Archive for the 'PREGNANCY STAGES' Category

Pregnancy is divided into three trimesters. Each pregnancy trimester includes three months. The first trimester ranges from 0-12 weeks.

The second trimester starts from 12 weeks and completes at 24 weeks where as the third trimester ranges from 24 weeks to till the completion of pregnancy.

Each pregnancy trimester has its importance with major developmental changes.

The first trimester is the most flimsy stage where all major body organs and systems form. Even most of the birth defects and miscarriages happen in the first trimester of pregnancy.

During the second and third trimesters of pregnancy, the fetus organs and structures forms completely and the fetus grows speedily.

The crucial part of pregnancy is to stay healthy by taking special care at each pregnancy trimester, as it helps provide healthy baby and safe delivery.

During the first pregnancy trimester, your body undergoes several changes due to hormonal imbalance and you may experience various pregnancy symptoms such as morning sickness, frequent urination, constipation, dizziness, fatigue, sore breasts, and many more. So, it is essential to take proper care starting from the first trimester.

When you are 18 week pregnant, your baby is almost half a pound and now the baby has human appearance and your baby measures 5-6 inches crown to rump. During this week, your baby will grow very rapidly.

At 18 week pregnant, the skin of your baby still remains transparent and pink. The baby can make facial expressions such as yawning and stretching and can also frown.

The retinas of the eyes are becoming sensitive to light. The ears start to stick out from the head.

During this week, your baby can differentiate the tastes between sweet and bitter as the taste buds are developing.

The baby during this week can swallow, suck the thumb, and even get hiccups. If you notice to have jerky movements in your belly, do not worry. Feel that your baby may have hiccups.

The baby’s first bowel movement called meconium will collect within the bowel. Your baby can pump up to 25-30 quarts of blood per day now. If you have baby boy in the uterus, the prostate gland starts to develop in this week.

When you are 17 week pregnant, a lot of changes will take place in your baby. This is a rapid growth period.

During your 17 week pregnant, the baby weighs approximately four ounces and around five inches long from crown to rump.

It means the baby and placenta are almost equal in size or the baby weighs more than the placenta.

The fat deposits will start to form underneath your baby’s skin and by the time of delivery, the fat accounts for two to six percent of total body weight.

This fat will help the baby to maintain body temperature and metabolism when born.

In this week, hair starts to grow on head, eyebrows, and eyelashes. The lungs start to exhale the amniotic fluid. The heart of your baby starts to pump about 25 quarts a day. The circulatory system and urinary system are beginning to work.

The reflexes of the baby in your 17 week pregnant are entirely functional as the baby starts to suck, swallow, and blinks. The movements of your baby become stronger and more frequent.

If you get abdominal x-ray, you can able to see your baby’s skeleton. The loud noises outside the uterus disturb your baby.

Are you a 12 week pregnant? This is an exciting week with more developmental changes in the baby.

At this stage, the baby in the womb continues to grow and develop greatly and attains more human appearance.

Now, the baby is about 2.5 inches long and weighs half-ounce.

At 12 week pregnant, the body structures of the baby continue to form.

The baby’s fingers and toes will separate and sucking of the thumb starts. During this period, hair and nails will start to grow.

Lanugo (fine hair) starts to appear on the eyebrows and upper lip. The eyelids cover the eyes to protect the optic nerves fibers from damage, so the baby’s eyes will be remained close until seventh month.

When you are 12 week pregnant, the baby’s lungs attain oval shape. The brain of your baby is formed fully and it starts producing hormones. The nerves cells will begin to multiply rapidly.

Amniotic fluid in the uterus will be accumulated as the kidneys begin to produce and excrete urine, during 12 week pregnant. The baby’s intestinal wall muscles start to practice peristalsis and contractions.

Your baby is called as fetus when you are 11 week pregnant. Most of the baby’s development is completed in this week.

At the beginning of 11 week pregnant, the baby will be an inch or so and the baby grows up to two inches by the end of this week and weighs about 0.3-0.4 ounces.

In this week, your baby grows rapidly. The baby’s head is half of the body size and this will change as the baby grows.

The baby’s organs will start functioning in this week and your baby now will have skeleton, blood circulation, and nerves.

The iris of your baby will begin to develop, but the eyelids will remain shut during this week.

During the 11 week pregnant, the baby’s fingernails start to appear and the feet are fully formed and shaped. Your baby will start to get tooth buds, toenails, fingernails, and hair follicles in this week.

The blood circulation starts to circulate between the uterus and baby and placenta will begin to function by this week or may be in the next week (12 week).

It is an exiting week for a woman who is 6 week pregnant.

Your baby’s first heartbeats have started in this week.

By this weekend, your baby will be about 4-5 mm from CR (crown to rump).

This week is the beginning of the embryonic period. This embryonic period continues for ten weeks.

This is a rapid growing week of your baby and in this week, most of the important growth takes place. The baby’s brain also starts to develop and the activity can be monitored by electroencephalogram.

The embryo that started developing in three layers (ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm) during fifth week continues to grow in the sixth week.

In this sixth week, your baby will have head and trunk and the baby starts to develop facial features as indentation that will turn into eyes, ears, and mouth. The inner ear also starts to develop during your 6 week pregnant.

The laryngotracheal groove develops and also the opening for the mouth and digestive system will begin to form.

During this period, bulging of the heart takes place as well as baby begins to have blood circulation. Upper and lower limb buds start to appear and the primordia of the pancreas, liver, stomach, and lungs.

When it is confirmed that you are pregnant, it is good for you to follow week by week pregnancy guide for healthy pregnancy.

If conception takes place, the urine test will be positive by the end of fourth week.

As soon as your pregnancy is confirmed, schedule an appointment with OB/GYN doctor and follow week by week pregnancy guide as per your health care provider.

Here are some tips for you to follow during your pregnancy, but consult your doctor before considering.

In the fourth week of week by week pregnancy guide, eat healthy and nutritious diet and drink at least 6-8 ounces of water.

Since the neural tube of the baby will be formed by the end of sixth week, take folic acid as it reduces neural tube defects in your baby.

During seventh week, you may continue to have morning sickness. Never leave your stomach empty. Add proteins to your diet in order to avoid hypoglycemia.

Eighth week is one of the most important weeks of pregnancy where rapid development of baby’s brain takes place and it is important for you to quit tobacco and alcohol in order to avoid brain defects.

Pregnancy and birth is an exciting as well as frustrating experience for all women.

Pregnancy refers to the developmental changes in the baby at each stage from conception to childbirth whereas birth refers to the emergence of offspring from the body of the mother.

In general, a pregnancy occurs when a single female sex cell (ovum) fertilizes with a male sex cell (sperm). The chromosomes of these cells combine to form a new single cell.

Once the fertilization takes place, the fertilized egg called zygote will move down after three days. The fertilized egg will begin to move down from the fallopian tube to uterus within 3-5 days after fertilization.

Thus, the fertilized egg enters the uterus and starts dividing the cells, which is called a morula. The morula then becomes blastocysts and implants itself in the uterus lining within ten days after conception. Now, the fertilized egg enters the embryonic stage and is called embryo.

The embryo is protected by amniotic fluid. The placenta, a fleshy organ develops and attaches the embryo to the uterus through an umbilical cord.

Pregnancy Calendar is a way to follow the development of your baby from conception to birth.

Week one starts with first day of your menstrual cycle. In this period, conception does not occur, but your uterus is getting prepared for fertilization.

In week two of your pregnancy calendar, your uterus is abundant with blood tissue and your eggs are maturing in one of ovaries and getting ready to release one. From the day of your menstrual period, around fourteen to sixteen days, ovulation takes place (for 28-day menstrual cycle period).

During week three of your pregnancy calendar, sperm penetrates the egg in the fallopian tube. Although many sperms meet the egg, only one sperm enters your ovum and fertilization takes place.

In the fourth week, after the blastocyte enters within the uterus, it will settle in one spot of your uterus. Now, these cells split into two groups; one that forms the placenta and the other that forms the baby.

In the fifth week, the embryo develops in layers, ectoderm (outer layer), mesoderm (middle layer), and endoderm (inner layer).

First trimester pregnancy refers to the first three months of pregnancy.

Pregnancy is divided into three trimesters: first, second and third. Each trimester includes three months.

The first trimester pregnancy is most critical period of pregnancy, as most of the body changes and fetal developments happen in this trimester.

In the first month of this trimester, implantation of the fertilized egg in the uterus takes place and the fertilized egg then starts growing and developing in the uterus until delivery.

This process of Implantation generally happens 5-7 days after fertilization. In this stage, the fertilized egg in the uterus is called an embryo.

Shortly after implantation, the corpus luteum produces progesterone, which helps in maintaining the thickened endometrium.

Even the yolk sac starts developing along with the amniotic sac, a fluid-filled sac that protects the baby in the uterus. The yolk sac helps maintain the pregnancy until the placenta and umbilical cord is formed completely.

The placenta and umbilical cord helps carry food and oxygen to the baby from mother’s body and also excretes the wastes from the baby.