Pregnancy Week by Week
Week by week guide to pregnancy
Being pregnant is an amazing experience, and future parents enjoy monitoring the progress of their baby with a week-by-week pregnancy calendar, which reveals the progress of both mother and baby.
Looking at a week-by-week pregnancy guide offers parents a way to gauge their progress and mark significant events in the pregnancy. When an expectant mother follows her pregnancy week by week, she is better able to prepare herself for potential challenges and hurdles.
The First Few Months
In the beginning, as there are few symptoms of pregnancy in the first week, the mother may not realize that she is pregnant until she misses her period. This can happen anywhere from the second to the fourth or even the fifth week. At the moment of implantation, the future baby is a collection of cells called a blastocyst, and the cells divide, reproduce and grow. By the end of the fourth week, there may be slight spotting, which indicates that the egg is now attached to the uterus.
Mothers may now begin to monitor their pregnancy week by week. In the fifth and sixth weeks, the mother may experience morning sickness, though only ⅓ of women actually vomit. This may continue into weeks seven and eight, during which time the baby increases in size from 1 to 2 inches. In the 9th and 10th weeks, the mother's waistline expands, and her breasts become fuller and tender.
By weeks 12 and 13, morning sickness disappears, and more weight is gained. At 13 to 16 weeks, the linea nigra forms, and regular clothes become too tight to wear comfortably. In week 17, there may be discomfort as the uterus stretches, and stretch marks first appear between weeks 18 and 19. By week 20, the baby's first "kicks" may be felt.
The Later Months
Mothers following a week-by-week pregnancy guide will notice that by week 21, it is normal to experience heartburn after eating. In weeks 22 and 23, the mother may get more stitches, and possible "Braxton Hicks" contractions, a sign the body is nearly ready for labor. The baby can now hear voices outside the womb.
Weeks 24 through 28 are usually full sleep troubles, constant urination and increasing back pain. In weeks 29 to 32, mothers may experience leaking from the nipples, breathlessness and discomfort. In weeks 33 to 35 the baby will "drop" into position, ready for birth, and heartburn and breathlessness will decrease. Between weeks 36 and 40, the child will be born.