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The Second Month
(8-9 weeks):
By this time you have probably gained a few pounds in your waist.
You may be feeling more tired and have less energy. You may also
still be experiencing morning sickness. Your breasts grow in
size and the area around your nipples begins to darken. Your
vaginal discharge becomes thicker, whiter, and stickier. As your
uterus grows, it pushes on your bladder causing you to urinate
more often. This is a key month
in your baby's growth. Facial features are forming. The
head is large since the brain grows faster than the other
organs. |
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Your baby’s arms and legs
have begun to form. Fingers, toes, and fingernails are
forming. Every organ is present. Your baby may be sucking
his/her thumb already. Your baby responds to touch and can feel
pain. Your baby is about two inches long. |
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The Third Month
(12-13 weeks):
Your morning sickness will begin to get better by the end
of this month. You will also have more energy. You have gained
more weight, and you may begin to feel more hungry. You may be
happy or sad for no reason. You may sweat more easily than
usual. Your baby is still
too tiny for you to feel movement, but it is already swimming
around in your uterus. |
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The ears, arms, hands, fingers,
legs, feet and toes form this month. Your babies vocal cords are
formed. The reflex movements allow your baby's elbows to bend,
legs to kick, and fingers to form fists. Your baby's heart beats
120-160 beats per minute. |
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The Fourth Month
(16-18 weeks):
Your joints and muscles will soften to make labor and
delivery easier. You will be less tired and may begin to enjoy
being pregnant. Your nipples and the area around them
become much darker in color. You may be hungry more often.
Cravings for certain foods may start and continue throughout
your pregnancy. |
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Your baby's hair has begun to grow,
and eyebrows and eyelashes are starting to grow. The baby may
get big enough that you can feel it move. Your baby can also
hear external noises like your voice. Your baby will now be able
to grasp with its hands. All of baby’s organs are
completely developed and blood vessels, bones, nerves and
muscles are growing. The baby is becoming more active and the
heartbeat can be heard. By the end of this month he or she may weigh ¼
pound or more and be six to eight inches long. |
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The Fifth Month
(21-22 weeks):
Your breasts continue to grow
larger; they may get softer and the veins will start to show.
Constipation may become a problem now and may continue through
the end of pregnancy. You have crossed the halfway mark to
your baby’s birth. Your are getting bigger as the baby grows.
You may have some feelings from time to time of not being able
to cope; this can happen almost anytime during pregnancy. Go to
the library and find books on parenting. If you have other
children, talk to them about the new baby. |
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By the end of the fifth month, you
should begin to feel your baby move. The baby now weighs about
one pound and is about 12 inches long. Your baby has developed a
regular pattern of sleeping, kicking, turning and sucking.
If you want to know, at this stage, your doctor may be able to
determine whether or not your baby is a girl or a boy.
Start thinking about a name for your baby. |
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The Sixth Month
(25-26 weeks):
You may have some heartburn,
especially if you eat heavy, greasy or spicy foods. Your
sex drive may increase or decrease; it may change from week to
week. You look healthy----there is a special glow to your
skin and a sparkle in your eyes. To avoid swelling, be
careful about being on your feet too much. Your belly button may
poke out, but it will go back in after your baby is born. |
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By the sixth month, your baby is 12
to 14 inches long and weighs one and one-half to two pounds.
Your baby now moves around a lot, can open and close his eyes,
and responds to noise. |
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The Seventh Month (29-30 weeks): Your weight may increase faster
than you expect; this month begins the period of greatest growth
for your baby. You may begin to be aware of a loosening in the
pelvic bones when you walk.
By the end of the seventh month,
your baby is 16 inches long and weighs about two and one-half
pounds to three pounds. |
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The Eighth Month
(32-33 weeks):
You may have trouble sitting or
lying comfortably for long periods of time.
By the end of the month, your baby
will be about 18 inches long and weigh between four and six
pounds. Your baby has regular patterns of sleep and quiet time. |
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The Ninth Month
(36-40 weeks):
Your abdomen may look lopsided as
your baby moves arms and legs or shifts position. You tire
easily and often feel drowsy. As your due date gets
closer, you may have headaches as well as constipation.
Signs to alert you to the beginning of labor include regular,
harder pressure on your stomach, a blood-streaked discharge,
and/or a flow or trickle of fluid (your "water"). |
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Your baby should be head down into
the birthing position, ready to be born. His or her movements may seem
different now because there is less space for him/her to move
around. Your baby now is about 19 inches long and weighs six and
one-half to seven and one-half pounds. |
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