Pregnancy

 Home back

Development Of Your Baby in Nine Months

You will be amazed when you read of the development your baby undergoes while she is inside you! A full term pregnancy is of nine months and a week. These 39 weeks are divided into three parts or trimesters. Let us have a detailed look at how your baby grows from a single cell to a healthy human being in nine months.

First Trimester of Pregnancy

Even before you realize it, you are pregnant. Yes, the tests do not show a "positive" before you are 6 weeks pregnant! By then, your baby has already covered important milestones. It is highly likely that you may not even notice your pregnancy until you miss your period or get those tell tale signs of pregnancy.

The first trimester is for 12 weeks. Now an interesting point is that your pregnancy is calculated from the first day of your last period. So technically speaking, you are actually not pregnant in the first two weeks! After you ovulate towards the end of the second week, and after the egg is fertilized, you are pregnant. The fertilized egg travels to the uterus in the fourth week and implants itself. You miss your period and you realize that something is amiss.

After the implantation, the eyes, limb buds, and other organs begin to form. The heart begins pumping at around 25 days after conception. By the end of the 6th week of pregnancy, the embryo is approximately half-an-inch long and weighs a fraction of an ounce. This is when most women realize they are pregnant! By the end of the 12th week of pregnancy, all of the major organs have developed including the brain, lungs, liver, stomach, etc. The embryo finally begins to look like a human. Bones start developing and the limbs become more pronounced. The fetus is around 4 inches long by the time you are ready to start with the second semester.

Second Trimester of Pregnancy

You have crossed a major milestone. You baby's organs have formed and have started functioning. Now is the phase when your baby grows very fast and the organs get stronger with every passing day. During this phase, the features of the fetus become more distinguishable. The nose begins to form and the eyes begin shifting its position to the front on the head. The brain and the spinal cord continue to develop and the liver and kidneys start functioning. Muscles get stronger and you can now feel the baby's movement! By the end of the second trimester, your baby's hair, eyelids and nails begin to form and the genital organs establish themselves properly.

Third Trimester of Pregnancy

You and your baby have now reached the final stage of development. In the next three months, your baby will grow bigger in size. The brain will continue to develop fast. The scalp, hair roots and nails are almost ready. The eyelashes are formed and the eyelids begin to open. The skin is developed enough to react to any touch. Your baby will be around 7-8 pounds in weight and around 19-20 inches in length by now! As the baby growers bigger, you will feel heavy and almost immobile. Be careful about your balance especially while using the stairs and in the bathroom.

By the end of the 9th month, your baby begins to position itself for the delivery. This stage of pregnancy seems very slow for most parents. It feels as if they have been pregnant for ages. Your baby is almost there. A few more weeks and she will be in your arms!