YOUR BABY:
MONTH ONE: During the first month, Your baby is a microscopic fertilized egg that is dividing again and again, forming a ball of cells with separate layers that will grow into your baby's body. A yolk sack nourishes your baby until all major organs have formed. At the end of one month, your baby will be about the size of a small pea and will weigh less than one ounce.
MONTH TWO: The central nervous system and all the body systems of your baby start to form at five weeks but will take months to fully develop. From now until the twelfth week the baby is susceptible to birth defects. The controlled environment of the amniotic fluid surrounds the baby by six weeks. Your baby's face, eyes, ears and mouth are all forming during the second month and brain cells are growing. By the end of the second month, the placenta begins to grow. The baby, now officially called a fetus, is about one inch long and still weighs less than an ounce.
MONTH THREE: The baby now has teeth buds, and the soft cartilage of the skeleton has begun to turn into bone. The nose, eyelids, eyebrows, eyelashes, nails, and skin are formed. By the third month, the whole body of your baby is covered by a downy hair called lanugo. Your baby can now roll over in the amniotic fluid, open and close her mouth, swallow, make a fist, smile, and squint. The heartbeat of your baby is growing stronger. By the end of the 12th week, the external genital organs of your baby are formed and recognizable. The baby has finally reached one ounce in weight and is now about the size of a walnut.
MONTH ONE: During the first month, you often don't even know you're pregnant. It's not until you miss your first period that you begin to suspect. You may feel tired, your breasts may be tender, and you may urinate more frequently.
MONTH TWO: During the second month, your uterus will begin to expand and, if this is your first pregnancy, it will be about as big as a tennis ball. With subsequent pregnancies, your uterus will become larger earlier in your pregnancy. Some women feel occasional nausea or morning sickness during month two and you may respond with stronger emotions than usual. Pregnancy hormones may cause mood swings. You may feel very tired this month and next, but this will pass by the beginning of the second trimester.
MONTH THREE: During the third month, you will begin to settle into your pregnancy and later this month, you will begin to feel less tired because your heart will be better adjusted to pumping more blood, 25 percent of which now goes to the baby. Your uterus will be about the size of a grapefruit when you touch your abdomen. You will begin to gain weight and your clothes may begin getting tight. By the end of the third month, the risk of miscarriage and birth defects will be over because the critical period of early organ development will be passed.
MoonDragon's Pregnancy Information: First Signs of Pregnancy
NUTRITION
Before you get pregnant, supplement your diet with the B-vitamin folic acid (it's found in most multivitamins) to reduce the risk of birth defects of the brain and spine. Visit your midwife or health care provider for your first prenatal care check-up as soon as you think you are pregnant. Often a prenatal vitamin supplement may be recommended in addition to a good prenatal nutritional program with adequate protein, vitamins, minerals (including sodium) and calories. Ask your midwife or health care provider before taking any prescription drugs or over-the-counter products. Stop smoking and drinking alcohol. Stop doing street drugs.
MoonDragon's Pregnancy Information: Pregnancy Calendar Index
Photos obtained from A Child Is Born by Lennart Nilsson
and Pregnancy - in anatomical illustrations by the Carnation Company
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