Pregnancy

40 weeks calendar

1st trimester

Pregnancy hormones can send you on an emotional rollercoaster. It may take you and your body time to adjust to pregnancy. You need to adjust in other ways too, in the early stages your baby may be harmed by things you eat or drink, so you may need to make some lifestyle changes.

These columns offer a general picture of how babies grow, each baby develops slightly differently, and what you may feel may not match our week-to-week guide exactly, because every woman is different, too! So don't worry if you feel some things earlier or later than we have put them - you may never notice some of the things we describe. But you can get an idea of how pregnancy generally progresses, and what to expect when.

2nd trimester | 3rd trimester
Week 1-4
You:
  		•  Are already are already technically 4 weeks pregnant by the time your period is due.
    		 Your baby:
  		•  Begins as a single cell formed when the egg and sperm join - that's the moment of conception.
  		•  Implants in the lining of your uterus (womb) and begins to produce pregnancy hormones.
  		•  Is growing faster than at any other time of pregnancy.

    Week 5
    You:
  		•  May feel pregnant, your period is now about a week late.
  		•  Could take a pregnancy test, which will confirm your pregnancy for the first time.
  		•  May be feeling tired, sick, worried...or even on top of the world!
    		 Your baby:
  		•  Is about 2mm long, the size of an apple seed.
  		•  Is developing the neural tube, which will form your baby's brain, spine and nerves.
  		•  Has begun to form a heart, which will sonn begin to beat.

    Week 6
    You:
  		•  Need to take special care over what you eat and drink in these early weeks.
  		•  May feel tired.
  		•  May notice some sickness.
    		 Your baby:
  		•  Is about the size of a pea.
  		•  Is developing tiny buds that will become arms and legs.
  		•  Has all the vital organs (heart, kidneys, liver) now in place, but they need much further development.
  		•  Has a heart the size of a poppyseed.

    Week 7
    You:
  		•  May be on an emotional rollercoaster; up one minute and down the next.
  		•  Could be feeling tired and sick.
    		 Your baby:
  		•  Is about the size of a bean and growing surrounded by fluid.
  		•  Continues to grow the brain, muscles, and bones.
  		•  Has a tiny tail, but don't worry, it will soon disappear!
  		•  Makes his or her first movements this week; although you won't feel your baby move until some time during the second trimester.

    Week 8
    You:
  		•  Have a uterus that's doubled in size...although you can't see anything yet!
  		•  May still find sickness a problem.
  		•  Could notice that you need to wee more often as the growing uterus presses on your bladder.
    		 Your baby:
  		•  Measures about 2cm and has a recognisable body outline.
  		•  Has fingers and toes, and the bones of the face are beginning to form.
  		•  Has skin that is paper-thin.
  		•  Floats in a pool of protective liquid called amniotic fluid.
  		•  Is now called a 'fetus' by health professionals.

    Week 9
    You:
  		•  May notice that your breasts are getting larger.
  		•  Your waistline is beginning to expand.
    		 Your baby:
  		•  Measures approximately 2.5cm.
  		•  Fingers and toes are getting longer.
  		•  Has eyelids and is developing ears, too.
  		•  Has organs, muscles and nerves which are beginning to work.

    Week 10-11
    You:
  		•  May still feel moody and emotional.
  		•  Could feel very tired.
  		•  Might notice sickness starting to fade.
  		•  May be tired but, at the same time, find it hard to settle to sleep.
    		 Your baby:
  		•  Measures about 3.5cm.
  		•  Weighs about 9 grams.
  		•  Has eyelids that are fused shut; the eyes won't open till about week 27.
  		•  Has wrists and elbows that bend.
  		•  Is developing genitals.

    Week 12
    You:
  		•  Are approaching the end of the first trimester.
  		• May see a slight bump, although some women don't have one till 4 or 5 months.
  		•  Could find yourself craving certain foods.
  		•  May go off other foods.
  		•  May have a 'dating' ultrasound scan around now, although this varies in different parts of the country.
    		 Your baby:
  		•  Now measures about the length of your thumb.
  		•  Now looks like a baby although the head is still large compared to the rest of the body.
  		•  Has fully formed fingers and toes and all internal organs are developed.
  		•  Is kicking and stretching.

    Week 13
    You:
  		•  May find any sickness starts to get better, as the placenta takes over producing the pregnancy hormones.
  		•  May feel your clothes getting tighter around your waistline.
  		•  Could have a dating ultrasound scan about now.
    		 Your baby:
  		•  Baby is growing well, but tiny - about 7.5cm long.
  		•  Looks just like a baby now, though he or she is not much bigger than an egg.
  		•  Can kick his legs, turn his head and even swallow.
  		•  is developing the swirls of fingerprints on his skin.


    2nd trimester | 3rd trimester

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