Are you Pregnant?
You will doubtlessly spend the next few months wondering as to how your baby is developing or when will you feel that first kick?
Week 1 – 3: Get Set Go
The egg and the sperm will unite in one of your fallopian tubes and form a one celled entity called Zygote.
The Zygote will have 23 chromosomes from the mother and 23 from the father. This will determine the sex of your baby. This will also determine traits like the colour of hair and eyes in addition to intelligence levels.
The Zygote then travels down the fallopian tube towards your uterus. On the way it continues to divide forming a cluster of cells.
What is particularly fascinating is the fact that the cells will now divide into two groups; the inner group will form your baby while the outer group will nourish her.
Week 4: Uterine Implantation
Once the cluster reaches the uterus the outer group will burrow in and attach to the uterine wall for nourishing the foetus.
Simultaneously the placenta will begin to form and this will provide nutrition to the baby in the future.
Week 5: Embryonic Phase
The heart, spinal cord and brain of the baby will begin to form at this stage.
Week 6: Closing of the Neural Tube
The heart now begins to pump blood and the neural tube which runs along the back of your baby closes.
The baby now has a C – shaped form as the back curves.
The facial features begin to form and small buds which will later form the arms and the legs begin to appear.
Week 7: Development of the Head
There is rapid growth this week as the brain develops and facial features also grow remarkably. Tiny nostrils appear and the lens in her eyes begins to develop. The arm buds which first appeared last week now shape up like paddles.
Week 8: Visible Eyes
The eyes of your baby are now visible. Fingers begin to form and simultaneously the ears are formed. The trunk of your baby now straightens out.
The toes begin to form and the arms continue to grow and actually start bending at the elbows. The bones first start developing in this week too.
Week 10: Formation of the Neck
The head becomes more rounded just as the neck begins forming during this week. The eyelids now begin to close; this is defence mechanics to protect the developing eyes from damage.
Week 11: Development of the Genitalia
This is the week when the external genitalia of your baby will begin developing.
At this stage the size of your baby’s head is half of the entire body length. Your baby is now referred to as a ‘foetus’ in the medical terminology.
Eyes are separated and the eyelids are fused. The ears are set very low on the face. The liver of your baby now begins to generate fresh red cells.
Week 12: Development of the Fingernails
The baby also has a far more human looking profile as compared to previous weeks. This is the last week of the first trimester and your baby weighs 14 grams while the crown to rump length is two and a half inches.
Second Trimester: The Foetus Develops
In this trimester you will learn about the sex of your baby and may even feel your baby move:
Week 13: Formation of Urine
Your baby now begins to form urine which is then discharged into the amniotic fluid. Your baby’s intestines were developing in the umbilical cord. Now they return to the abdomen of the baby.
Tissues begin to form in the arms, legs and head of your baby. These tissues will transform into bone in the future.
Week 14: Boy or Girl
This week or the next you will be able to determine the sex of your baby. The arms are fully developed in ratio to the rest of the body. The neck is developing fast and already well – defined.
Week 15: Development of the Skeleton
The skeletal system of your baby begins to form bones. These bones will be visible on ultrasonography in the coming weeks.
Week 16: Baby begins to make sucking motions
This week your baby begins to make sucking movements with her mouth. Eyes have developed further and have begun to blink.
The ears are closer to their final position now and an ultrasound in this week will show your baby moving.
Week 17: Accumulation of Fat
Fat is being deposited under the skin of your baby. This will provide the requisite energy and will even keep your baby warm immediately after birth.
Week 18: Your Baby can hear
As the ears now begin to protrude from the side of the head, your baby can hear. It is indeed fascinating that your baby is growing fast.
The crown to rump length is five and a half inches and weighs two hundred grams.
Week 19: Baby Gets a Uterus
If you have a girl child on the way then the vagina and the uterus will form in this week. A greasy secretion now begins to cover the baby.
This will protect your baby for chapping and hardening of skin as it will stay in contact with the amniotic fluid for a long duration.
Week 20: Halfway Home
As you approach the halfway mark, the crown to rump length of your baby is a shade over six inches.
This is the week when you will feel the first movement of your baby known as quickening.
Week 21: Baby can swallow
This week your baby is able to swallow for the first time. He gains weight and grows rapidly too.
Week 22: Visible Hair Growth
Your baby is now covered with a fine growth of hair very similar to down hair. This helps protect the baby from the cheesy or greasy layer which covers the baby at this point of time.
Week 23: Finger Mapping
This is a milestone week for your baby considering that he gets his fingerprints and footprints in this week.
The body skin texture is wrinkled, translucent and reddish pink in colour.
It is indeed comforting that with intensive care babies born in this week can survive.
Week 24:Hair Growth
This is the twenty fourth week of pregnancy and hair that grow on the head in this week are real hair.
Concurrently taste buds develop in the tongue and the baby is developing very quickly indeed.
Week 25: Voice Response
The baby is fully alert by now and responds to familiar sounds. Conversely the startle reflex is strong and the baby responds to sudden or familiar sounds.
Week 26: Fingernails
Your baby develops finger nails for the first time this week. Lungs secrete surfactants for the first time this week.
This secretion ensures that the air sacs in the lungs inflate easily.
Week 27: Milestone: Second Trimester Ends
Weeks 27 is the last week in the second trimester of pregnancy. The nervous system and the lungs will continue to mature.
Your baby has been growing very quickly in the last few weeks. The Crown to rump length of your baby has more than tripled as compared to the twelve weeks stage.
The Third Trimester: Development of the Foetus
The development of the foetus will continue during this week. Your baby will gain more weight, open his eyes and most importantly prepare for delivery.
You are now in the final stage of your pregnancy and delivery is now a reality:
Week 28: Opening of Eyes
The eyelashes of your baby have formed and the eyelids are partially open. Your baby is now gaining weight which helps in smoothing out the wrinkles in the skin
The Crown to Rump length of your baby is ten inches. Your baby is a reality now considering that babies born in this week have a ninety per cent probability of surviving without any physical or even neurological deficiency.
Week 29: Fully Developed Bones
The bones of your baby are now fully developed although they continue to be soft and pliable.
Week 30: Open Eyes
The eyes of your baby are wide open for the most part of the day. The growth of hair on the head is thick and red cells have begun to form at a healthy rate in the bone marrow.
Week 31: Temperature Regulation
The central nervous system of your baby is now well developed. This ensures that temperature regulation mechanism is now working well.
Week 32: Breathing Practice
The lungs are not well developed, however your baby begins to practice breathing in this week. The body of your baby begins absorbing essential minerals such as calcium and iron from the intestinal tract.
The protective layer of hair which covered the body of your baby now begins to fall off.
Week 33: Light Detection
The pupils of your baby now begin to dilate and constrict in response to the amount of light entering the eyes.
Week 34: Growing of Fingernails
The fingernails of your baby continue to grow and now reach the level of her fingertips. The protective waxy coating which covered the entire body of your baby till now begins to become thicker.
Week 35: Weight Gain
Your baby has been gaining weight over the last few weeks. The limbs of your baby now become chubbier. She weighs a healthy two hundred and thirty grams now.
Week 36: Accelerated Weight Gain
If the weight gain over the last few weeks was noticeable, it is positively accelerated from this week onwards.
It is equally important to count those wriggles and movements so that you can keep a tab on the number of kicks per hour. If you notice a slowing down contact your healthcare provider.
Week 37: Full Term
Your baby is now full term and ready for the outside world. All the organs are well developed and are ready to function independently.
As your baby prepares for birth in this week the head descends into the pelvis. The normal position of the baby is head down.
However if your baby does not have this normal presentation then your healthcare provider will discuss different ways in which the issue can be handled.
Week 38: Baby has a Firm Grasp
The baby has a very firm grasp now. Her brain has developed well and weighs four hundred grams. However it will continue to grow and develop even after birth.
Her toenails have also reached the tip of her toes.
Week 39: Immunity
Your baby gets ready for the outside world, as her immunity or body resistance increases. The Placenta provides antibodies to the baby which increases her ability to fight infection and disease.
If you breast feed your baby after birth then she will get additional antibodies.
Week 40: D Day
D Day is here !
Your baby is ready to come out into the world.
However do not be alarmed if you do not deliver in this week. It is perfectly normal to deliver a week or earlier or later from the due date.