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We calculate your due date by simply adding 280 days to the day when you started your monthly cycle. The human gestation period is actually 266 days, so by adding 14 days, which is the average ovulation period to the first day of your cycle, we come to the 280 day figure. Of course, if you have been monitoring your cycle and know when you ovulated, it does make it easier to calculate your conception and due dates.
Within this trimester the most rapid rate of growth and development take place. All the organs have developed. Of course the majority of early pregnancies fare well but complications including miscarriage and ectopic pregnancy can occur. Pregnancy symptoms, such as morning sickness, and pregnancy signs such as an enlarging uterus, occur. By the end of the 1st trimester, your son or daughter will have grown to 3.4 inches (8.7 cm) long and weigh about 1.5 ounces (43 grams). The majority of babies are healthy but abnormalities such as Down's Syndrome can occur and you will need to consider your options with regard to antenatal screening. Pregnancy Week by Week - Weeks 1 - 4
![]() Four cell embryo
Four week embryo
Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 5
Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 6
Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 7
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The Second Trimester - Weeks 16-28 |
For many
women, the second trimester is an enjoyable time --
morning sickness has receded and the aches and pain of advanced
pregnancy are far in the future. Your body is finally expanding enough for
people to realize you're pregnant and not just gaining a few pounds.
By the end of this trimester your baby is between 11 and 14 inches long and
weighs about 2 to 2? pounds and swallowing and hearing have developed. You
will notice periods of activity. Check below to see what's happening with
your baby week by week!

He or she has a much more normal "human" appearance now.
Pads are forming on his tiny fingertips and toes. Soon those individual swirls and whorls will be apparent.
Meconium (composed of products of cell loss, digestive secretion and swallowed amniotic fluid), is accumulating in the bowel. This black gooey substance will become your baby's first motion.
The skeleton is transforming from cartilage to bone. The head bones remain flexible to make the journey through the birth canal easier.

Vernix, a white protective material, forms on baby's skin, and together with the lanugo, serve to protect your baby's skin during the months in water.
Tiny air sacs called alveoli begin to form in lungs.
- Features of your baby's heart, including ventricles and chambers, should be visible during an ultrasound.
Throughout baby's body, nerves are being coated with a fatty substance called myelin, which insulates the nerves so that impulses can flow smoothly.
- Scalp hair becomes apparent this week.
The milk teeth buds have already developed and over the next few days the buds for the permanent teeth will begin to form behind the milk teeth.
If baby is female the uterus starts to develop. If you're having a girl, the vagina, uterus, and fallopian tubes are in place.
- If it's a boy, the genitals are distinct and recognizable.
- Your baby is swallowing amniotic fluid and his or her kidneys are making urine.

The rapid growth stage is about over.
The legs are reaching their relative size. With the increase muscle develop occurring as well, you will start feeling much more than tiny flutter kicks soon!
Antibodies are being transferred from you to your baby now. They will protect your child.
The nerve cells for taste, smell, hearing, seeing, and touch are now developing in specialized areas of the brain. Production slows down as existing nerve cells grow larger and make more complex connections.
Your baby may startle in reaction to loud sounds.
- Baby is about 6.46 inches (16.4cm) and weighs around 10.58 ounces (300g).

Leukocytes, the white blood cells, are under production. The form our body's defence systems, helping to fight infections and diseases.
- Your little one's skin becomes more opaque.
The tongue is fully formed.
Unlike males, females have a limited supply of gametes in their lifetime. At this point your daughter will have 6 million eggs. This amount decreases to approximately one million by birth.
Baby swallows more this week. After your baby takes in amniotic fluid, his body absorbs the water in the liquid and moves the rest into the large bowel. This is good practice for the digestive system.
Wake and sleep periods become more consistent.
- Length is now measured crown to heel.

- Eyelids and eyebrows are fully formed.
- Fingernails have grown to the end of the fingers.
- If your baby is male his testes begin their descent to the scrotum.
- Primitive sperm have formed and he is producing testosterone.

The proportions of the body are now quite similar to a newborn although thinner since he hasn't begun to form body fat.
- The bones of the middle ear harden.
- The eyes are formed, though the iris still lacks pigmentation.
The pancreas, essential in the production of hormones, is developing steadily with production of insulin, important for the breakdown of sugars.
- If born now, your baby has a 15% chance of survival, his odds going up with each passing day. .
Taste buds begin to form.
Little creases have appeared on the palms.
Over the next seven days the sweat glands will be forming in the skin.
Cells start developing in the lungs that will produce surfactant, a substance that helps the air sacs inflate easily. Without surfactant the fetal lungs would stick together and couldn't expand after the baby is born.
- This week your baby is officially considered viable.
- Baby weighs 1.3 pound (600gm) and is 11.8 inches (30cm) long -- almost the length of a ruler!

Your baby's nostrils begin to open.
The nerves around the mouth and lip area show more sensitivity. When baby is rooting for food later on, these will be valuable.
- Swallowing reflexes are developing.
To support the fetus's growing body, the spine is getting stronger and more supple.
Although they've been sealed shut for the last few months, your baby's eyes are opening and beginning to blink this week. Depending on ethnicity, some babies will be born with blue or gray-blue eyes, which may change colour in the first 6 months of life and some will be born with brown or dark eyes.
- Retinas begin to form.

Response to sound grows more consistent toward the end of the seventh month, when the network of nerves to the ear is complete.
Lungs continue to grow and prepare for functioning outside of the womb. Each day in the womb greatly increases survival rates.
Eyelids are now open more.
- Retinas have formed.

- Eyebrows and eyelashes are now very noticeable.
Hair on baby's head is growing longer.
- Eyes are completely formed now.
Your baby's body is getting plump and rounded. Most of that increase is muscle tissue and bone. Fat will be added during the third trimester.
Lungs are capable of breathing now but baby would still struggle and require medical attention if born now.
- Your baby weighs in now at 2.2 pounds (1005gm) and is 14.8 inches (37.6cm).

The Third Trimester - Weeks 28 to delivery. |
You're in the homestretch now. This is the time for childbirth classes. As
the anticipation rises though, so may those feelings of anxiety and even a
bit of fear. Don't worry, as all these emotions are perfectly normal.
This pregnancy is suddenly very real. That due date that was once so far
away is looming ever closer. Your baby is making his or her presence known
with karate kicks, twists and turns until there simply is no more room.
The third trimester as the one where the finishing touches are added. The
majority of pregnancies run smoothly but complications such as
premature la
Your baby's head is in proportion with body now.
Fat continues to accumulate under the skin..
Your baby's brain can control primitive breathing and body temperatures.

A pint and a half of amniotic fluid surrounds him. As he grows and fills your uterus, the amount of amniotic fluid will decrease.
Early lanugo is beginning to disappear that served to protect your baby's skin from the water in the womb. Your little one's own hair may begin to appear.
- Toenails are entering their final growth stage.
Bone marrow is now in charge of red blood cell production.
- Your baby has the capability now to produce tears.
The rate of physical growth slows down just a bit, but even though she doesn't get much longer.
Fat continues accumulating. This layer of fat turns the skin from red to the rosy pink of a newborn.
The brain enters another period of rapid growth, producing hundreds of billions of new nerve cells.
The lungs are the only major organ left to complete development.


All five senses are working. Your little one is fascinated and practicing testing these out as much as possible!
Toenails are completely formed.
Brain scans have shown that babies have periods of dream sleep (REM) starting around the eight month.
Your baby is up to 3.75 pounds (1702gm) now and is 16.7 inches (42.4cm) long.

- Amniotic fluid is at its highest level during your pregnancy.
Neurons and synapses are developing in huge numbers -- forming connections in your baby's brain will provide the skills needed to thrive as a newborn. This week coordination of sucking and swallowing with breathing become better developed.
While most bones are hardening, the skull is relatively pliable and not completely joined. The bones will be able to move slightly to make birthing easier.

Antibodies from your blood continue being transferred from you. These immunities continue to build until birth. Then breast milk will add even more protection against disease.
Your baby may have already turned to a head-down position in preparation for birth. If he is your first baby, he may be settling into the pelvis with his head pressing against your cervix.
Fingernails have reached the end of the fingertips now.
- Most babies born now will survive and without many long-term problems.
Fat accumulations plumps up the arms and legs this week. These layers of fat will help regulate body temperature. They also provide those cute little dimples on elbows and knees.
Hearing is fully developed.
- The testes have completed their descent in males.
If he hasn't already, this week your baby may drop into the birth canal (engagement). While breathing for mum becomes easier, walking may be the exact opposite! If he's not your first baby, this "lightening" may not occur until right before labour.
- Skin is becoming smoother, "baby" soft.
Your child's average size is now 18.66 inches (47.4cm) and 5.78 pounds (2622 g).
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Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 37
- The baby is now officially full term.
Your child's intestines are accumulating lots of meconium.
Circumference of head and abdomen are about the same size for your baby.

The lanugo has mostly disappeared, but you'll probably find a bit on her shoulders, arms and legs and in those protected little bodily creases.
The lungs are maturing and surfactant production is increasing and fully prepared.
His body continues laying on the fat stores that will help regulate his body temperature after birth. In addition to normal fat, a special "brown" fat is accumulating in the nape of his neck, between the shoulders and around organs. Brown fat cells are important for thermogenesis (generating heat) during the first weeks.

- Much of the vernix has vanished but you will notice traces on the body.
15% of your child's body is fat. Approximately 65 percent is water!
- Small breast buds are present on both sexes.
Any day you will be cradling your son or daughter!
About this time, your obstetrician is likely to recommend that labour be induced as there is a risk that the function of the placenta will become inadequate.
DISCLAIMER
The aim of this web site is to provide a general guide and it is not intended as a substitute for a consultation with an appropriate specialist in respect of individual care and treatment.
DISCLAIMER
The aim of this web site is to provide a general guide and it is not intended as a substitute for a consultation with an appropriate specialist in respect of individual care and treatment.
DISCLAIMER
The aim of this web site is to provide a general guide and it is not intended as a substitute for a consultation with an appropriate specialist in respect of individual care and treatment.
This Website has been developed as a result of experience gained from its sister gynaecology site - www.2womenshealth.com
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