Monday, December 3, 2007

Changes in Your Pregnancy Week by Week

Changes in Your Pregnancy Week by Week

What an exciting thing to be able to know what is happening inside you and learn how the fetus is developing week by week during your pregnancy.

Here is week by week know-how on how your baby grows in your womb during the 40 weeks of pregnancy.

Week 1-4

The last day of your period is considered as the first week of pregnancy. The egg is fertilized during the fourth week and a new life begins to take form inside you.

Week 5-8

This is the time your pregnancy test will prove you are pregnant. By the sixth week your baby has a beating heart. During the 8th week your fetus will have tiny arms and legs.

Week 9-12

During these weeks there will be a lot of changes in your body. Your belly will grow larger to accommodate the growing fetus within you. Your baby will start moving inside.

Week 13-16

By week 13 of pregnancy you will be able to know the gender of your baby and hear its heartbeat at the doctor’s clinic. You’ll also be able to feel it move as its bones begin to harden.

Week 17-20

During this stage the internal organs of your baby start to develop very fast. An ultrasound can now clearly tell the gender of the baby.

Week 21-24

By this time your baby is learning to breathe in your belly. You will start to feel mild contractions as the uterus starts preparing to give birth.

Week 25-28

During this stage your baby can sense darkness and light and can hear the sounds from outside your body.

Week 29-32

During this stage the head of the baby grows in greater proportion to the rest of the body. The eyes and the brain have developed and only the lungs remain.

Week 33-36

By this time your baby can open and close its eyes and by the 36th week of pregnancy it will weigh approximately four pounds.

Week 37-40

Your baby is ready to enter the world!

So that was week by week know-how of how your baby grows within you during the 9 months of pregnancy. For more pregnancy information don’t forget to read up on pregnancy websites and magazines and books that will help take you through this wonderful period.