Searching for a week-by-week guide to pregnancy? You are in luck today
From the moment of conception, your baby goes through an amazing series of changes and growth each week. This obviously brings new milestones and developments.
Whether it’s the formation of vital organs, the growth of tiny fingernails, or the development of sensory abilities, it is truly amazing to witness pregnancy week by week and the process of life unfolding.
So, let’s explore the fascinating world of baby development before birth. From the earliest stages of pregnancy to the final weeks before delivery, we will dive into details of what happens in the womb and how it contributes to the development and growth of the baby.
Table of Contents
Fetal Development
Within 24 hours of fertilization, the egg that is supposed to be your baby divides into a number of cells. Before diving into the week-by-week guide you must know that there are a total of three stages to fetal development: germinal, embryonic, and fetal.
Germinal Stage
It is the shortest stage out of all stages of pregnancy week by week. It begins when sperm and egg join in the fallopian tube. The sperm fertilizes the egg which becomes a zygote that travels to the uterus in one week and divides into two structures. One is the embryo (later becomes the fetus) and the other is the placenta.
The zygote turns into a blastocyst and attaches to the lining of the uterus. The body immediately forms hormones to support pregnancy and the menstrual cycle stops.
Embryonic Stage
From the third to the eighth week of pregnancy is the embryonic stage. If we look at pregnancy week by week at this stage, the blastocyst starts to become an embryo and organs start to form. By the end of the embryonic stage, most of the organs are formed. By this time morning sickness also begins.
Read how to fight morning sickness to explore more.
Fetal Stage
The fetal stage of development begins around the ninth week and lasts until birth in the rest of the months of pregnancy. This is when the embryo turns into a fetus. The fetus is able to move. The majority of the growth in both length and weight happens in the fetal stage.
Stages of Growth in Pregnancy Week by Week
The fetus changes a lot through pregnancy. This time is divided into three stages, known as trimesters. Each trimester has three months. In terms of weeks and months, if you are three months pregnant, you are 12 weeks.
First Trimester (Week 1 to 12)
The first trimester is mostly labeled as the “getting ready” course. The body starts to release hormones ad the uterus prepares for a potential pregnancy.
Week 2: the ovary releases an egg. If the sperm meets the egg, the process of ovulation continues.
Week 3 and 4: Fertilization starts in the third week and a zygote is formed. The zygote turns into a blastocyst and it gets attached to the uterine lining forming the placenta. It is a huge step if you focus on the timeline of pregnancy week by week.
Week 5, 6, 7, and 8: the spinal cord, brain, and neural tissues are formed. The tiny heart tubes form and beats 110 times a minute. Tiny bugs that later become arms and legs are formed in week 6.
Structures that become ear, mouth, and nose also take form. Genitals begin to form and the cartilages are replaced by bones. By the end of the 8th week, visible ears are there along with eyes. Web-like hands and feet can also be seen and the umbilical cord is fully developed.
Week 9, 10: The beginning of the taste buds and teeth form. The muscles and the body take the form of a human body. But is still 50% of its length. After noticing pregnancy week by week, at this stage the arms, feet, toes, and hands are fully formed which means no more webbed fingers.
Experts at Hameed Latif Hospital say that external ears, toenails, and external genitals begin to form but cannot be seen in these months of pregnancy.
Week 11, 12: The fetus starts to explore by moving its hands and mouth. The knees, elbows, and ankles work but it’s too soon to feel the kicks. The bones harden but the skin is still transparent.
The organs, limbs, muscles, and bones continue to develop and the circulatory system, urinary system, and digestive system start to work. The fetus at this time drinks and pees amniotic fluid.
The chances of miscarriages drop after 12 weeks considerably as most of the critical development has taken place.
Read How to Prevent Miscarriage to explore more.
Second Trimester Week 13 through 28)
The second trimester, also known as “the best part” starts at the 13th week if you notice pregnancy week by week. By this time the discomfort of early pregnancy and morning sickness is gone for good. It is one of those exciting phases where a lot of couples find out the gender of their baby.
Dr. Rabbia Ashraf who is one of the top gynecologists in Pakistan says that the fetal heartbeat becomes loud and clear on a Doppler ultrasound and the fetus starts to suck its thumb, yawn, and even stretch.
Week 13, 14: Fetus’s large head grows in proportion to its body, the skin starts to thicken, and hair starts to grow. Vocal cords form and so do the fingertips.
Week 15, 16: The fetus starts to breathe using the amniotic fluid at this point observing pregnancy week by week. The ears are developed enough for the fetus to hear to talk. Even though the eyes are closed, it reacts to the light and turns away from it.
Weeks 17 to 20: The fetus has thin skin and is covered with a whitish coating vernix. It is also covered with lanugo, a peach-fuzz-like hair to keep it warm. A the 19th-month start, kicks, and punches can be felt.
Week 21 to 28: The movement of the limbs gets coordinated. Bone marrow starts to form and the fetus is reddish in color with translucent skin.
If born on the 23rd week, the fetus can survive in the intensive care unit.
Research also claims that infants born at 23 to 28 weeks of gestation can surviive with intensive care.
By the start of the 25th week of pregnancy week by week, the body fat increases, and the nervous system is further developed. The skin becomes finer and less wrinkly.
Melanin is produced that gives scholar to the eyes and the skin. The lungs mature more to help the fetus breathe outside the womb. On the 27th week, the fetus opens its eyes and starts to blink. It also has eyelashes by that time.
The fetus also begins to turn its head down in the uterus, getting ready to be out.
Third Trimester (Week 29 to 40)
The final part of the pregnancy is the third trimester. Throughout the trimester, the fetus gains weight, adding fat that helps after birth.
Week 29 to 36: The fetus learns to control its body heat and processes more stimuli. The skin doesn’t stay translucent anymore by the end of week 31 if one notices pregnancy week by week. You can also begin to tell the sleep cycle of the fetus.
The bones start to harden but the brain stays soft to descend the birth canal. The fetus loses the lanugo and has hair on its head.
Read how to prepare for labor to explore more.
Week 37 to 40: The fetus starts to drop in the pelvis and can make you feel extremely uncomfortable in the last months of pregnancy. The due date gets near and it’s time to call the doctor.
The fetus weighs 7 to 9 pounds and is 18 to 20 inches long.
When to Contact Healthwire!
Now that you have read about pregnancy week by week, it is important for you to take care of yourselves because you are aware of a lot more than you were before. If you think there are complications and you feel symptoms that you f are not normal, then make sure to contact the best lady doctors near you by reaching out to Healthwire.
