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Month 1
In this month, you start to experience symptoms such as nausea, tender breasts, frequent urination, fatigue, and food sensitivity. Along with this, you'll have to do many things with the doctor such as getting a Pap Smear, a health checkup, blood and urine tests, and a pelvic exam. -
Month 2
In this month, you will have the aformentioned symptoms to the same degree or worse. Along with that, your personality will start to change as you become more mom-ish. Weight gain will be monitored, an internal pelvic exam will be done if one hasn't already been done in month 1, and you will be tested for anemia and HIV. -
Month 3
As your body gets used to the increased hormone levels, nausea will significantly decrease and your uterus will grow to approximatly the size of a grapefruit. At this point your baby is fully developed with nails, organs, skin, muscles, etc. At this month, you are able to check your baby for defects that may occur and other diseases such as anemia. One of the major things is you will be able to hear your baby's heartbeat. -
Month 4
At this month, your hormones start to relax and moodiness, morning sickness, and nausea all may go away. Along with this, sex drive and increased energy will return. This is a good time to sign up for prenatal classes. Lastly, you may feel heartburn as the utures moves upwards into where your intestines normally are. Many will experience quickening. -
Month 5
A weight gain of about 5-15 pounds is expected at this point. At this point, fatigue may return as your uterus is around the size of a cantaloupe and you need to start pumping extra blood. Now your baby is about 10 oz. and 6-9 in. long and their sex can be told using an ultrasound. -
Month 6
The uterus is now the size of a basketball and the stretched skin around it may become itchy due to it being stretched out so much. Bleeding gums, constipation, heartburn, and leg cramps will worsen during this month. Your body will gain about a pound a week now and you'll be tired most of the time.You will probably be tested for gestational diabetes as well. -
Month 7
Now is a good time to think about maternity leave and birth plans. Now your feet and hands may cramp, your joints will loosen up, and you more than likely will feel more of the baby's movements. Your child can now see, hear, and taste! You may need to get a Rhogam shot to prevent future complications if you are Rh-negative. -
Month 8
Baby may start to push on your ribs and organs as it moves about, pelvic pressure may increase, worse heartburn and indigestion, skin stretching even moreso, and you'll be getting Braxton Hicks (non-productive) contractions more often. You weight, urine, and blood will be monitored as your baby's growth, heartbeat, size, and position are monitored aswell. Caregiver visits generally increase from bi-weekly to weekly at this point. -
Month 9
Your baby may shift instantaneously from tired to energetic as you await the baby's arrival. Breathing may become easier as the baby moves down into the pelvis area, sleep may become difficult as anxiety kicks in, and your weight gain will reach it's peak here at around 35lbs total gained. External monitoring will continue as normal and internal exams will be done to check if the cervix has ripened or started to dilate. Lastly, the caregiver may swab the rectum and vagina to check for strep (b.)