The complete stage of pregnancy is divided into three trimesters, namely the first, second and the third trimester. It is interesting to find out how the foetal grows every week and what changes you experience in yourself.
A pregnancy week by week guide takes you through what happens in various stages of this beautiful journey.
Week 2 – You ovulate and if the egg meets the sperm you conceive. There are a number of pregnancy symptoms that starts to occur in the first few weeks.
Week 3- The baby is a tiny ball made up of hundreds of cells that are multiplying at a very fast rate
Week4- Your primitive placenta has started to develop and your baby is in the embryo made up of two layers placed deep in the uterus
Week5- The embryo has started to grow and you may feel tired and experience sore breasts
Week6 – Now your baby’s ears, nose and mouth are taking shape and you feel some morning sickness and spotting
Week7 – Your uterus has almost doubled in size and your baby is forming its hands and feet. It is still an embryo with a small tail.
Week8 – Your baby starts to move though you may not be able to feel it.
Week9 – Your waist starts to thicken and the baby has grown almost an inch looking more like a human now
Week10 – The baby’s organs and structures are now ready to grow.
Week 11 – Tiny tooth buds appear underneath the baby’s gums and its hands soon start opening and closing into fists
Week12 – The baby’s toes can now curl, its brain is growing and its kidneys have started to excrete urine.
Week13 – The baby is almost 3 inches tall and has developed its fingerprints. This is the end of the first trimester.
Week 14 – Your baby’s features have started taking expressions.
Week 15 – The baby is able to see light and is forming its taste buds. You may experience stuffy nose
Week16 – The baby is in a growth spurt and will be doubling its weight and increasing in length in the next few weeks
Week 17 – The baby’s skeleton is changing into bone and the umbilical cord is becoming stronger and thicker
Week18 – The baby’s genitals are developing and can be seen in an ultrasound. You start to feel hungry often.
Week 19 – Your baby is able to hear you.
Week 20 – Your baby starts to swallow and produces meconium
Week 21 – Baby has developed eyebrows and you feel the little flutters in your tummy
Week 22 -Your baby now looks like a newborn but very small in size and you experience a growing belly.
Week 23– The baby starts feeling motion and you feel some swelling in your hands and feet
Week 24 -Your uterus has grown and the baby looks long and lean now.
Week 25– The baby starts adding fat and its hair starts to grow
Week 26 -The baby starts to inhale and exhale some amounts of the amniotic fluid
Week 27 – The eye starts to open and close and the baby even starts to suck its fingers. If you feel some tickling it is because of the baby hiccups. This is the end of the second trimester.
Week 28 – The baby’s eyes can see light that filters through the womb.
Week 29 – Its muscles and lungs have started to mature and the head is growing to make room for the developing brain.
Week 30 – The baby weighs around 3 pounds and you may experience mood swings and feel clumsy
Week 31 – You start to feel Braxton hick’s contraction and the baby kicks are getting stronger
Week 32 – The baby is plumping and you feel heartburns and shortness of breath as your uterus starts to expand
Week 33 – The baby is now over 4 pounds in weight.
Week 34 – Its linings and central nervous system is maturing and you start to feel fatigue
Week 35 – You start to feel a lot of baby movements
Week 36 -The baby starts to gain almost an ounce each day
Week 37 -Its brains and lungs continue to mature and you feel some contractions and vaginal discharge
Week 38 -The baby now has a firm grasp
Week 39 – The baby is now full term and you have to wait for your water to break
Week 40 – The baby is now the size of a pumpkin
Week 41– This is the final week. You either go into labor or are induced.
Daryl Green