Pregnancy Stages Week by Week

Following on from my previous post of first stages of pregnancy, I would like to tell you a little about what you may expect in your next pregnancy stages.

Week by week you will notice your  body changing as your baby grows inside of you.   After about the 12 week stage of your pregnancy, your uterus will grow up and out of your pelvis and you will start to notice a small bump and your clothes getting a little tighter.  Don’t be alarmed,  as this  is very normal and will allow your baby to grow.  Others who don’t know you,  may still not realise you are pregnant though so don’t be disappointed when people aren’t congratulating you yet.

As you are now in your second trimester, you should be feeling a lot better. Your morning sickness should have subsided and you may not be feeling as tired and ‘wrung out’. The chances of miscarriage are also considerably less after the twelfth week and a lot of women feel a lot less stressed and start enjoying their pregnancy journey.

Pregnancy and Your Doctor

At this stage of your pregnancy, you should be seeing your doctor around once per month.  If you have complications, they will want to see you more often though.  The doctor will check your blood pressure, monitor the growth of your baby by measuring your stomach and discuss your general health and well-being.  If possible, it may be a good idea if your partner accompanied you on these visits, so they feel more connected to the growing baby inside of you.

This is also the ideal opportunity to discuss anything which is worrying you.  If you are unsure about anything, please don’t be shy – ask the doctor.

What Does Your Baby Look Like

At the 13 week stage of your pregnancy, your baby should be making a fist and able to suck his thumb. Their eyelids are fused shut as his eyes develop and his bones and skull are solidifying.  Your babies intestines should be developed and inside his tummy and even their tooth sockets are formed and ready for when they start growing teeth at around six to seven months of age.  His vocal chords and larynx are fully developed ready to let out that first cry when they finally pop out into the world and they now have a gag reflex and developed nose and nasal passages.

Your baby should be weighing around 20-50 grams and be 3-4 inches long and will start growing rapidly at this stage.

Your pregnancy stages week by week should now be more noticeable and more enjoyable as you start to feel excitement about the growing baby inside of you.

Until next time,

Keep Healthy and Happy.

Jackie Stenhouse

Tags: 13 week stage of pregnancy, pregnancy stages, pregnancy week by week