You missed your period, have taken a pregnancy test and the results are positive. Congratulations! You are going to experience the most miraculous 9 months of your life. Every woman craves for this experience at least once in a lifetime. In this article, you will find a guide for baby growth in the womb week by week.
When you are pregnant, there are tremendous changes taking place in your body every day, every week. Your baby begins as a cluster of tiny cells but, in the course of nine months; he develops facial features, a beating heart and legs.
First Trimester
In this stage, the fertilization and implantation has taken place. Your baby is the size of a kidney bean. The heart and intestines are forming and minute facial features are taking shape.
Fetal development by a week in the first trimester
2 weeks – Your ovary releases a ripened egg and if it meets the sperm then you are pregnant.
3 weeks – you baby looks like a tiny ball, made up of hundreds and thousands of cells. This small ball is called as a zygote.
4 weeks – even though you may not start feeling the changes outside your body, inside there are a gazillion things happening. This week the embryo splits into two parts wherein one part becomes the placenta and the other half, which is the embryo grows rapidly.
5 weeks – your embryo is growing at a lightning speed and the heart has started developing and beating. Outside you may start feeling fatigue and sore breasts which are common pregnancy discomfort symptoms.
6 weeks – your baby’s nose, mouth and ears are becoming distinct now and you may have started experiencing morning sickness.
7 weeks – the tiny hands and feet have started developing and by now, your uterus has doubled in size.
8 weeks – your baby’s facial features are becoming clearer. The ears, upper lip and nose have started becoming visible. The eyelids also take shape this week.
9 weeks – your baby starts looking more human now and has doubled in size. There is still some time to figure out the gender.
10 weeks – your baby who was an embryo till now has now graduated to a fetus. The most critical part of the fetal development by week is completed and the organs have got a structure to develop.
In the 11th, and 12th week, your baby can open and close his hands into fists, tiny tooth buds starts forming, the toes can curl, the brain is developing rapidly and the kidneys have started excreting urine. By the 13th week, your baby has exquisite fingerprints and is close to 3 inches long. The 13th week marks the end of the first trimester.
The first trimester is the most important stage for the fetus and the new mother as this is the formative stage for the baby. This is the time when pregnant women are asked to take utmost care of themselves and nourish themselves well as most of the major developments stem at this stage as the fetus is the most vulnerable and most susceptible to damage from substances like alcohol, drugs, life endangering illnesses like rubella. There are certain precautions which need to be taken during this trimester. They are:
Avoid alcohol and drugs
Reduce the intake of caffeine
Stay away from food items which cause heat in the body
Start with prenatal supplements prescribed by the doctor
Stay away from stress
Light exercise and eat proper home cooked meals
Avoid strong scents
The second and third trimesters are also very important for the baby formation stages but, the first trimester is the most crucial as all the initial and vital development stems in these thirteen weeks. So, it is advisable that pregnant women take good care and live stress-free during these nine months.
