First Trimester | Second Trimester | Third Trimester

YOUR PREGNANCY

What is happening in your body and when.

Weeks 1 - 4 The beginnings

Pregnancy officially begins from the first day of your last period, so it may be that for the first few weeks of this first month you arent actually pregnant. After fertilization by sperm from sexual intercourse, an egg becomes a ball of quickly multiplying cells that embeds itself into the lining of your womb. The womb itself is already starting to thicken in order to protect and support it.

Week 5 Putting it to the test

By this stage, most women have recognized that they have missed their period and been alerted to the possibility of pregnancy. The vast majority of pregnancy tests available to buy in shops are reliable and if the first test is negative, try a second a few days later when the rise in hormone levels in urine may bring a positive result. If you are pregnant, the ball of cells is developing fast and will have become an embryo.

Week 6 The fetus

As the spine and nervous system begin to form, the embryo is now the size of a baked bean and called a fetus. Though the fetus will have its own blood system (which may be a different blood group from the mother) blood vessels will be forming to create an umbilical cord and tiny buds that are destined to become limbs start to appear.

Week 7 Come and see us

This is the point when some women begin to experience early side effects such as Morning Sickness, needing to pee more often and periods of heightened emotion or irritability. If you havent already done so, this is the time to see a GP or contact a midwife direct to discuss any medication or supplements that you are taking because the first 12 weeks are vital for the fetus development. Internally, the babys heart is beginning to develop.

Week 8 Big steps forward

If you have had any previous problems in childbirth, we recommend an early scan. This is often done through the vagina to make sure the pregnancy isnt ectopic by picking up the heartbeat in the womb. The fetus limbs, internal organs, nervous system and brain are all developing and becoming more complex while the head gets bigger and eyes are forming under the skin of the face.

Week 9 For parents with blood disorders

If you have any inherited blood disorders, such as sickle cell anaemia or thalssaemia, and havent already had one, you need to have a blood test before 10 weeks. These conditions are rare and more common in people of certain ethnic backgrounds including African, Caribbean and some Asian and Mediterranean communitie.

Week 10 Make a date

Its time to think about your first scan. We recommend it be done around the 12 week point so that we can establish your due date (an idea of when you will give birth).

Week 11 Nuchal Scan

Screening for Downs syndrome and other chromosomal abnormalities is offered between 11 and 14 weeks. Portsmouth Hospitals NHS Trust offers nuchal translucency scans which measure a small fluid collection within the skin at the back of the baby's neck. The umbilical cord is fully formed providing nourishment to and removing waste products from the fetus which now looks fully human.

Week 12 Make the announcement

Now the threat of miscarriage is greatly reduced, many women choose to announce their pregnancy friends and family. Meanwhile, the fetus is growing in length much more quickly, is about eight centimetres long and weighs approximately 60 grams. The placenta is now formed, though not yet operational.