to bulge slightly – they look a bit out of proportion as their head accounts for about half their body length still. You might start to feel a bit dizzy around now; you’re pumping 30-50% more blood around than usual. Sit down and put your head between your knees if this ever gets particularly bad.
Week 11: Boys and girls
Source: Parents
This week, your baby will start developing their genitals, although they’re too small to really differentiate on a scan just yet. The rest of their organs are also working away, making insulin, urine, red blood cells and all the rest. They have a fully formed heart too! As well as all the other symptoms, you may start experiencing heart burn, which is nasty but there are plenty of over the counter remedies you can still take during pregnancy.
Week 12: Now onto the details
Source: SMA baby club
With a fully formed body, your baby is now working on things such as finger and toenails! The likelihood of miscarriage also drops dramatically around now, so if you’ve been holding off sharing your amazing news, you might feel more comfortable doing so now. Having people around you in the know means they can support you better as you may continue to feel up and down mood wise, tired and sick for a few weeks yet. You’re doing great, things should start to improve for you soon!
Week 13: Welcome to the Second Trimester, baby!
Source: Baby centre
We really hope you’ll start to feel those pesky first trimester symptoms ease up about now (sorry again if they don’t yet.) You might not need to pee quite as much, but your baby can now! It might sounds gross (they don’t mind) but your baby will recycle all of their amniotic fluid every few hours! They’ve also started woking on their very first poop. Lovely.
Week 14: Pulling faces
Source: Baby centre
Your baby is now getting quite expressive! They can frown, squint and may have started to suck and chew. They’re also developing hair follicles. It’s not just their face which is getting a work out: even if you can’t feel it, babies can be right fidgets by this stage! You may be feeling quite congested which is pretty annoying (and again, due to blood flow and hormones), but hopefully your appetite will be returning and you may even have a bump!
Week 15: Tiny person!
Source: What to expect
Baby now looks much more in proportion and baby-like than before! They can move all of their joints and may have started to suck their thumb (cute.) They also have tastebuds, but don’t worry, they can’t taste what you had for lunch. Hormones and increased blood flow may continue to cause you problems sorry: heartburn, nose bleeds and swollen gums may have joined the party. Make sure you take a trip to the dentist!
Week 16: Thin skin
Source: Medicine Net
Baby’s skin is so thin at this point it’s basically translucent. As your pregnancy goes on however, it will get thicker. They’ve now got all their hair follicles too, even if they’re born with very little hair. You may by now be feeling the full impact of “baby brain.” The mix of anxiety, tiredness and hormones may well result in you not feel as on top of things as usual. But you’re growing a whole human so be kind to yourself!
Week 17: Can you hear me?
Source: Parents
In the next few weeks, your baby will begin to hear sounds like your heart, breathing and digestive system. Many baby mobiles now include heartbeat sounds for this reason: it sounds like home. Your baby’s bones are also hardening now, so try and eat some high calcium foods to help out. Moisturiser is now your new best friend – itchy skin and stretch marks are very common in pregnancy. Oatmeal baths apparently can help, as can cold compresses and fragrance free lotions. Treat yourself to a nice one.
Week 18: Lungs
Source: Family Education
As well as a fully formed face (eyelashes and eyebrows are there now too!), your baby’s lungs will start developing bronchioles (their tiniest tubes.) Girls will also have a uterus and fallopian tubes, and boys will be very clearly boys on scans! For you, you may begin to experience the joys of leg crams and odd swelling. While some swelling in your extremities is normal, do contact your medial team if you are concerned about it suddenly worsening – it can be a sign of preeclampsia.
Week 19: Individuality
Source: Tommy’s
Your baby now has their own finger prints! These amazing, unique marks are individual, even in identical twins. You may only be half way to your due date, but your baby now has all their senses and are probably quite enjoying trying them out! They are also now covered in Vernix Caseosa, a white, waxy coating which moisturises the skin and protects the still developing organs from harmful bacteria.
Odd skin symptoms
Source: What to Expect
You might find your palms are redder than usual, or you have patches of darker skin on you forehead, upper lip or cheeks. Yep, you guessed it, it’s those pesky hormones again. Any cells containing melanin could darken – you may find a dark line from your belly button downwards. Don’t worry, none of these changed should be permanent!
Week 20: Half Way to your due date!
Source: Made for Mums
Got a bouncing bump? If it’s regularly rhythmic, your baby may well have hiccups! You’ll more likely start to feel more additional movements now too, it’s really quite fun! Baby’s tastebuds are more advanced now, and could possibly taste tiny molecules of food which pass into the amniotic fluid around them. Finally, we have some good new for you: your hair and skin should be growing faster and thicker than usual by now! Say hello to lush, oestrogen-fuelled locks! (Sorry, this, like the less pleasant stuff, isn’t permanent either. Sad.)
Week 21: Veiny babes
Source: Parents
Your baby’s blood vessels remain visible through their still translucent skin, which is still super wrinkly. This makes them look a bit pink, but the skin will begin to thicken soon. You, sadly, might be more prone to varicose veins by now. Your uterus is pretty heavy by this point, which puts more pressure on your lower veins. Try elevating your feet or get some super sexy compression socks if you’re having problems.
Week 22: Beginnings of baby rolls
Source: Baby centre
Everyone loves chubby baby rolls – super cute and cuddly! Your baby is still pretty skinny in there, but a layer of fat is beginning to form under the skin. To go with your varicose veins, you may find yourself experiencing come pelvic pain, which is totally normal but no fun whatsoever. Your pelvis is being pushed forward by your belly, and the curvature of your lower back is becoming more pronounced. There are special belts you can get to help with this or speak to your hearth care provider and see what they can suggest.
Week 23: Your voice
Source: BBC
Your baby can hear so well now that they can hear sounds from outside the womb too! They may even be able to recognise yours and your partner’s voices. To help you feel extra connected, they may start to give you the odd, friendly(ish) kick now. You may even start to recognise a pattern. Babies love movement and may well snooze during the day as you rock them. At night however, it’s party time!
Week 24-26: Getting expressive
Source: Family Education
Your baby continues to put on weight and look even more like a newborn! They might be able to raise their newly grown eyebrows now, good practise for later life! Their lungs are also continuing to increase in surface area, getting ready for life on the outside. Hopefully, any mood swings you were experiencing should start to mellow out now, but if you feel you need support with them, your health care team will be more than happy to help you. It’s a very emotional time!
Week 26: Hello there!
Source: Goodto
Your baby will begin to open their eyes for the first time this week! They might also move in response to changes of light; you may feel them wiggle about if you shine a flashlight on your tummy. If you are feeling a bit put out by increased body hair this week (it’s caused by the same thing as your love new hairdo), this again should be temporary. Try and stick to non-chemical based methods of hair removal as there’s not been much research done on the effects creams etc can have.
Week 28-29: Third Trimester!
Source: Netmums
You’re on the home stretch now! Your baby’s brain will…wait for it… triple in wight between now and birth! Grooves will form, increasing surface area in a place with limited space. Your baby is now becoming able to control things like body temperature and breathing via their nervous system. How clever!
Week 30-32: Seeing shapes
Source: Medicine Net
Your baby’s pupils can now dilate and contract, enabling them to control how much light they let in. They can also see dim shapes. Sure, there’s not much to see in there, but it’s pretty cool nonetheless. You, mama, are probably feeling super pregnant by now. Sleep may be increasingly difficult and your feet may be expanding. We’re sorry to say, this change may not be temporary – so treat yourself to some new shoes.
Week 33: Smoothing out
Source: Family Education
With their skin smoothing out, your baby will be looking less alien and more gorgeous baby. Their skin is also more opaque now, making it appear less red. They’ll also be super on the move, getting in as much wriggling as they can in the decreasing space. Your organs might not love this…
Week 34: Pretty much there
Source: First Cry Parenting
If your baby is born after 34 weeks, you’ll be happy to know they are very unlikely to have any long term consequences. Unless they have any underlying health issues, a brief stay in the NICU is probably all they’ll need to give them a little bit of help. You’ll probably want to be packing that hospital bag of essentials now, just in case!
Week 35-38: Waste management, sorted
Source: NPR
Your baby can now process some waste material through their kidneys and has a fully functioning bladder. They may also soon descend into your pelvis about now in preparation for birth, which might not be the most comfortable place for that ever expanding head! Be one the look out for itchy rashes on your belly or lower body – this could be a sign of pruritic urticarial papules. As with everything, call your medical team if you are worried. Trust us, you’re not causing trouble, they’re there to look after you!
Week 39: Full term!
Source: Kopa birth
Yes we know pregnancy is said to last 40 weeks, but babies born after 39 weeks are still considered full term. Hooray! At the size of a watermelon (yikes), your baby is ready for life in the outside world. Congratulations! You grew a wonderful, gorgeous human who you’ll soon get to meet!
Birth!
Source: Accutech Security
They’re here! Most babies aren’t born on their due date, but there’s no need for medical intervention until at least week 42, unless your medical team feel differently. All births look different, and whether yours is planned or you go with the flow, one thing is for sure: you’ll soon meet that little bundle you’ve been imagining and who’s been kicking you often (little scamp) for weeks now! Well done mama. You did it!
