From the moment of conception to the birth of your baby, she will undergo tremendous growth and development in just nine months. Each week will bring several changes as your baby grows and prepares for life outside of the womb. Your body will appear different as well, and understanding the changes going on inside your body will help you remain healthy during pregnancy and will also help you grow a healthy baby.
First Trimester
Your baby is very small during the first trimester, or first three months of your pregnancy. Immediately following conception, your baby's cells begin to divide to form a tiny ball called a morula, according to KidsHealth.org. The morula hollows out and fills with fluid, at which point it is referred to as a blastocyst. The blastocyst implants into your uterine lining where it grows for the next several months. The Baby Center website adds that at the end of the first month, your embryo consists of two layers that eventually grow into all of your baby's body parts. Over the next two months, your baby grows and begins to move around. At the end of month two, your baby is the size of a kidney bean with webbed fingers and toes. By the end of the first trimester, your growing infant is about 3-inches long and weighs about 1 oz. She also has her own distinct set of fingerprints.
Second Trimester
Your body changes a great deal during the second trimester to accommodate your growing baby, and others will be able to detect your pregnancy. According to KidsHealth.org, your placenta is fully developed at this point and is providing your baby with the oxygen and nutrients he needs to grow. His eyelids fuse together to protect his developing eyes at the beginning of the second trimester. The Baby Center website adds that his eyebrows form sometime during the fifth month of pregnancy. He gains weight and weighs in at around 1 1/2 lbs. He measures more than 10-inches long as you approach the end of the trimester. Your baby's genitals are fully formed, as well as his ears. You begin to feel your baby's movements before entering the third trimester.
Third Trimester
As you approach your due date, your baby continues to gain weight and grow longer. At the end of the seventh month your baby may weigh as much as 3 lbs. and measure more than 15-inches long, notes the Baby Center website. She is also able to begin opening and closing her eyes, and her brain continues to grow as she gains the ability to hear, smell and control her movements, adds KidsHealth.org. Your baby's lungs, liver and kidneys continue forming during the third trimester. Her hair grows, as well as her eyelashes. She is able to detect light with her eyes and begins storing up fat. As your body approaches time to give birth, your baby generally weighs around 7 lbs. and measures about 19-inches long.
