A Short Pregnancy Week by Week Guide

Expecting your baby is an exciting time, but at the same time it is scary. There are a lot of things to learn about and you only have nine months to do it in. At the same time, you want to know all about the development of your baby to make sure that everything is going well and to know what to expect. The best way to do that is by a pregnancy week by week guide.

Pregnancy is split into three trimesters, which all last for three months each. The second trimester is often seen as the easiest of the three – you have your energy back and the risk of miscarriage is much lower after the first 12 weeks. However, there is a lot to know in a short pregnancy week by week guide, so it makes it easier to split that into the three trimesters.

In the first trimester of the pregnancy week by week guide, it is likely that you will not even know that you are pregnant in the first four weeks. In fact, in the first two weeks of how pregnancies are calculated you are not even pregnant. This is when your last period will take place and the conception of your bundle of joy. Weeks three and four are the implantation period and when the first early signs could show.

Week four or five is when you are more likely to know if you are pregnant and usually due to a missed period. This is also when the first pregnancy symptoms will start – which will continue to get worse over the next part of the pregnancy week by week guide. Morning sickness can start as early as week four but may not start until week six. The most common symptom at this stage is fatigue because your body will be going through a lot of changes.

The baby will develop quickly during the first trimester. This is when the organs start to develop. By week 10, your baby will start to look like a human with a big head and this is when your embryo is known as a fetus. Week 12 is a big milestone in the pregnancy week by week guide. First of all, it is the end of your first trimester and secondly it is when your risk of miscarriage drops considerably.

As you get to the end of your first trimester and into your second, there will be some pain felt. This is your uterus expanding and your muscles and ligaments starting to pull. This is completely normal and is just your body starting to prepare for the growing baby. Most pregnancy week by week guides indicate that you are likely to start showing during the first four weeks of the second trimester and you may be able to feel some movement at week 16. This is different for every woman.

The baby will grow quickly during the next few weeks. There is a lot of development that needs to be done during the next few months and it will happen at an alarming rate. Around week 17, you will be able to find out whether you are having a boy or a girl, and around week 20, you will find out whether there are any medical problems with your baby that you need to be aware of. By week 23, your baby stands a chance of surviving outside of the womb and around week 26, Braxton Hicks contractions can start.

The final trimester of the pregnancy week by week guide is when the development will slow down. The organs will mature and hair will start to grow. These are the weeks when your baby will be putting on fat to survive outside of the womb and when you need to prepare for the birth of your bundle of joy.