Pregnancy and Childbirth
 

Pregnancy and Childbirth

   

Pregnancy Calendar

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PREGNANCY

CALANDAR

 

 

 How is your due date calculated?

 

 

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.

 

 PREGNANCY CALCULATOR

 

 

Last Menstrual Period (MM/DD/YYYY)

Average Length of Cycle (Default 28)


(22 to 45)

 16)
Estimated Conception Date:

Estimated Due Date:

Estimated Pregnancy Pregnancy Week by Week - Week:




 

Week by week pregnancy calendar - Your guide to pregnancy events for you and your baby.

 

 

The First Trimester - Up to week 16

 

 

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

  • Ovulation occurs 14 days before your next period is due.

  • The gender of your baby is determined at the time of fertilization. A spermatozoon carries either an "X" (girl) chromosome or a "Y" (boy) chromosome.

  • Implantation occurs a few days after conception.

  • The neural tube forms - it will develop into the nervous system - brain and spinal cord.

  • The heart and primitive circulatory system rapidly form.

Pregnancy

Four cell embryo

pregnancy

Four week embryo

 

 

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 5

calendar pregnancy

  • The first heartbeats begin - If you have an early ultrasound you may not be able to recognize this tiny being as a baby, but there is no mistaking what it feels like seeing your baby's heartbeat on that screen.

  • The umbilical cord develops - this is your baby's lifeline in utero. It carries in oxygen, and takes away waste, and supplyies the necessary nutrients for the remainder of your pregnancy.

  • Blood is now pumping - All four heart chambers are now functioning, insuring your baby's body will receive all it needs over not only the remainder of your pregnancy but throughout life.

  • Most other organs begin to develop - the lungs start to appear, along the brain.

  • Arm and leg buds appear.

 

 

 

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 6

calandar pregnancy

  • The arms and legs continue to develop.

  • The brain is growing well - over the course of the remaining months that your baby's brain will develop over 100 billion neurons?

  • The lenses of the eyes appear.

  • The nostrils are formed. Soon, the nerves running from the nose to the brain develop.

  • The intestines grow - initially these are actually located outside the baby's body.

  • The length of the baby is measured from the crown to the rump (bottom) as the legs are flexed.

 

 

 


pregnancy week by week

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 7

  • The elbows form.

  • The fingers start to develop.

  • Feet start to appear with tiny notches for the toes.

  • The ears, eyes and nose start to appear.

  • Teeth begin to develop under the gums.

 

 

pregnancy week by week

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 8

  • Cartilage and bones begin to form.

  • The basic structure of the eye is underway.
  • The tongue begins to develop
  • The intestines start to move into the abdomen.
  • The fingers and toes have appeared but are webbed and short.
  • Baby's length (crown to rump) is 0.61 inch (1.6cm) and weight is 0.04 ounce (1gm)
 

 
pregnancy sign

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 9

  • Baby has begun movement.

  • Most joints are formed.

  • Fingerprints are already evident in the skin 
 

 
pregnancy sign

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 10

  • The baby is now called a fetus in "medical terms". 

  • The most critical part of your infant's development is complete. Now you are headed into a period of rapid growth.

  • While a bit strange to envision, your baby's head is now about half its length.

  • Eyelids fuse shut and irises begin to develop - eye colour is also determined by this point.
 

 

pregnancy sign


Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 11

  • Nearly all structures and organs are formed and beginning to function.
  • Fingers and toes have separated.

  • Hair and nails begin to grow
  • The genitals begin to take on the proper gender characteristics.

  • Amniotic fluid begins to accumulate as the kidneys begin to function - this fluid, consisting primarily of water, helps provide a cushion for your baby whilest nestled within your womb.

  • The muscles in the intestinal walls begin contractions that will eventually allow digestion of food.
 

 
pregnancy symptom

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 12

  • The vocal cords begin to form.

  • The eyes begin to move closer together.

  • The ears shift to their normal place on the side of the head
  • The liver begins to function. It has responsibilities for cleansing the blood, storing nutrients, and providing needed chemicals.

  • The pancreas begins to produce insulin
  • Your baby's average size is now at a whopping length: 2.13 inches (5.4cm) and weight: 0.49 ounce (14gm)
 

 
pregnancy symptom

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 13

  • Baby begins to practice inhaling and exhaling movements.

  • Baby's neck is getting longer, and the chin no longer is resting on his chest
  • The hands are becoming more functional.

  • On your next doctor visit you may be able to hear heartbeat with a Doppler by now.

 

 
pregnancy symptom

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 14

  • The thyroid gland begins to produce hormones that will be used throughout life to adjust the speed of the body's chemistry.
  • In boys, the prostate gland develops
  • In girls, the ovaries move from the abdomen to the pelvis
  • Your baby's skin is very transparent still.
  • Lanugo (very fine hair) covers the baby's body and will continue to grow until 26 weeks gestational age - Generally this will be shed prior to birth. Its purpose is to help protect baby's skin while in all that water!
 

 

pregnancy symptom

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 15

  • Occasionally mothers report that they begin to feel some fluttering movements as baby kicks, flails, twists and turns.

  • Your baby's legs have grown longer than the arms and the body is now longer than the head.

  • The three tiny bones in his middle ear have begun to harden. The auditory centres in your baby's brain haven't developed yet,.

  • Eyebrows are beginning to grow and scalp hair begins to show. It will probably change colour and texture after birth.

 

 
pregnancy stage

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 16

  • Fat begins to form underneath skin, providing your baby with insulation for the coming months.
  • Baby and placenta are now about the same size?
  • The genitalia are developed sufficiently that an experienced ultrasonographer might be able to determine if your baby is a boy or a girl.
  • The heart is pumping as much as 6 gallons of blood a day and beats at a rate about double your heart rate.
  • Your baby has learned to breathe.
 pregnancy calendar

 

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!

pregnancy stage

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 17

  • 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.

 
pregnancy stage

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 18

  • 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.
 

pregnancy stage

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 19

  • 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.

 

 
childbirth

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 20

  • 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).
 
childbirth

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 21

  •  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.

 

 
childbirth

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 22

  • 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.
 
pregnancy test

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 23

  • 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. .
 

childbirth

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 24

  • 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!
 
childbirth

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 25

  • 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.
 

pregnancy teen

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 26

  • 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.

 

 
childbirth

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 27

  • 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.
 
childbirth

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 28

  • 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
bour, gestational diabetes, and pre-eclampsia can occur.

pregnancy calculator

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 29

  • 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.

 
pregnancy calculator

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 30

  • 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.

 

 

morning sickness

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 31

  • 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.

 
morning sickness

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 32

  • 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.

 
twins

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 33

  • 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.

 
twins

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 34

  • 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.

 

twins

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 35

  • 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.
 

pregnancy

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 36

  • 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).

     

    pregnancy calendar

    Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 37

  • The baby is now officially full term.
 


pregnancy calendar

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 38

  • Your child's intestines are accumulating lots of meconium.

  • Circumference of head and abdomen are about the same size for your baby.

 

pregnancy calendar

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 39

  • 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.

 

pregnancy calendar

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 40

  • 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!

 

pregnancy calendar

Pregnancy Week by Week - Week 41

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.


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This Website has been developed as a result of experience gained from its sister gynaecology site - www.2womenshealth.com.

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