Pregnancy monthly Development
Pregnancy is an awesome experience, but it can be quite scary as well if you do not know what to expect month by month with your baby's development.
This article will detail the various changes that you can expect to occur during your pregnancy in terms of the growth and development of your baby, both internally and externally.
Your baby's growth, health, diet, and movements will all impact the way your body grows and develops, so understanding these aspects of pregnancy is important to ensure that your child's future health will be maximized as much as possible.
1st month: Conception
It all begins with a single sperm cell, which travels through the female reproductive tract until it reaches and penetrates an egg.
The resulting zygote will eventually become a fetus and then an infant after nine months of gestation.
In addition to welcoming a new life into your family, pregnancy marks an important milestone for you, as well.
You’ll likely experience some pretty significant physical changes during your first trimester—and that’s not even counting any morning sickness or mood swings!
As soon as you find out that you’re pregnant, take some time to familiarize yourself with what lies ahead:how much weight will you gain? How long is each stage of development? What symptoms should be expected? You may also want to make sure that your insurance policy covers maternity care.
2nd month: Embryo
The human embryo is made up of a single layer of cells called blastomeres. The embryo consists of a head and tail, which are not part of an actual body but part of an area that will give rise to different organs and parts during development. In week 2, your embryo measures about 1millimetrer long. (Fig 1) The head region is furthest from the yolk sac and the tail region closest to it. A thin band of tissue connects these two regions. This area will later develop into your baby’s umbilical cord. Your embryo has two tiny openings in its belly: one for food to enter and one for waste products to leave.
1- Guttmacher Institute; Ushma Dheer; Sarah Sparks; Susannah Locke; James Trussell et al., Fertility, Family Planning, and Reproductive Health of U.S.
3rd month: Fetus
1.1cm long, develops eyes and ears, first circulatory system begins to develop in week 3.
Also known as a morula, meaning small mulberry. It is too small to be seen by the naked eye and looks like a bunch of balls connecter.
The embryo is growing very fast in week 3 and will now have its own unique DNA.
4th month: Cardiovascular System & Diaphragm
The cardiovascular system, consisting of our heart and blood vessels, delivers oxygenated blood to our body's cells.
Our circulatory system is made up of two ventricles and four chambers.
The right side carries deoxygenated blood (known as blue blood) that returns from throughout our body to be pumped through one-way valves into our lungs, where it absorbs oxygen before being sent back out to circulate through our arteries.
The left side carries oxygenated blood that has been freshly circulated by our lungs. It flows through our aortic valve and travels to every cell in our body via blood vessels known as capillaries.
5th month: Nervous System
Prenatal nervous system development begins with a structure called a neural plate.
The neural plate thickens and folds to form two main sections of your baby’s brain, called ventral lobes.
The ventral lobes are divided by an indentation into anterior and posterior sections known as hemispheres.
These hemispheres control different functions in your baby. For example, one hemisphere controls voluntary movement on the right side of your body while another hemisphere controls voluntary movement on your left side.
Other parts of your baby’s brain work together to help him or her respond to external stimuli like light, touch, sound, and smell.
Your unborn child can even hear you! During week 5, tiny hair cells in your baby’s inner ear begin responding to sound waves that reach them through amniotic fluid.
6th month: Skeleton & Urogenital System
After a few more weeks, your baby’s bones have become much harder and stronger than before. Starting from today and until birth, his or her skeleton will grow at an extremely fast rate. By now, you should be able to feel little kicks and punches!
You may notice that these movements are stronger in some positions than others. This is because some muscles are stronger than others (like your abdominal muscles) so it's easier for you to feel those movements right now.
Your baby’s urinary system is also starting to develop. This means that he or she can produce urine to remove waste products from the body.
As with all organs, there are still many things left to develop. For example, your baby has yet to gain control over their bladder and urethra (the tube connecting their bladder with their genitals).
Because of this, they can't pee on command just yet – but they're working on it!
7th month: Sense Organs
The baby’s senses are developing, particularly their sense of hearing. This week they are beginning to hear more complex sounds such as your voice, music, and other soothing noises. Babies respond to sound differently during every stage of pregnancy, so you can talk and sing to them during each visit.
Even though they can’t respond yet, it is incredibly reassuring for them to hear your voice—and it’s also great bonding time for you! Make sure that you introduce different types of music (classical, jazz, etc.) to get a feel for what kind of music your child will like when he or she grows up.
8th month: The Placenta & Umbilical Cord
It’s month 8 of your pregnancy, and at least one change that you’ve probably noticed is your abdomen seems to be growing in size.
Your baby’s placenta is now ready to provide her with nourishment. Its location at the top of your uterus means it will be able to absorb nutrients from your bloodstream, which will then pass them on to your baby via an umbilical cord. The cord itself is made up of three vessels: two arteries and a vein. The vessels are surrounded by a sheath called Wharton's jelly, which acts as a cushion for your baby as she moves around inside your womb. The umbilical cord also contains two arteries and a vein; these vessels carry oxygen-rich blood from your placenta to your baby. This blood carries waste products away from her body back through the umbilical cord into another vessel called a ductus venosus.
9th month: The baby's kicking starts and facial features are visible... etc.
In week 9, your baby's kicking will have increased and you'll be able to feel kicks from below your rib cage. At 10 weeks, your baby is about 3 1/2 inches long and weighs around 4 ounces. His eyes are more developed and his ears are formed; he can also open and close his jaw. Your baby's tiny buds for arms, legs, hands and feet are forming; eventually, these will develop into full limbs. During week 10, your baby's heartbeat can now be heard with a Doppler device. The umbilical cord continues to grow until it reaches its full length of about 50-60centimetress (20-24 inches). Around week 11, your baby will begin moving in utero. By week 12, he or she has grown significantly in size and weight; by now, he or she weighs over a pound! You may begin feeling him or her move around at night as well as during waking hours. Many mothers describe their babies' movements as butterfly flutters... etc.
10th month: Birth (almost!)
Many women will go into labourer over two weeks. Labour can be unpredictable, but if you’re going to work until your due date (or up until about two weeks past your due date), make sure to check in with your boss and let him or her know what your plans are. Having a supportive boss is crucial—not just because you may have some complications with morning sickness or getting used to a new body size, but also because you need his or her understanding when it comes time for maternity leave. Talk to them before you get too pregnant so that they know what they’re dealing with when it comes time for delivery and leave. Most bosses aren’t jerks and will accommodate you as best they can, especially if you’ve been an excellent employee all along. If yours isn't one of those bosses, then maybe you should start looking around now for another job. (But seriously: Don't do that.)
Conclusion
One of life’s most important journeys starts when your child is conceived. As a parent, it’s your job to do everything you can to help your child develop into an adult who is physically and mentally strong. Fortunately, research into pregnancy development has helped us better understand how we can positively influence a baby’s development. From taking folic acid to keeping stress levels low, these things may influence a baby’s cognitive abilities later in life. By learning about what to expect during each week of pregnancy, you can be sure that your child will have every opportunity for success. The more you know about fetal development during each week of pregnancy, the more prepared you will be for parenthood.