Pregnancy Lounge

Tag: month

  • Pregnant Week 6

    Pregnant Week 6

    Your baby is about 1/2 of an inch in length (from crown to rump) and is experiencing rapid growth. Limb buds begin to appear on the body, which will later form your baby’s arms and legs. Mid-way through this week, your baby’s eyes begin to form and tiny depressions will start to appear on either side of his or her head where the ears and inner ear will later form.

    Your baby’s digestive system is becoming more refined as the stomach and intestines develop. The appendix is in place now, as well. At this point, your baby is completely enclosed in the amniotic sac and the stalk begins to grow into the umbilical cord, forming blood vessels within. Your baby’s heart is beating and pumping blood, providing circulation for its tiny body this week.

    It’s been about an entire month now, since your baby was conceived, but you may not notice too many changes in your body quite yet. Your uterus is growing, but you probably haven’t noticed any major changes to your abdomen. It most likely hasn’t gotten much thicker at this point, especially if this is your first pregnancy.

    It’s normal for you to feel more tired and exhausted than you usually do. Fatigue is quite common throughout pregnancy, since your body is working so hard to create this little baby. Make sure you get plenty of rest (a nap in the afternoon wouldn’t hurt). Continue to take your prenatal vitamins, in addition to eating a well-balanced diet, because fatigue is often aggravated by a deficiency in iron or protein.

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  • Pregnant Week 5

    Pregnant Week 5

    In your pregnancy, you are now in week 5. Your baby is now called an embryo and is about 1/16 of an inch long. All of your baby’s major organs are under development now. The neural tube, which will later be referred to as the spinal cord, will fuse baby’s primitive heart has begun to take shape, with the heart tubes beginning to fuse together and your baby’s heart will start early contractions, which later become distinct beats.

    By the end of this week, it may be possible to detect your baby on an ultrasound, since the sac is now visible, although ultrasounds are not done routinely this early in pregnancy.

    Your period is late now and you are probably beginning to suspect that you’re pregnant. If you have taken a home pregnancy test, you most likely have already gotten a positive result. Some women don’t have a positive until a week or more down the road, so don’t be disappointed if your result was negative.

    If your period hasn’t shown up within a few days, then you should re-test, because your Human Chorionic Gonadotropin (HCG) levels rise as your pregnancy progresses and become easier for home pregnancy tests to detect.

    You may feel sick to your stomach and begin vomiting, as the dreaded “morning sickness” kicks in. Usually this happens only in the morning (or is worse earlier in the day), but some women have to deal with it the entire day and even into the night.

    On the positive side, recent studies have shown that morning sickness can be a sign of a healthy pregnancy. But, if you feel fine, don’t worry, just count yourself as one of the fortunate few who don’t have to deal with this miserable pregnancy symptom.

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  • Pregnant Week 4

    Pregnant Week 4

    At the end of week 4 of pregnancy, you’re probably expecting your menstural period (or crossing your fingers it won’t come, if you were trying to conceive).

    Most women don’t notice any early pregnancy symptoms quite yet, but some may already. Typically, a missed period is one of the first signs of pregnancy.

    Many of the early pregnancy symptoms are very similar to those you get every month right before (or during) your period, including breast tenderness, light cramping, fatigue and mood swings.

    During this week, the newly-implanted ball of cells are growing very rapidly, multiplying and grouping together. It divides into two parts, one becoming the placenta and the other becoming your baby. Different layers of cells are forming, which develop into specialized parts of your baby’s body. These three germ layers are the ectoderm, endoderm and mesoderm.

    The amniotic sac and the amniotic cavity will begin to form and the yolk sac has also appeared. The yolk sac will later give rise to your baby’s digestive tract. Your tiny little one is undergoing many great changes.

    A home pregnancy test may show a positive at the end of this week. Many tests can provide positive results as early as 10 days after conception, but you may want to wait a few days for more accurate results.

    You should be avoiding all medications (even over-the-counter and herbal ones), unless you’ve checked with your doctor or midwife about their safety during pregnancy first. Many things that are safe for you when you’re not pregnant can hurt your baby now. Some cold medications, sinus drugs and pain-relief products can cause problems for you and your developing baby.

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  • Pregnant Week 3

    Pregnant Week 3


    In your pregnancy, you are now in week 3. About 2 weeks before your next expected menstrual period (at the beginning of this week), the amount of estrogen in your body increases dramatically and then drops. This triggers your pituitary gland to release a surge of luteinizing hormone (LH), prompting one of your ovaries to release a ripened egg (ovum). The egg moves down into the fallopian tube towards your uterus, with the help of muscular contractions and millions of hair-like cilia; to wait for one lucky sperm to penetrate it. Sometime between 12-48 hours after you ovulate, one sperm will break through the outer layers of the ovum and complete conception. Now, you are officially pregnant! This is also the moment when the gender of your baby is determined.

    The ball of cells divide and multiply, as it travels down the fallopian tube to your uterus. After about a 7-10 day journey, the fertilized egg arrives and briefly floats freely in your uterus, as it continues it’s growth and development. It then attaches to the wall of your uterus and implants into the lining.

    Occasionally, when the fertilized egg implants itself into the uterine wall, women may experience a small amount of spotting. Implantation bleeding typically occurs just before or at the same time you would normally expect your period to begin, but it’s less heavy than a regular menstrual period and a different shade, usually pinkish or brown.

    You need to eat good food to keep both you and your tiny growing baby healthy. Your baby’s health at birth is closely tied to what your diet is like right now. Make sure you get plenty of fruits and vegetables, as well as foods that contain calcium and protein. Try to avoid junk foods, such as those that have been fried and those that are full of sugar.

    If you’ve already had a few alcoholic drinks during your pregnancy, don’t worry about it, but don’t continue to consume alcohol. It’s best not to drink any alcohol during pregnancy at all; even when you’re planning to become pregnant. Alcohol affects how your baby’s brain and body develop, because when you drink, alcohol reaches your baby very fast and just a few drinks can lead to a condition called fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS). The brain of a baby with FAS may work more slowly than the brain of a healthy baby and also they may have severe heart problems.

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  • 18 Weeks Pregnant

    18 Weeks Pregnant

    If you are at 18 weeks and pregnant, your baby is about 5 inches in length (crown-to-rump) and weighs close to 5 ounces by now. Meconium (your baby’s first bowel movement) is beginning to collect in the colon. Meconium is made up of undigested debris from the amniotic fluid and various secretions of the digestive tract and is greenish black or brown in appearance.

    Circulation of blood is now established and the umbilical cord lengthens and thickens in response to the rapidly growing needs of your baby. Though there is no direct exchange of blood between you and your baby, the placenta is transferring nutrients and oxygen from your blood to your baby via the umbilical cord. Your baby and the placenta are now almost equal in size.

    You may have gained between 10-13 pounds by now, however weight gain varies greatly from woman to woman and pregnancy to pregnancy. The top of your uterus should be just below your belly button now and due to the growth of your belly, your sense of balance may be affected. Maternity clothes may be a “must” now if you’ve been pregnant before, otherwise it’s about time to start shopping for that new maternity wardrobe!

    You may be having an ultrasound around this time, which can detect many physical abnormalities in your baby. This ultrasound is also valuable for determining placental position, amniotic fluid level and your baby’s anatomy. You may be able to determine your baby’s gender, if you’d like to know, although remember that ultrasounds are not 100% accurate. If you choose not to find out the gender of your baby, tell this to the technician at the beginning of your ultrasound.

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  • Pregnancy Week 8

    Pregnancy Week 8

    pregnancy week 8
    At week 8 of your pregnancy your baby is a little more than 1/2 of an inch in length (crown-to-rump) and changing shape, becoming more and more recognizable as a human. Your baby’s head is quite big and still way out of proportion to his or her body, due to the rapid growth of the brain.

    Your baby’s facial features are becoming more defined and the external ears are now present. Teeth are forming under the gums and your baby’s cartilage and bones are developing and hardening. Major joints are forming, allowing your baby’s arms to bend at the elbow.

    Your baby’s fingers are discernible and toe rays appear on the foot plates. The cells that will become either testes or ovaries arrive, but you can’t tell by looking whether your baby is a girl or a boy, yet.

    Your uterus is getting larger and you may begin to notice your clothes becoming slightly more snug, although these changes are very gradual. You have probably noticed that you need to urinate more frequently now as the growing uterus puts pressure on your bladder. This is quite common, since your baby is growing and also hopefully you are increasing your fluid intake.

    Start your pregnancy right by seeing a doctor or midwife. Your first prenatal appointment may occur about now. Your doctor or midwife will likely go over your medical history and ask you some questions about your health. You will have your blood pressure taken, your weight documented and you’ll have a urine test done. You may also have some blood tests done this time and possibly a pelvic exam, if you haven’t had one recently.

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  • Pregnancy – Week 12

    Pregnancy – Week 12

    BABY

    By the end of this week of pregnancy, your baby will be about 2 1/2 inches in length (crown-to-rump) and will weigh about 14 grams. Your baby’s digestive system (small intestines) is starting to function and is capable of producing contractions that push food through the bowels. After your baby swallows, urine can be excreted from your baby’s kidneys into the amniotic fluid, at this stage as well. The amniotic fluid is completely replaced every 3 hours, so your baby’s environment stays fresh.

    Your baby will start to develop some new reflexes now such as: opening and closing his or her mouth, clenching fists, curling toes and even making facial expressions. Your baby has periods of being awake and asleep, although these are relatively short and you won’t be able to tell when these periods are quite yet.

    MOM

    Your uterus has grown in size and can now be felt above your pelvic bone. Your doctor or midwife will be able to feel it during an abdominal exam. Your uterus will increase in capacity about 500 to 1,000 times during your pregnancy, to hold your growing baby, the placenta and amniotic fluid. You may notice a dark line running down the center of your abdomen from the top to the bottom of your belly. This line is referred to as the “linea nigra” and will most likely fade back to normal after you deliver your baby.

    Now that you are officially twelve weeks along, your chance of miscarriage has reduced significantly, so you may be able to relax a bit more and begin to enjoy your pregnancy. Many women begin sharing their exciting pregnancy news with their loved ones now (if not before!). Some people may have already guessed that you are pregnant, especially if this is a second or third pregnancy, because of your swollen, growing abdomen.

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  • Pregnancy Week 1

    Pregnancy Week 1

    This is the beginning of your pregnancy journey and week 1. It is one of the most fascinating and magical journeys you may ever go through in your life. Chances are you are on this page to find out when and if you have pregnancy symptoms or signs of pregnancy.

    Your forty weeks of (or 280 days, if you deliver full-term) of pregnancy officially begin on the first day of your last known menstrual period. Even though you haven’t ovulated or conceived yet, your doctor or midwife considers this to be the first week of your pregnancy. This means that the average gestation for a baby is really only about 38 weeks full-term.

    At the beginning of this first week you will have started the first day of your monthly cycle, meaning the first week of pregnancy is when you are on your period. Your uterus is being cleansed in preparation for another cycle. Ovulation usually occurs about two weeks after the first day of this “cleaning stage”, but it varies greatly depending on how regular your cycles are. Your body is starting to prepare itself for the possibility of an upcoming ovulation and fertilization.

    Since you may be thinking about conception at this point, planning ahead for this experience can improve your chances of conceiving and having a healthy pregnancy. You should start by pretending that you are already pregnant, since just about everything you eat, drink, or take into your body during your pregnancy will be passed on to your developing baby. If you smoke, now is a good time to kick the habit and give up cigarettes (if you haven’t already done so), because smoking while you’re pregnant will put your baby in danger, in many ways. Other people in your home who smoke should also cut back or quite. They shouldn’t smoke around you when you’re pregnant.

    Now is the time to begin healthy eating habits, including cutting down on caffeine. You need to eat a healthy, balanced diet to keep you healthy and prepare your body for pregnancy. If you are hoping or planning to become pregnant, you need to incorporate a prenatal vitamin supplement (with folic acid) into your diet, if you haven’t already. By taking a supplement that contains folic acid, you can dramatically reduce the risk of your baby being born with neural-tube defects such as spina bifida and anencephaly. The sooner you begin taking folic acid, the better. It is generally recommended that women take a folic acid supplement even a few months prior to becoming pregnant.

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  • 14 Weeks – Pregnant

    14 Weeks – Pregnant


    If you are pregnant and at 14 weeks, your baby is between 3 and 4 inches in length (crown-to-rump) and weighs about 2 ounces now. Fine hair is forming on your little one’s head, as well as downy hair all over his or her body, which is called lanugo. Most of the hair that covers your baby’s body will disappear before birth.

    Your baby’s neck is longer and now complete and your baby’s fingerprints have appeared. As your baby’s facial muscles attach themselves, your baby is able to smile, frown and make cute expressions.

    Your baby is able to suck his or her thumb now, since the sucking reflex is developed, which you might get lucky enough to catch on ultrasound. You most likely will begin to hear your baby’s heartbeat during your monthly prenatal visits from now on.

    You may want to consider buying some maternity clothes now (or at least some larger, loose-fitting clothes that are less restrictive), because your uterus is becoming noticeably thicker. You may be suffering from heartburn, indigestion and bloating now. Wearing loose-fitting clothes, along with eating small frequent meals may help bring you some relief.

    You may also be suffering with more frequent headaches as a result of the changes in your hormone levels. Drinking plenty of fluids and getting an adequate amount of sleep can prevent this from happening.

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  • Pregnancy Week 9


    This week 9 of pregnancy your baby is about an inch in length (crown-to-rump) and weighs about a gram. Your baby’s rapid growth is phenomenal! All the major internal organs, muscles and nerves are ‘now in place and will continue to grow and develop throughout your pregnancy.

    Your baby’s eyes are fully formed and covered by a thin membrane, which are the eyelids. The eyelids are fused shut, but will eventually open later on in your baby’s development (between 24-27 weeks along). Your baby is now beginning to straighten its body and blood vessels can be seen through his or her skin, because of its transparency.

    By now, your baby is very active, although you can’t feel your baby moving around or kicking yet, since he or she is still so small. Your baby can respond to touch at this point and your baby would move and turn away from the source.

    If you were not pregnant, you would be having your second period this week. Some women have a small amount of light spotting at this time. You may notice some changes to your body shape by this stage and you may have gained a small amount of weight, although if you are still suffering from morning sickness, you may have lost a little instead. Your body has started preparing itself for the extra demands placed on it during your pregnancy. Your heart is beating faster than normal and your blood volume is increasing. The largest increase in blood volume will occur during the second trimester by about 50% or more.

    Occasionally, some women may feel dizzy or light-headed if they stand up quickly or for too long. This is fairly common during pregnancy and often caused by low blood pressure (hypotension). It can also be caused by high or low blood sugar levels. Make sure you don’t skip meals and that you are eating regularly. Also, when you stand up, do it slowly to avoid feeling faint.

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