First Trimester

Week 1-2 Week one begins with the first day of your last menstruation. You are not yet pregnant but are perhaps excited about the possibility this month. Good Luck!

Week 3 You have likely just ovulated and are eager to find out whether you are pregnant or not. The egg and sperm will meet or have already and may have started to divide. This is a critical stage in a pregnancy, as many as 50% of pregnancies are lost even before the mother knows she is pregnant, often happening in the mytosis stage or during implantation. Implantation usually occurs within a week of ovulation. During implantation the body secrets a hormone called HCG into the urine and bloodstream, when levels reach a certain amount a pregnancy test will prove positive. There are some tests on the market today that allow a woman to test as early as 8-10 days after ovulation. However, its usually wise to miss your menstruation for at least a day before spending the money on an over the counter pregnancy test.

Week 4 You may have missed menstruation or are waiting to pass that monumental day. If you are pregnant you may start to notice some of the following pregnancy symptoms. Early symptoms include: fatigue, breast soreness, bloating and mood swings. Some women feel nausea from very early on but generally speaking it tends to remain at bay for a few weeks (week 6 or 7 are reportedly the worst for nausea development). During this phase of pregnancy, you are considered to be in your first trimester. This is the most critical and important part of a baby's development. During the first trimester all of the baby's functioning organs are formed and by the 12th week looks very human like.

Week 5 You may begin to feel even more tired as the weeks pass, you may become more hungry or the sight and smell of food may cause you to feel nauseous. Every pregnancy is different so do not be alarmed if you are feeling unlike your first pregnancy or are not feeling the same as a pregnant friend. The baby's heart is forming and may begin to beat sometime this week. Your baby is the size of an apple seed.

Week 6 You still may be feeling quite well, not sure if your pregnancy is a reality due to lack of symptoms and a non-expanding waistline. Dont get too excited if you have not had any morning sickness yet, it is likely lurking around the corner. Your baby is now considered an embryo, the heart is beating this week and the arm buds appear at the side of the torso. Your baby is the size of a grain of rice.

Week 7 You may now long for the days of feeling good. If you are going to be one of the unfortunate ones to get morning sickness, you likely have it by now and are feeling pretty awful. Good news is, it usually starts to subside by the 10-12 week. Until then you may consider some of the tried, tested and true remedies such as ginger ale and soda crackers for breakfast. Or you can also try Sea Bands or Preggie Pops. Many women swear by these as natural morning sickness remedies. If nothing seems to work and you find you are unbearably ill most of the time, you should talk to your doctor about anti nausea medication. Morning sickness can be pretty awful and although it is called "morning sickness" it really tends to be "anytime of day" sickness. It can hit at anytime of day and can come and go in its severity. Don't worry if you are feeling terrible one day and then not as bad the next. Its quite common for morning sickness to come and go. Your baby's arms and legs are continuing to grow as well as the eyes, nostrils and intestines. Your baby is the size of an orange seed.

Week 8 At week eight many women start to feel as though the pregnancy is progressing and although you will not have much of a belly yet, you may notice that your clothes don't fit quite as well as they once did! Your baby is now 5/8 of an inch long, about the size of a kidney bean. He's constantly moving and shifting, although you won't be able to feel these womb wiggles for several weeks yet, probably not until closer to 16 weeks. You may be able to hear your baby's heartbeat with a fetal heartbeat monitor (fetal doppler. Bones and joints this week have many things going on. Elbows appear and the process of ossification (hardening of the bones) begins. Toe rays become present, almost ready for you to count! Your baby is the size of a kidney bean

Week 9 Stuffy nose and nasal congestion are common complaints in early pregnancy. You may find that it lasts throughout the entire pregnancy. Don't worry though, these problems go away after baby is born. Fingers and thumbs are forming and so is your baby's tongue. Your uterus is about the size of a grapefruit and your baby is about an inch long from crown to rump!

Week 10 Your baby's tail disappears this week and her ears and mouth are fully formed! You may be noticing a bit of a tummy forming on yourself around this time. Also, nausea sometimes starts to ease up a bit around this time. Your doctor will likely try to hear your baby's heartbeat with a fetal doppler at your next appointment. Your baby is close to 1.3 inches now!

Week 11 Your baby's fingernails have formed and she is growing so fast. Your baby is about 2.5 inches long at this point. You are nearing the end of your first trimester which means your chances for a miscarriage are much less now than in the beginning of your pregnancy. The majority of miscarriages happen in early pregnancy and your chances go down from about 15% in weeks 4-9 to only around 3% after 10 weeks. You may be feeling quite tired these days, so take this time to relax if you can. After about 13 weeks many women feel more energetic and can resume normal activity again. Listen to your body, it will tell you what you need.

Week 12 Congratulations! You are in the last week of the first trimester. Many women begin to feel good at this point. Your belly has probably grown a bit by now and you may begin to feel like you have some energy back again. Your appetite may increase now if you have been experiencing nausea in the first trimester. Its considered healthy to gain anywhere from 25-35 pounds. Try to avoid excessive salt or sugar if you can and eat as healthy as you are able. Fruits and vegetables as well as whole grains and lean meats will provide you and your baby with the best nutrition. Your baby has grown alot in these last few weeks! She is already measuring close to 3.5 inches and weighs almost 14 grams. Most of your baby's major organs and structures are fully formed and your amniotic fluid will begin to increase as her kidneys now produce and excrete urine.