Pregnancy Calendar - A Week-By-Week Study Of Various Pregnancy Stages

Pregnancy Calendar is a week-by-week development record of the progress of the baby growing inside the womb. It is a special calendar that keeps track of the physical and emotional changes that the new mother experiences during her pregnancy. There are several advantages of keeping a Pregnancy Calendar. For example, when you get pregnant again, this calendar will be a great help to you, as you will recall easily when to expect what. The complete pregnancy period is divided into three trimesters – making a total of 42 weeks. The first trimester includes the first twelve weeks, the second one consists of weeks 13-26, and the third trimester consists of weeks 27-42. Here is a guided tour through each week.

Week 1

You will get your period, as a new cycle begins. The lining of your uterus will start to shed.

Week 2

Once the process of ovulation is complete the egg waits to get fertilized.

Week 3

Once the egg is fertilized it gets implanted in your endometrial lining. This process may also result in implantation bleeding. So, be watchful.

Week 4

You will start experiencing some early pregnancy symptoms. You can go for a urine test to confirm pregnancy.

Week 5

§ Mother - At this stage, you can now confirm from a home pregnancy test whether you are pregnant or not. If the level of HCG hormones is high in your urine, you are pregnant.

§ Baby - The baby's heart has also started beating at this time.

Week 6

§ Mother - Your placenta has started developing.

§ Baby - The baby is about 4-6 mm in length now.

Week 7

§ Mother - Breasts will start swelling. Some women may be surprised - whose breasts are these anyway!

§ Baby - The baby’s genital tubercle starts forming, so do hand plates.

Week 8

§ Mother - Your morning sickness would turn to more like all-day sickness. Don’t worry. The feeling of nausea will subside by the second trimester.

§ Baby - The baby's joints, bones, and hindbrain develop.

Week 9

§ Mother - You may now experience pregnancy fatigue.

§ Baby - The baby starts spontaneous movement inside your womb.

Week 10

§ Mother - New veins will start appearing with blue lines on your lower abdomen. Don’t worry – take it as a pregnancy badge of honor.

§ Baby - The baby enters the fetal phase with the development of its external genitalia.

Week 11

§ Mother – Bubble, bubble, gas is trouble!

§ Baby - Fingernails start developing and the baby weighs 11 grams.

Week 12

§ Mother - You may experience dizziness.

§ Baby - At the prenatal clinic, you can now hear your baby's heartbeat.

Week 13

§ Mother - Your vaginal discharge is now likely to increase. The new discharge is mildly smelly, milky, and thin.

§ Baby - The twenty tooth buds of the baby are formed.

Week 14

§ Mother - You may now experience aches, pains and cramps.

§ Baby - The baby starts learning to breathe. It also starts creating urine.

Week 15

§ Mother – You will experience pregnancy-induced changes in your mouth – especially teeth.

§ Baby - At parental clinic, you can now see your baby’s blood vessels.

Week 16

§ Mother - The mucous membranes of your nose may start swelling during this week.

§ Baby - The limb movements of the baby are now well coordinated. Now, it weighs about 3 ounces.

Week 17

§ Mother - This week will bring relief from morning sickness. But, you will gain extra weight and will now have a truck driver's appetite.

§ Baby - Fat deposits in the baby start developing in this stage.

Week 18

§ Mother - The growing uterus has now shifted to your center of gravity, resulting in your lower back pulled forward. As a result, you will experience backaches and pains.

§ Baby - The baby starts responding to loud sounds. Fingerprints also start appearing.

Week 19

§ Mother – You may experience painful spasms radiating up and down your legs and calves.

§ Baby - Behind the milk teeth buds, permanent teeth buds also start appearing.

Week 20

§ Mother - Changes in your hair and nails.

§ Baby - At this stage, you can now get a clear peek at your baby.

Week 21

§ Mother - Stretch marks start appearing on your breasts, hips, thighs, butt, and belly.

§ Baby - The baby should weigh almost one pound now.

Week 22

§ Mother - Feet and ankles may swell at this stage.

§ Baby - Baby has developed eyebrows. It is 27.5 cm or 10.8 inches in length and about 15 ounces (425 grams) in weight.

Week 23

§ Mother - Dark line running between your belly button and your pubic area.

§ Baby - The baby starts developing stool. Fingernails are also formed.

Week 24

§ Mother - Uncomfortable numbness and tingling in your fingers and wrists.

§ Baby - Now, the weight of the baby is about 1 lb 5 ounces.

Week 25

§ Mother – You are likely to experience pregnancy hemorrhoids.

§ Baby - Development of the baby is now taking place at a fast pace.

Week 26

§ Mother – Your uterus is enlarging and swelling resulting in your abdomen pushed forward.

§ Baby - The baby has now developed senses for both light and sound.

Week 27

§ Mother - Mild swelling of the feet and ankles.

§ Baby - The baby should weigh two pounds by now.

Week 28

§ Mother – Because of the baby’s movement inside the womb, you may experience numbness, tingling, and sharp and shooting pain in your buttock radiating down the legs.

§ Baby - Eyelashes of the baby develop.

Week 29

§ Mother - Varicose veins may develop during this stage.

§ Baby - Because of the rapid growth during these weeks, the baby will now occupy more space in your womb.

Week 30

§ Mother - You have now ballooned out. So, move around carefully.

§ Baby – Measures about 14.8 inches (37.5 cm) in length and weighs a whopping 3 pounds (1.36 kilograms).

Week 31

§ Mother – You will feel your uterus moved to 4 inches above the belly button.

§ Baby - The skin color of your baby will now turn from red to a healthy pink.

Week 32

§ Mother – Your body is now gearing up for the Big Day - you may feel the tightening of your uterus.

§ Baby - The baby now weighs 1.7 kg and is almost 40 cm long.

Week 33

§ Mother – You are likely to be hit by the third-trimester insomnia.

§ Baby - The baby can now breathe quite well.

Week 34

§ Mother - You experience changes in your breasts, as it has now started producing milk.

§ Baby – The baby has grown to 42.5 cms or 16.8 inches in length and four pounds seven ounces (2 kilograms) in weight.

Week 35

§ Mother – The baby’s head will be pressing squarely on your bladder. You will feel the urge to go to bathroom again and again.

§ Baby - Most likely, now the baby will get fixed, preparing for the birth.

Week 36

§ Mother - Get prepared. Get as much information about labor and childbirth as you can.

§ Baby – The baby’s growth continues, as it snuggles down into your pelvis.

Week 37

§ Mother – You are getting ready for labor.

§ Baby - The baby may get hiccups at this stage.

Week 38

§ Mother - You won’t experience weight gain anymore.

§ Baby – Your baby weighs as much as five pounds.

Week 39

§ Mother – You will get two indications that the labor is in the progress – first, the passage of a stringy mucous discharge tinged with brown or pink blood, and second, the discharge of the mucous plug.

§ Baby - The baby is now getting ready for an eventful exit.

Week 40

§ Mother - Before labor begins, you may experience a rupture of the membrane.

§ Baby - The weight of the baby should now be roughly 3.4 kg.

Week 41

§ Mother – You will experience labor contractions – it may be slow and steady or it may be fast and sudden.

§ Baby - The baby is now all set to come into the world.

Week 42

And, it is time to celebrate. Congratulations, you are now a mother.

You must note down everything in your <a href="http://www.pregnancyhut.com">Pregnancy Calendar</a>. For example, the date when you saw the baby in the ultrasound for the first time or the first time you felt the baby kick. Keep a record of everything. It will not only make things easier for you, but it will also make it easy for your doctor to diagnose pregnancy problems, if any.