-
Week One
You and your partner have decided to try for a baby- how exciting! This interactive timeline will help guide you through the wonderful process of pregnancy! Right now you are actually not pregnant, the clock starts on the first day of your last period.
What to do now:
--Start taking prenatal vitamins
--Quit any unhealthy habits such as smoking, and drinking. -
Week Two
This is the week ovulation occurs. It is best to have sex one to two days before your ovulation date.
What to do now:
--Start moving: experts say to exercise at least thirty minutes for most days throughout pregnancy.
--Start researching obstetrictians or midwives. -
Week Three
At this point you may be pregnant but it could still be too early to tell because you will not have any symptoms
What to do now:
--Do not take any medications without permission from your doctor.
--Get a flu shot if you have not already, they're safe. -
Week Four
Congratulations- you're pregnant! At this point you may start to feel bloated, crampy, tired and moody. Some other symptoms you might be experiencing are sore breasts, nausea/vomitting, and a frequent need to pee.
What to do now:
--Avoid chemicals and secondhand smoke.
--Invest in an extra supportive bra since most women's breast grow during pregnancy -
Week Five
Your baby is only the size of a grain of sand and most of the organs have begun to develop. Arm and leg buds are also beginning to appear.
What to do now:
--Make an appointment with your obstetrician or midwife. It is best to see your doctor or midwife for the first time between six and ten weeks. -
Week Six
This is a big development week for the baby! The first blood cells and blood vessels are beginning to develop. The heart begins to form and starts to beat The brain also begins to divide into five parts.
What to do now:
--Get plenty of rest! The baby is developing more everyday and that tends to make the mother tired.
--Begin to plan when you will tell loved ones and coworkers about your pregnancy. Most women wait until the first trimester is over and the risk of miscarriage decreases. -
Week Seven
At this point the embryo has doubled in size and is less than a half inch long. The lungs, live, pancreas, and thyroid glands are forming. As the pregnancy hormones increase, morning sickness may be worsening.
What to do now:
--If nauseated, eat several small meals a day, avoid strong odors, and wear acupressure wristbands -
Week Eight
The arms and legs and location of the elbows and toes and visibile. Feet and hand buds have also started to appear. The face is beginning to take shape and the mouth and nostrils are starting to develop. Miscarriage rate drops to 2%. Doctors will usually give you your due date at this point!
What to do now:
--Start to read up on baby care. Even though your due date seems far away it will arrive before you know it! -
Week Nine
Your baby is just bigger than a penny! The baby's head is still too big for his or her body and reproductive organs are starting to form. However, you will still not be able to tell the sex at this point. The baby is starting to move more at this point! The pressure of your growing uterus on your bladder may cause you to leak small amounts of urine.
What to do now:
--Start doing Kegels which is squeezing the muscles around your vagina as if you are stopping the urine from coming out. -
Week Ten
Your baby is one inch long and can now offically be called a fetus! The baby now has well-defined eyes, mouth, and ears. The baby's eyes are wide open at this point.
What to do now:
--If you want to have your baby checked for birth defects, a genetic counselor will check at around 10 weeks. -
Week Eleven
Your baby is very active now! You may start to get non-food cravings which is completely normal! Most of the baby's organs are beginning to function and the gentials begin to take on male or female form.
What to do now:
--If you have any concerns about your non-food cravings see your doctor
--If you want your baby to get tested for down syndrome or any other chromosomal abnormalities this would be the time! -
Week Twelve
This is the point where most women start to show. Most organs are developed and the baby's kidneys are getting ready to produce urine. The baby also has teeth, fingers and toes- with fingernails and toenails!
What to do now:
--Stay clear of any activities that pose a risk to fall or abdominal trauma
--Avoid exercises that require you to lay flat on your back. -
Week Thirteen
This is the last week of your first trimester! Some people are done with morning sickness at this point, but have started putting on around 10-14 pounds. Your baby is growing quickly now is getting more proportional.
What to do now:
--Think about telling co-workers soon since you are beginning to show more and more. -
Week Fourteen
Your baby is roughly the size of a peach. His or her body is covered in soft hairs which are called lanugo. This provides warmth for them in the womb.
What to do now:
--Make sure you are regularly exercising but do not overdo it. -
Week Fifteen
The baby's skin is so thin that you can see right through it! If you look closely you can start to see blood vessels forming. The baby's muscles are getting stronger and he or she is showing that by moving around, making fists, and practicing different facial expressions.
What to do now:
--If you wanted to get your baby tested for any genetic or chromosomal diseases now would be the time before it is too late. -
Week Sixteen
Your baby is about fix inches long and is the size of an apple! At this point you will definetly start to feel the baby move.
What to do now:
--Decide whether you want to know the baby's sex. Many doctors say they can determine the sex between 16 to 20 weeks. -
Week Seventeen
All of your baby's organs are functioning at this point! The baby's looks are starting to change as the hair, eyebrows and eyelashes start to grow in. Sometimes pregnant women experience weird and vivid dreams at this point.
What to do now:
--Look into childbirth education classes
--Figure out your most comfortable sleeping position/pillows to get plenty of sleep! -
Week Eighteen
You might need to go to the bathroom a lot more- as your baby grows, your bladder shrinks. The baby's ears are developed enough to hear you at this point.
What to do now:
--Start talking to your baby
--Drink plenty of fluids during the day, but limit them around bedtime to avoid having to wake up in the middle of the night to go to the bathroom -
Week Nineteen
Your baby is now coated in a waxy white substance called vernix caseosa to protect his or her delicate skin from the amniotic fluid. As your baby's hair grows your hair might be growing thicker. This is because your normal shedding cycle has slowed down. Nothing to be worried about!
What to do now:
--Spend quality alone time with your partner and unless you have having problems within your pregnancy, sex will not hurt the baby. -
Week Twenty
You are halfway through your pregnancy! The baby can hear and respond to sounds. You want your baby to start getting famillar with your voice. Baby is the size of a small banana at this point. At this point many mothers say the nesting urge kicks in.
What to do now:
--Finsh up any renovations to your nursey such as painitng and instaling carpets. -
Week Twenty-One
Tiny tooth buds are beginning to form on the baby's gums. There may be early signs of preeclampsia if you are over 35 years old, and have high blood pressure or diabetes.
What to do now:
--Go see your doctor if you could be at risk for preeclampsia -
Week Twenty-Two
Wow! Your baby is almost one pound and eight inches long! Hormones are starting to form which will give his or her organs the commands they need to operate, and the nerves baby needs to touch, smell and experience other sensations.
What to do now:
--Keep drinking fluids and eating fiber rich foods. -
Week Twenty-Three
Your baby is almost developed enough to live outside the womb. At this point your doctor may advise you to stay clear of long distance traveling in the near future.
What to do now:
--Last chance to travel before the baby arrives. -
Week Twenty-Four
Your baby is now a foot long- about the size of a ball park hot dog! You may also start to see stretch marks if you have not already. Gestational diabetes, which is just like regular diabetes but it only occurs in pregnant women.
What to do now:
--Schedule an appointment for a glucose scan to see if you have or at risk of having gestational diabetes -
Week Twenty-Five
The baby's skin is now going from see-through to cloudy. If another person puts their ears to your belly, they can hear the heartbeat of your baby more clear and maybe even a hiccup! You may be afflicted with heart burn and leg cramps, especially at night.
What to do now:
--Buy a lot of Tums for your heartburn
--Stretch your legs to avoid cramps and avoid standing and sitting in one position for long periods of time. -
Week Twenty-Six
Last week of your second trimester! Your baby is about two pounds now and blink because the eyelids have fully formed and show the baby's eye color- but baby's eye color can sometimes change within the first few months. The baby is also sleeping longer, usually when you are sleeping.
What to do now:
--Get used to quick 20-minute naps
--Start thinking about baby names
--Look into child care if returning to work -
Week Twenty-Seven
Welcome to your last trimester! Your baby is starting to look like what he or she will when you deliver him/her. The brain is quickly making connections to other parts of the body. You might be worried when you look at the scale but you should be gaining about a pound per week.
What to do now:
--Make sure you eat a lot of high fiber foods along with fruits and vegetables. -
Week Twenty-Eight
Baxton Hicks (practice) contractions usually occur at this time. Do not panic and call your doctor if you think you might be going into labor. This is also when the baby begins to move into the position they will be during childbirth. At this point you should be seeing your doctor about once every two weeks.
What to do now:
--Familarize yourself with the symptoms of true labor: contractions that occur at regular intervals and/or gradually become stronger and do not abate with movement. -
Week Twenty-Nine
Since the baby is growing bigger and bigger, there is less room in the womb, which means you will be feeling just about every move. The lungs and brain are also maturing at this point. The baby is getting more senstive to light and sound.
What to do now:
--Maximize room in your belly by sitting and standing upright. -
Week Thirty
Since your baby is growing, that means your belly is growing. This means you may feel uncomfortable and awkward as your center of balance shifts. You may also feel breathless sometimes because your uterus is growing and crowding your diaphraagm.
What to do now:
--Alert health insurer about due date
--Keep exercising (unless doctor told you not to) to increase stamina for birth
--Sit down with your partner and rewrite will if not done so already. -
Week Thirty-One
You may feel a gradual decrease in the power of baby's kicks and punches as the space becomes tighter-this is normal. Braxton Hicks contractions will still be occuring and usually last between 30 seconds and 2 minutes. If they last any longer contact your doctor.
What to do now:
--Call your doctor if you feel there has been a sudden decrease in kicks to the point where it barely happens. -
Week Thirty-Two
Pregnancy is getting harder the closer you get to your due date. Your baby is almost four pounds and about the size of a cantelop. The fine hairs called lanugo is falling off and the only hair that remains are eyelashes, eyebrows, and head. The baby is making final preparations before its apperance!
What to do now:
--Look at maturnity leave benefits
--Register for baby shower if you are having one -
Week Thirty-Three
The bones in your baby's body are beginning to harden. The only ones that are still soft are the bones in your baby's skull which compresses to fit through the birth canal. Only a few more weeks to go!
What to do now:
--Create a ideal birth plan and a backup plan
--Tour your hospital's maturnity floor. -
Week Thirty-Four
Most of the major organs are now ready to work on their own. Your baby may already be in the head down position and ready for delivery! There is still plenty of time for your baby to get ready for birth.
What to do now:
--Buy a car seat if you have not already
--Take a breastfeeding class -
Week Thirty-Five
Your baby is now settling into position lower in your pelvis for delivery, a movement we call lightening. Breathing should be easier now since the pressure is off your lungs. This means bad news for your bladder- you might need to take more bathroon breaks.
What to do now:
--Start looking at pediatricians.
--Limit fluids at night to avoid waking up to go to the bathroom. -
Week Thirty-Six
One month left! The waxy white substance called vernix caseoa has dissolved and at this point your baby is ready to be delivered. At this point you will see your doctor once a week.
What to do now:
--Figure out your plans for after the baby is born
--Try to get comfortable before the arrival of your baby. -
Week Thirty-Seven
Your pregnancy is now full-term and your baby is now full-size. Baby could come at any moment as exciting and scary as that sounds! His or her head is moving into position in the pelvis which is called "engaged."
What to do now:
--Create a schedule for the person who will be taking over your job.
--Have hospital bag packed and ready to go. -
Week Thirty-Eight
Two weeks left (hopefully!) before you deliver your new bundle of joy! Baby's organs are all working and the brain can control every part of the body. Reflexes are also beginning to kick in.
What to do now:
--Be prepared for the baby to arrive at any point.
--Call your doctor if contractions occur every 5 to 10 minutes or your water breaks. -
Week Thirty-Nine
One more week until your baby is here (unless you have already delivered of course). Your baby is about seven pounds and is the size of a watermelon at this point. The baby will born any day now so get comfortable!
What to do now:
--Stay comfortable and be prepared for birth -
Week Forty
The week you have been waiting for the last nine months is finally here! Try to stay calm when contractions start and follow your birth plan as much as yo can. You have prepared for this moment for months so try to enjoy it even when it is painful.
What to do now:
--Stay calm and relaxed during birth
--Enjoy your new bundle of joy- Congratulations!
