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Are you pregnant? Just had a baby? |
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Pregnancy Week By Week
by Beverley Brooke
There are three stages of
pregnancy. These are the first, second and third trimesters.
The first trimester runs from week one to week fourteen, the
second covers weeks 15 – 26, then the third is weeks 27 –
40.
Week 1+2: This is actually before you get pregnant. It's the
stage where your body prepares itself by ovulating. And it's
in these 14 days that the egg is fertilized by the sperm
Week 3: The fertilized egg now moves down the fallopian tubes,
fluid passes into the ball of cells, dividing them into two.
The inner cells will form your baby and the outer cells will
form the placenta. Your body, at this stage, is still unaware
that it is pregnant. The implantation begins
as the cell ball reaches the wall of the uterus. In this
process the cells actually bury into the uterus wall, which
can sometimes lead to you having spotting. The implanted cell
ball now becomes an embryo.
Week 4: This is a week of rapid development, and your body now
realises it is pregnant. The amniotic sac and cavity begin to
develop and also the Yoke sac appears (this will later form
the baby's digestive system). The placenta now starts to form
where implantation took place and blood from
you will now go into the placenta. It is usually about day 27
that we start to feel the morning sickness.
Week 5: The primitive streak (the fore runner of the brain and
spinal cord) is now developing. Through this primitive streak
the cells will develop into three layers:
The endoderm: the bottom layer – develops the glands, lung
linings, tongue, bladder, digestive tract, tonsils, urethra
and associated glands.
The mesoderm: the middle layer – forms the muscles, bones,
heart, lungs, spleen, blood cells, and the reproductive and
excretory systems.
The ectoderm: the top layer – forming the skin, nails, hair,
eye lens, nose, mouth, anus, tooth enamel, pituitary gland,
mammary glands, and all parts of the nervous system.
Other cells will be starting to develop the spine (called the
notochord). The first steps towards forming the embryos head,
and the first formation of the babies blood cells happen this
week.
Week 6: The first few days of this week is when your baby's
heart starts beating. The aorta (the largest artery in the
whole body) will be starting to form at around day 40. By mid
week many organs are starting to form: eyes, arm buds, liver,
gall bladder, stomach and intestines, lungs and pancreas.
Week 7: This is a busy week for your growing baby. During this
week your baby will double in size. The lenses of the eyes are
developing and there is also a recognisable tongue. The legs
and arms are developing into paddles, the jaws are now
visible.
Week 8: The cerebellum starts to form this week. That's the
part of the brain responsible for the movement of muscles.
Also hand and foot plates, elbow and wrist areas are forming.
Towards the end of the eight week the hand plate has formed
ridges where the fingers will be. There is further development
of the eye; pigment is now appearing
on the retina. Teeth buds are now forming within the gums,
along with the wind pipe, bronchi, and voice box. The heart is
now starting to develop the four chambers.
Week 9: Your baby is now starting to form cartilage and bones.
During this week the ovaries will develop into the sex organ
determining whether you're having a boy or a girl. The fingers
and thumbs are now taking shape. Also the baby is now becoming
more active.
Week 10: It's now that your embryo has become a baby, all be
it on a rather small scale. There is a fully formed upper lip.
The development of the heart now slows as it is past the
critical stage. By mid week the earlobes are fully formed.
Toes start to develop on the foot plate. As the bones of the
palate (roof of the mouth) start to fuse together, the tongue
starts to develop taste buds.
Week 11: as the morning sickness starts to subside, you may
feel your appetite increase. Your baby's body starts to
straighten. In males the penis is now distinguishable and in
females the vagina is beginning to develop. This stage is
where the baby starts to show individuality, as the muscle
structure varies in each baby.
Week 12: Your baby will start to develop fingernails over the
next three weeks. The brain is now the same structure as it
will be at birth. By the end of the week, the gall bladder and
pancreas will be fully developed. Also the baby will now be
opening and closing its mouth.
Week 13: This week vocal chords will form in the larynx. Also
the intestines will move from the umbilical cord into the
abdomen, and will start to form folds and become lined with
villi.
Week 14: You may have noticed some changes to the areola (the
area around your nipple); it may be getting larger and darker.
Your baby's heart beat will now be able to be heard using a
Doppler. Breathing, sucking and swallowing motions will be
being practiced. The breathing practices will take the
amniotic fluid in and out of the lungs. Baby's hand also
becomes more functional.
Week 15: The baby's neck is now defined, with the head now
resting on the neck rather than the shoulders. The hair
pattern of the baby will be defined by the 102nd day of the
pregnancy your baby will now be able to turn its head, open
its mouth, kick, press its lips together and turn its feet.
Week 16: This week the baby's toe nails will start to grow.
The muscles will be growing stronger and the neck and head are
growing straighter. As the uterus starts moving upwards you
may start showing more, but this does mean less pressure on
your bladder, making you feel like urinating
less.
Week 17: Your baby will be working on more reflexes this week;
blinking, sucking, and swallowing. Development is carrying on
with all the existing structures. Through the course of this
month your baby's weight will increase 6 times.
CONTINUED
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Article by Beverley Brooke
Visit pregnancy
week by week to ensure a healthy
pregnancy and for more on pregnancy week by week
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