Pregnancy is a crucial time for an expecting woman and she needs to know every tiny detail about it. Pregnancy stages are one of the things like hormonal changes, nutrition, measures to take care, which a mom-to-be must know.
If you’re expecting a baby, you will want to know when it will start kicking you, when you need to have the first ultrasound, and more. You need to know what to expect, what to change in your lifestyle, and how your baby grows week by week.
As a mom-to-be, you need to know everything about your child to be able to ensure the safe delivery of a healthy baby. Find out all about the pregnancy stages and how your body changes.
Table of Contents
What are the pregnancy stages?
Here, we will help you have a complete idea about how a baby grows week by week. This will help you keep a check on the development and also report to the doctor accordingly. Check out the 9 months of pregnancy stages to understand how a baby grows:
Pregnancy stages – First Trimester
Week 1 and 2
After the first two weeks of sexual intercourse, your body goes through changes to accept the fertilization of the egg. You are yet to conceive the baby and your body starts gearing up for ovulation. It prepares for fertilization during and it is tough to determine pregnancy for the initial period. Since you don’t get pregnant right away, contraceptive pills come to use within 24 to 72 hours after intercourse. Once the egg has been fertilized, you have conceived.
Week 3
The beginning of week 3 marks one of the initial pregnancy stages. At this time the sperm meets the egg, fertilizes it, and your baby-to-be starts to form. It is tinier than a poppy seed at this time and is made of a tiny group of cells only.
Week 4
By this time, your body is ready for implantation. The blastocyst burrows into your uterine lining split to forms placenta and embryo, and different body parts start to develop.
Week 5
By now your baby is as small as an orange seed. It starts developing the circulatory system and heart. The HCG levels of your body get higher and confirm that you’re expecting a child. By now you will start feeling the stages of pregnancy and symptoms. You can buy a pregnancy kit that will test positive.
Week 6
By now your baby is pea-sized and the face takes shape. This is also the time when you will start urinating more often.
Week 7
The baby is as big as blueberry and your tingly breasts start to ache while your baby develops its brain.
Week 8
By the end of the second month, you will start having morning sickness. The embryo starts moving in your womb and you still rush to the loo to urinate every now-and-then.
Week 9
By now your baby is as big as an olive. It starts building muscles but you will just feel like sleeping all day.
Week 10
Your baby starts building bones and cartilages by this time. You need to have more fiber to fight constipation.
Week 11
Your baby is like the size of lime by now and starts looking human.
Week 12
By this time, you will have gained significant weight that indicates that your baby is getting bigger and healthier.
Week 13
As the pregnancy stages first trimester comes to an end, your baby will be as big as a peach.
Pregnancy stages – Second Trimester
Week 14
Your baby starts growing hair on the head, body, and eyebrows. You will find it easier to deal with pregnancy and not face uneasiness as you did during the first three months.
Week 15
Your baby starts flexing their legs and kicking your tummy, but you cannot feel them as yet. You might have dental issues as this time so make sure you keep a dentist consulted.
Week 16
By now, your baby is as big as an avocado. At this stage, their eyes start developing and so do the eyelashes.
Week 17
Your baby is now as big as an average palm of a hand. They start sucking and swallowing, and you need to be more careful about what you eat.
Week 18
You will feel your baby move around and be as big sweet potato.
Week 19
Your baby now grows a protective skin coating and becomes as big as a mango.
Week 20
By this week you can find out if you have a boy or a girl.
Week 21
Your baby is as big a carrot by now and grazes on everything you eat.
Week 22
Your baby’s senses start growing and it is as big as a small doll.
Week 23
This is that stage when your baby starts getting plumper and you start feeling something different in your belly.
Week 24
By the end of the six months, your baby has proper facial features and you have a popped out belly button.
Week 25
This week, the baby takes its first breath and is as big a cauliflower.
Week 26
Your baby opens his eyes at this stage but you’d usually want to keep yours close and sleep.
Week 27
The baby grows as big as an eggplant by now and gives you swollen ankles and feet to deal with.
Pregnancy stages – Third Trimester
Week 28
By now your baby starts blinking, dreaming, hiccupping, and coughing.
Week 29
Your baby starts adding more pounds to the body but you might have varicose veins at this time.
Week 30
By now your baby is as big as cabbage and is getting smarter. You might have heartburn and pain, so do let your doctor know about it.
Week 31
The mother starts having breathing issues while the baby has better use of senses at this stage.
Week 32
By this stage, your baby starts having survival skills like breathing and sucking.
Week 33
You might have a sleepless night and feel weak, but your baby gets a boost in their immune level.
Week 34
If it is a boy, their testicles start to descend by this time. However, as a mommy, you might have vision problems.
Week 35
The baby’s head grows rapidly and weighs more. The mommy feels more pressure in the bladder.
Week 36
Your baby has strong bones by now, while you might find your bones ache a bit.
Week 37
Your doctor will check the labor signs as your baby starts turning in the womb.
Week 38
The baby now produces surfactant that helps him/her breathe and produce colostrum.
Week 39
You might start feeling symptoms of labor while your baby’s head is well-developed by now.
Week 40
This week makes the official end of your pregnancy and you can expect to deliver any time.
Week 41
You can feel labor pain any time as it is by now that the baby should be out of the womb.
Week 42
Most babies have their own time when it is about delivery. But only 5% of babies are born after the due date.
Final thoughts
Now as you know the pregnancy stages, you’d have a better idea of what to expect in terms off physical changes. Make sure you’re under a lot of care and supervision and you do what it takes to stay healthy.
