Pregnancy stages: Stages of development of baby’s growth

Pregnancy is the most delightful period of woman’s life. As the pregnant lady is
showered with so much of love, care and blessings coz she is gifting a bundle of joy
amidst everyone, a baby, a testament of lovely relationship.

Pregnancy usually lasts 280 days or 40 weeks, doctor counts the day from first day of last
menstrual period. The whole pregnancy is divided into three stages called trimester.
Each trimester has its won milestone of stages of development of baby from conception
to delivery, from zygote to embryo to fetus and then in your hand will be a baby.
The excitement of hearing baby’s first heart beat, his first kick and then his first wail after
delivering is so overwhelming.

Also each trimester, feelings of pregnant woman changes, you may be fraught with
weepiness, fatigue. Feel ambivalent coz of morning sickness; at times even wonder what
you have done to deserve this discomfort. But then you will feel intense excitement in the
anticipation, bursting with your special news. Feel upbeat and energized, apprehensive
for drastic change in your life and then you dream for your baby.

Inside the womb, a whole lot goes on. The baby will take form from a fertilized egg to a
blastocyst, to embryo and then fetus and finally the baby cuddling in your arms.

First Trimester: Week 1- Week 12

Conceive
Fertilized egg
Blastocyst

At 4 weeks:
• Brain and Spinal cord begins to form
• Heart begins to form
• Arm and leg buds appear
• Baby is now embryo with two layers of cells from which all the organs and body
parts will develop and 1/25 of an inch long.

At 8 Weeks:
• Major organs and external body structure will begun to form
• Heart beats with regular rhythm
• Arms and legs grow and on them fingers and toes begun to form
• Sex organs begun to form
• Eyes moves forward on face and eyelids too forms
• Umbilical cord is clearly visible
• At the end the embryo is fetus: looks more human and 1 inch long, weighs 1/8 of
an ounce

At 12 Weeks:
 • Baby can make fist: nerves and muscles begin to work
• External sex organs, now clearly shows if the baby is boy or girl
• Eyelids shut tight- to protect developing eyes. Will not open till 28th week
• Head growth is slowed and baby gets longer
• Length: 3 inches long
• Weighs almost an ounce

Second Trimester: Week 13- Week 28

At 16 Weeks:
• Completing skeleton structure and bones and muscles tissues form
• Skin begins to form
• Meconium: this is developed in baby’s intestinal tract and is baby’s first bowel
movement
• Sucking reflex: baby starts making sucking motions with mouth
• Length: 4 to 5 inches
• Weight: 3 ounces

At 20 Weeks:
• Feel fluttering as baby is active
• For protecting the growing skin, baby is covered by fine and downy hair called
lanugo and waxy coating called vernix
• Baby scratches itself: fingernails and toenails forms
• Baby hears you
• Also swallow
• Length: 6 inches
• Weight: 9 ounces

At 24 Weeks:
• Bone marrow- makes blood cells
• Baby gets its taste buds on baby’s tongue
• Fingerprints and footprints forms
• Baby now has real hair
• Lungs are formed but they don’t work now
• Startle reflex develop
• Usage of hands
• Baby now sleeps and wakes regularly
• If boy: testicles begin to move from abdomen into scrotum
• If girl: uterus and ovaries and in ovaries lifetime supply of eggs!
• Also now baby gains weight as it stores fats
• Length: 12 inches
• Weight: 1 and ½ pounds
Third Trimester: Week 29- Week 40
At 32 Weeks:
• Bones are fully formed but are soft
• The kicks are now forceful
• Eyes open now and also close, sense changes in light
• Lungs now practice ‘breathing’ movements occur
• Baby’s body stores vital minerals like iron and calcium
• Lunugo falls off
• Now baby is on gaining weigh spree by gaining some half pounds every week
• Length: 15 to 17 inches
• Weigh: 4 to 4.5 pounds

At 36 Weeks:
• Vernix gets thicker
• Body fat increases
• Baby gets bigger and bigger
• Less space to move around and so you feel stretches and wiggles
• Length: 16 to 19 inches
• Weight: 6 to 6.5 pounds

At Week 37- Week 40

• Week 37 means baby is full term ie baby’s organs are ready to function on their
own
• Baby turns into a head down position for birth
• Contractions
• Labor
• Baby is delivered
• Baby wails and now breathes first time in the environment outside womb.

The baby will smile, pee and suck and all this will give you so much of joy and
pleasure and also sleepless nights!