During your pregnancy, your baby makes an amazing journey from a single fertilized egg cell to a snuggly newborn…in just nine months! All the while, you are doing something so special: creating, growing and nurturing a new life within your body, and preparing to meet the tiny new person you are bringing into the world! In the first three months, you are probably experiencing a variety of pregnancy symptoms, but the big changes your baby is going through are not visible yet. Here is a peek into what is happening during your first trimester.
Conception happens when a sperm cell joins an egg cell. The DNA inside the cells combine, and the egg quickly starts to divide into more cells. The genes baby inherits from you and their dad contain instructions for everything from making their fingers and toes, if they are born a boy or girl, to traits like having your eyes or daddy’s smile. Conception usually happens in the fallopian tube, then the fertilized egg implants into the lining of your uterus. This will be baby’s home for the next nine months. A gestational sac grows around it, like a bag to hold baby and the amniotic fluid that cushions baby as it grows.
Only 22 days after conception, your baby’s heart starts to beat and move blood through their body. The lungs will not be fully developed until right before birth, so baby needs you to provide oxygen and nutrients throughout your pregnancy.
By now, you have probably noticed your missed period and have taken a pregnancy test. Last month baby was as small as the period at the end of this sentence, but now they are already about the size and shape of a coffee bean. Even though baby is still very small, you can get your first ultrasound around this time, and not only can we see baby, but we can see, hear and measure their heartbeat. During your first ultrasound, the sonographer can also measure your baby to see exactly how far along you are and estimate your due date. If you are anxious to know whether baby is a boy or a girl though, we can’t see that by ultrasound until the second trimester. Around week 10, your doctor can give you a blood test that can tell you the gender and screen for genetic conditions. This is possible because you and your baby share a blood supply, so some of their cells are present in your blood.
Baby will kind of look like a jellybean in your first ultrasound pictures, but don’t worry, baby has their fastest growth during these first three months. The limb buds that will grow into arms and legs are developing, and baby is starting to move. Their face and organs are developing, and by the end of this month that coffee bean will be one inch long! The placenta is also developing and is connected to your baby by the umbilical cord. The placenta is your baby’s lifeline, an organ made up of blood vessels that share oxygen and nutrients with your baby and carry away waste. Around week 10 it will be mature enough to be your baby’s life support system for the rest of your pregnancy. After birth, the umbilical cord will be cut and the place where it was connected turns into a cute little belly button.
During this month, baby’s arms and legs are much more developed. They have hands, feet, fingers and toes, and their nails and fingerprints are forming. All their organs, like the brain, lungs and stomach, are present and starting to function. Baby is busy practicing drinking milk by swallowing the fluid in the amniotic sac, and their kidneys are working well enough to pass it back out as urine. Baby’s face has more of a profile, and those adorable first teeth are growing in their gums. Their bones are still very soft, but starting to harden. If you are worried about miscarriage, the risk is way less after week 12. If you had morning sickness, you can expect to start feeling better now. Baby is still growing rapidly, and will be about the size of a lime by the end of this month! If you are having your first ultrasound this month, you might catch your baby doing a little wiggle dance to say hello!
By the end of week 12, your baby has already had an incredible transformation from a single cell to a tiny fetus. In the next post of the fetal development series, we will take another peek into your baby’s secret world during the second trimester, where you can look forward to the first fluttery kicks, tiny hiccups, and the start of your baby bump.
Disclaimers:
Savannah Care Center does not offer or refer for abortions or birth control. Information is provided as an educational service and should not be relied on as a substitute for professional and/or medical advice.
Our services are not intended to be a substitute for licensed professional counseling or for either routine or emergency medical or prenatal care. Individuals who believe they are experiencing a medical emergency should call 9-1-1 and seek care from the nearest emergency room.
The information provided on this website is for general education purposes only and should not be relied upon as a substitute for professional and/or medical advice.
