If you are newly pregnant, or trying to conceive, you have many questions about what to expect. How will your body change? What's happening inside you? WebMD has teamed up with experts from The Cleveland Clinic to guide you, week by week, through the nine months of pregnancy. Each week offers information about your body and baby's, as well as invaluable tips. Let's start with a peek inside the womb.
Weeks 1 and 2
Baby:Your baby is still just a glimmer in your eye. Although it's confusing to think about a pregnancy starting before your child is even conceived, doctors calculate your due date from the beginning of your last cycle since it's hard to know exactly when conception occurred.
Mom-to-be: At the beginning of a cycle, about 20 eggs called ova begin to ripen and occupy fluid-filled sacs called follicles. One of these follicles matures and ruptures, releasing an egg that will travel down the fallopian tube, where it awaits fertilization. This all takes place about 14 days before the end of your cycle. This is the time you're most fertile, so light some candles, take the phone off the hook, and set aside some intimate time. An egg can be fertilized for only about 12 to 24 hours once the ovum is released. Don't be disappointed if it doesn't work the first time. You have only about a 20% chance of getting pregnant each month.
Tip for the Week: Make sure you've scheduled a preconception visit with your OB-Gyn to determine risks of genetic diseases, environmental hazards and lifestyle changes necessary to ensure a healthy pregnancy and baby. Most important, make sure you've started taking 0.4 milligrams, or 400 micrograms, of folic acid a day. Folic acid taken a few months before conception has been shown to dramatically reduce the likelihood of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida.
Week 3
Baby:Congratulations! If your egg and your partner's sperm have joined successfully, your embryo is really there, although it's very small -- about the size of the head of a pin. It doesn't look like a fetus or baby; it's just a group of about 100 cells multiplying and growing rapidly. The outer layer of cells will become the placenta, and the inner layer will become the embryo.
Mom-to-be: You won't notice any changes. It's too soon. Remember, you haven't even missed your period yet.
Tip for the Week: Home pregnancy tests are about as reliable as a urine test or blood test done in the doctor's office and can give you more immediate results than waiting for a doctor's visit. To ensure accuracy, make sure you've read the directions carefully and that all equipment being used is clean.
Week 4
Baby:Your baby is still very small, only about 0.014 inches to 0.04 inches in length. The embryo, probably in about its second week of development, has multiplied to about 150 cells. Your baby is being nourished by secretions from the uterine lining. Layers of cells already are specialized according to functions. The outer layer will become the nervous system, skin and hair; the inner layer will be the breathing and digestive organs; and the middle layer will become the skeleton, bones, cartilage, muscles, circulatory system, kidneys and sex organs.
Mom-to-be:You're probably expecting your period this week, and if it doesn't occur it might be one of the first signs that you're pregnant. You may also notice light spotting as the embryo implants itself in your uterus. You might not feel any different yet, but the amniotic cavity, which will be filled with fluid, and the placenta, which will bring oxygen and nutrients to nourish your baby, are forming in your uterus.
Tip for the Week:Try to eat healthfully, which means choosing a variety of foods from the recommended food groups and drinking at least six to eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. But you don't really need to "eat for two." You need only an extra 300 calories per day during pregnancy. And don't worry if your food intake drops a little in the beginning because of morning sickness. If you've been eating right already, your baby will get what it needs.
What’s Happening Inside You?
As the fertilized egg grows, a water-tight sac forms around it, gradually filling with fluid. This is called the amniotic sac, and it helps cushion the growing embryo.
The placenta also develops. The placenta is a round, flat organ that transfers nutrients from the mother to the baby, and transfers wastes from the baby.
A primitive face takes form with large dark circles for eyes. The mouth, lower jaw, and throat are developing. Blood cells are taking shape, and circulation will begin.
By the end of the first month, your baby is about 1/4 inch long - smaller than a grain of rice!
Week 5
Baby: Your embryo still hasn't grown much. It's about 0.05 inches long. Heart, brain, spinal cord, muscle and bones are beginning to develop. The placenta, which will nourish your baby, and the amniotic sac, which provides a warm and safe environment where the baby can move easily, are still forming, too.
Mom-to-be: Still no big changes to notice in yourself, although you might suspect by now that you're pregnant. Some early pregnancy symptoms include nausea (called "morning sickness," although it can happen at any time of day), a tingling or soreness in your breasts and darkening of the areola, the need to urinate more frequently and feeling more tired than usual.
Tip for the Week: You'll want to schedule a visit to your OB-Gyn as soon as you suspect you're pregnant. Good prenatal care is one of the best assurances of a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby.
Week 6
Baby: The embryo is starting to look like a tadpole. It's about 0.08 inches to 0.16 inches -- the size of a BB pellet -- from the top of the head to buttocks. (This crown-to-rump length is used more often than crown-to-heel length because the baby's legs are most often bent and hard to measure). The eyes and limb buds also are forming. A heartbeat can sometimes be detected by an ultrasound around now. This is also an extremely important time in the development of your baby, since between 17 and 56 days the embryo is most susceptible to factors that can interfere with its normal growth.
Mom-to-be: You may have gained a few pounds by now, but if you're experiencing morning sickness you may have lost weight, which is also normal. You're starting to notice some changes in your body: clothes getting a little tighter around the waist, weight gain in your legs and breasts. With a pelvic exam, your practitioner will be able to notice a change in the size of your uterus.
Tip for the Week: Make sure you're following good prenatal habits, like eating right and taking your prenatal vitamins. Since the neural tube (which is the beginning of the central nervous system) has formed by now, taking folic acid to prevent spinal cord defects such as spina bifida, has been crucial. If you haven't already, stop smoking and drinking.
Week 7
Baby: Your embryo makes great strides in size this week, growing to between 0.44 inches and 0.52 inches from crown to rump by the end of the week, or about the size of a small raspberry. Leg buds are starting to look like short fins, and hands and feet have a digital plate where fingers and toes will develop. The heart and lungs are becoming more developed, as are the eyes and nostrils, intestines and appendix. By now the brain and spinal cord are growing from the neural tube.
Mom-to-be: You're still not "showing," but by now you're really feeling the changes in your body. You still may be experiencing morning sickness and the other symptoms of early pregnancy. Breasts will probably be tingly and tender.
Tip for the Week: To settle a queasy stomach, never let your stomach get empty. Keep snacks on hand around the clock, and eat lots of little meals rather than three big ones. To prevent a drop in blood sugar, include some protein like adding some cheese on crackers.
Week 8
Baby: Your embryo, now about in its sixth week of development, is about the size of a grape -- 0.56 to 0.8 inches from crown to rump. Eyelid folds and ears are forming and even the tip of the nose is visible. The arms have grown longer and bend at the elbows. Places where fingers and toes eventually will grow are becoming notched.
Mom-to-be: Your uterus, once the size of your fist, is now about the size of a grapefruit. You may feel some cramping or pain in your lower abdomen or sides, but that's because your uterus typically tightens or contracts throughout pregnancy. Consult your doctor if contractions are accompanied by vaginal bleeding.
Tip for the Week: Good breast support during pregnancy will help you feel more comfortable and prevent future sagging. Exercises to keep your chest muscles toned can be useful, too.
What's Happening Inside You?
Your baby's facial features continue to develop. Each ear begins as a little fold of skin at the side of the head. Tiny buds that eventually grow into arms and legs are forming. Fingers, toes and eyes are also forming
The neural tube (brain, spinal cord and other neural tissue of the central nervous system) is well formed. The digestive tract and sensory organs begin to develop. Bone starts to replace cartilage.
By the end of the second month, your baby, now a fetus, is about 1 inch long, weighs about 1/3 ounce, and is virtually all head (1/3 of its body is head).
Reviewed by The Cleveland Clinic Birthing Services and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
Weeks 1 and 2
Baby:Your baby is still just a glimmer in your eye. Although it's confusing to think about a pregnancy starting before your child is even conceived, doctors calculate your due date from the beginning of your last cycle since it's hard to know exactly when conception occurred.
Mom-to-be: At the beginning of a cycle, about 20 eggs called ova begin to ripen and occupy fluid-filled sacs called follicles. One of these follicles matures and ruptures, releasing an egg that will travel down the fallopian tube, where it awaits fertilization. This all takes place about 14 days before the end of your cycle. This is the time you're most fertile, so light some candles, take the phone off the hook, and set aside some intimate time. An egg can be fertilized for only about 12 to 24 hours once the ovum is released. Don't be disappointed if it doesn't work the first time. You have only about a 20% chance of getting pregnant each month.
Tip for the Week: Make sure you've scheduled a preconception visit with your OB-Gyn to determine risks of genetic diseases, environmental hazards and lifestyle changes necessary to ensure a healthy pregnancy and baby. Most important, make sure you've started taking 0.4 milligrams, or 400 micrograms, of folic acid a day. Folic acid taken a few months before conception has been shown to dramatically reduce the likelihood of neural tube defects, such as spina bifida.
Week 3
Baby:Congratulations! If your egg and your partner's sperm have joined successfully, your embryo is really there, although it's very small -- about the size of the head of a pin. It doesn't look like a fetus or baby; it's just a group of about 100 cells multiplying and growing rapidly. The outer layer of cells will become the placenta, and the inner layer will become the embryo.
Mom-to-be: You won't notice any changes. It's too soon. Remember, you haven't even missed your period yet.
Tip for the Week: Home pregnancy tests are about as reliable as a urine test or blood test done in the doctor's office and can give you more immediate results than waiting for a doctor's visit. To ensure accuracy, make sure you've read the directions carefully and that all equipment being used is clean.
Week 4
Baby:Your baby is still very small, only about 0.014 inches to 0.04 inches in length. The embryo, probably in about its second week of development, has multiplied to about 150 cells. Your baby is being nourished by secretions from the uterine lining. Layers of cells already are specialized according to functions. The outer layer will become the nervous system, skin and hair; the inner layer will be the breathing and digestive organs; and the middle layer will become the skeleton, bones, cartilage, muscles, circulatory system, kidneys and sex organs.
Mom-to-be:You're probably expecting your period this week, and if it doesn't occur it might be one of the first signs that you're pregnant. You may also notice light spotting as the embryo implants itself in your uterus. You might not feel any different yet, but the amniotic cavity, which will be filled with fluid, and the placenta, which will bring oxygen and nutrients to nourish your baby, are forming in your uterus.
Tip for the Week:Try to eat healthfully, which means choosing a variety of foods from the recommended food groups and drinking at least six to eight 8-ounce glasses of water a day. But you don't really need to "eat for two." You need only an extra 300 calories per day during pregnancy. And don't worry if your food intake drops a little in the beginning because of morning sickness. If you've been eating right already, your baby will get what it needs.
What’s Happening Inside You?As the fertilized egg grows, a water-tight sac forms around it, gradually filling with fluid. This is called the amniotic sac, and it helps cushion the growing embryo.
The placenta also develops. The placenta is a round, flat organ that transfers nutrients from the mother to the baby, and transfers wastes from the baby.
A primitive face takes form with large dark circles for eyes. The mouth, lower jaw, and throat are developing. Blood cells are taking shape, and circulation will begin.
By the end of the first month, your baby is about 1/4 inch long - smaller than a grain of rice!
Week 5
Baby: Your embryo still hasn't grown much. It's about 0.05 inches long. Heart, brain, spinal cord, muscle and bones are beginning to develop. The placenta, which will nourish your baby, and the amniotic sac, which provides a warm and safe environment where the baby can move easily, are still forming, too.
Mom-to-be: Still no big changes to notice in yourself, although you might suspect by now that you're pregnant. Some early pregnancy symptoms include nausea (called "morning sickness," although it can happen at any time of day), a tingling or soreness in your breasts and darkening of the areola, the need to urinate more frequently and feeling more tired than usual.
Tip for the Week: You'll want to schedule a visit to your OB-Gyn as soon as you suspect you're pregnant. Good prenatal care is one of the best assurances of a healthy pregnancy and healthy baby.
Week 6
Baby: The embryo is starting to look like a tadpole. It's about 0.08 inches to 0.16 inches -- the size of a BB pellet -- from the top of the head to buttocks. (This crown-to-rump length is used more often than crown-to-heel length because the baby's legs are most often bent and hard to measure). The eyes and limb buds also are forming. A heartbeat can sometimes be detected by an ultrasound around now. This is also an extremely important time in the development of your baby, since between 17 and 56 days the embryo is most susceptible to factors that can interfere with its normal growth.
Mom-to-be: You may have gained a few pounds by now, but if you're experiencing morning sickness you may have lost weight, which is also normal. You're starting to notice some changes in your body: clothes getting a little tighter around the waist, weight gain in your legs and breasts. With a pelvic exam, your practitioner will be able to notice a change in the size of your uterus.
Tip for the Week: Make sure you're following good prenatal habits, like eating right and taking your prenatal vitamins. Since the neural tube (which is the beginning of the central nervous system) has formed by now, taking folic acid to prevent spinal cord defects such as spina bifida, has been crucial. If you haven't already, stop smoking and drinking.
Week 7
Baby: Your embryo makes great strides in size this week, growing to between 0.44 inches and 0.52 inches from crown to rump by the end of the week, or about the size of a small raspberry. Leg buds are starting to look like short fins, and hands and feet have a digital plate where fingers and toes will develop. The heart and lungs are becoming more developed, as are the eyes and nostrils, intestines and appendix. By now the brain and spinal cord are growing from the neural tube.
Mom-to-be: You're still not "showing," but by now you're really feeling the changes in your body. You still may be experiencing morning sickness and the other symptoms of early pregnancy. Breasts will probably be tingly and tender.
Tip for the Week: To settle a queasy stomach, never let your stomach get empty. Keep snacks on hand around the clock, and eat lots of little meals rather than three big ones. To prevent a drop in blood sugar, include some protein like adding some cheese on crackers.
Week 8
Baby: Your embryo, now about in its sixth week of development, is about the size of a grape -- 0.56 to 0.8 inches from crown to rump. Eyelid folds and ears are forming and even the tip of the nose is visible. The arms have grown longer and bend at the elbows. Places where fingers and toes eventually will grow are becoming notched.
Mom-to-be: Your uterus, once the size of your fist, is now about the size of a grapefruit. You may feel some cramping or pain in your lower abdomen or sides, but that's because your uterus typically tightens or contracts throughout pregnancy. Consult your doctor if contractions are accompanied by vaginal bleeding.
Tip for the Week: Good breast support during pregnancy will help you feel more comfortable and prevent future sagging. Exercises to keep your chest muscles toned can be useful, too.
What's Happening Inside You?Your baby's facial features continue to develop. Each ear begins as a little fold of skin at the side of the head. Tiny buds that eventually grow into arms and legs are forming. Fingers, toes and eyes are also forming
The neural tube (brain, spinal cord and other neural tissue of the central nervous system) is well formed. The digestive tract and sensory organs begin to develop. Bone starts to replace cartilage.
By the end of the second month, your baby, now a fetus, is about 1 inch long, weighs about 1/3 ounce, and is virtually all head (1/3 of its body is head).
Reviewed by The Cleveland Clinic Birthing Services and the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
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