The First Trimester

This is the first 12 weeks of pregnancy and a crucial period in terms of your babys development. By the end of the 12th week, all your babys major organs and body systems will be formed. *Remember, all pregnancies are different and foetal growth rates vary, this is meant only as an approximate guide to development. If you have any concerns about your developing pregnancy then speak to your doctor.

Your unborn baby at two weeks

The 40 weeks of pregnancy start from the last day of your period. This means week 2 is around the point at which you conceive, because youre most fertile in the middle of your cycle, two weeks after your last period. Your egg and his sperm each have 23 chromosomes and together they form the 46 chromosomes which make up a human cell, the zygote. It splits into two cells, each with 46 chromosomes, then these divide again and again as they pass down the fallopian tube. By the time they reach the uterus there are about 100 cells the building blocks for your baby.

Your unborn baby at three weeks

This is a crucial week in your babys development. The mass of cells which has been steadily dividing since fertilisation is called the blastocyst and is now ready to burrow its way into your womb lining (endometrium). This is called implantation and can be one of the most tricky points in early pregnancy. Once the blastocyst has implanted then the embryo can receive the oxygen and nutrients from you to be able to grow.

Your unborn baby at four weeks

Now your baby-to-be is called an embryo, and is around the size of a pin head. The cells are dividing and multiplying rapidly, and three layers of cells have now formed the outer layer (the ectoderm), which will develop into your babys brain, nervous system, skin, hair, nails and teeth; the middle layer (the mesoderm), which will become her heart and blood vessels, bones, muscles and reproductive organs; and the inner layer (the endoderm), which will develop into her lungs, liver, bladder and digestive system. The cells of the embryo grow lengthwise, assuming a leaner shape.

Your unborn baby at five weeks

Its a really exciting week - your baby is now the size of a poppy seed and by the end of the week her heart will be beating and the umbilical cord will have started to work. Your baby has a head end and a tail end and all the building blocks for her vital organs are in place. She is taking oxygen via the developing placenta, and the amniotic sac is also developing, which contains the fluid in which your baby will be protected and continue to grow.

Your unborn baby at six weeks

Tiny limb buds for your babys arms and legs will appear and the starting blocks for facial features begin to take shape. His heartbeat can be picked up by an ultrasound scan. Other major organs like the kidneys, eyes and ears are beginning to form. He is also developing the tissue that will form his spine. By the end of this week your baby will be about half a centimetre long no bigger than a grain of risotto rice and shaped like a tadpole with a protrusion like a tail at the end of the spine.

Your unborn baby at seven weeks

This week your baby will more than double in size, from about 0.5cm to 1cm, and will make her first movements, twitching her developing limbs (you wont be able to feel your babys movements for quite some time to come, probably between weeks 16 and 20). Her heart is becoming a four-chambered organ and beating about 150 beats a minute twice as fast as yours. Her head and body are becoming more distinct, and the darkened specks of the eyes are forming along with the lungs, jaw and palate, the openings for the mouth, nose and ears, and the beginnings of tiny fingers and toes.

Your unborn baby at eight weeks

Even though hes around the size of a baked bean, about 1.5-2cm long, your baby now has the beginnings of every essential organ. Hes been stretching, bending and unbending and the development of the head is followed by the development of the abdomen and chest and the gradual disappearance of the tadpole-like tail. His tiny bones begin to form and your baby starts to look more like a miniature human being. The eyelids and tongue are now forming, as are follicles for the hair and nipples. Your baby can now demonstrate his first sensitivities to touch.

Your unborn baby at nine weeks

Shes still so tiny, but your baby has grown to about 2-3cm long - the size of a grape. Her limbs are well-formed and over this week her hands and feet begin to look more human her hands will be able to bend at the wrist and your baby now has tiny little elbows! By the end of this week the eyelids are almost covering the eyes, and the sex organs are forming.

Your unborn baby at 10 weeks

Your baby is now officially a foetus. Hes about 2.5cm long, roughly the size of a strawberry, and the tail has gone. His arms have grown longer and the tiny fingers and toes have lost their webbing. His eyelids are beginning to fuse and, once shut, will stay that way until around the 26th week. The structure of the brain is complete and the external part of the ears are now completely formed, as is the top lip and he now has a large forehead and small nose. The skeleton is almost complete and between now and birth many of the bones will harden.

Your unborn baby at 11 weeks

Its a very busy week for your baby. Shes now around 5-6cm long and weighs about 8g the size of a tomato. Her irises are beginning to develop and the ridges on her fingers are developing into tiny nails. The internal parts of the ears are now fully formed and the vital organs (brain, liver, kidneys, lungs and intestines) are fully functional. Her stomach is now moving into her abdominal cavity and the oesophagus, connecting the stomach and throat, will soon be complete. This will enable your baby to start swallowing amniotic fluid shortly.

Your unborn baby at 12 weeks

Congratulations, youre now at the end of your first trimester! Your baby now spans between 5 and 7 centimetres (around the size of a small lemon) and weighs around 14g, or half an ounce. He has all his essential parts and for the next six months will devote most of his energy to growing and developing ready for life outside your womb. With the rest of his energy hell be busy moving around, kicking, boxing (!) and punching while floating in the amniotic fluid (you wont be able to feel this until 16-20 weeks).

Watch your unborn baby grow - 2nd Trimester

The Second Trimester
Welcome to the start of your second trimester! This is the time of greatest activity for your baby he can bend, stretch, twist, kick, leap, flex and make very complex movements with his hands. * Remember, all pregnancies are different and foetal growth rates vary, this is meant only as an approximate guide to development. If you have any concerns about your developing pregnancy then speak to your doctor.

Your unborn baby at 13 weeks

As you move into the second trimester your baby will now be between 7.5cm long and weigh around 25-28g. She has a recognisable chin, snub nose and large forehead. Her head now takes up about half the length of her body and from now on will grow more slowly than the rest of her body. The eyes now move closer together, away from the sides of the head and the ears move into their normal position. Your babys intestines, originally developed in the umbilical cord, now withdraw into your babys abdomen. The genitals continue to develop.

Your unborn baby at 14 weeks

By this week your baby is around eight to 10cm long and weighs 25-28g. Her fingernails have continued to grow and she already has the traces of her own fingerprints. Your babys neck continues to get longer and her chin has now lifted up from the chest rather than resting on it. Your babys mouth has developed and she is practicing her sucking and swallowing reflexes. Your baby has also developed everything she needs for speech in later life. Your babys sexual development continues apace, and if your baby is a little girl, then she will already have formed her ovaries.

Your unborn baby at 15 weeks

Around about now your baby hears his first sounds and will listen to the sounds of your body, your heartbeat and digestion, and even your voice. He can yawn, blink, rub his eyes and suck his thumb (bless). Hes now around 10cm long and starting to gain weight. Hes developing soft, fine hair, called lanugo, all over his body to protect his very thin skin from the amniotic fluid. This hair will usually fall out before birth. Proper hair is now also beginning to sprout on the head and the eyebrows are also developing.

Your unborn baby at 16 weeks

This is a very exciting time, as many women feel their baby's movements for the first time between now and week 20. This is called 'quickening' and usually starts with light flutters. (Don't worry if you don't feel anything yet, it's quite common for movement not to be felt before week 20, particularly in first pregnancies.) Your baby is around 12 cm long and very active. Her bones are becoming harder, and while your baby's limbs are now fully formed, they are fragile, as she has yet to put on her pre-birth fat stores.

Your unborn baby at 17 weeks

Your baby is now almost 13 long and about the size of an avocado. Hes now going through another phase of rapid growth, becoming longer and beginning to form adipose tissue, a fat that will help him regulate his body temperature once hes left the comfort of your womb. Its around this time your babys intestines start to work as he starts to digest some of the amniotic fluid hes been busy swallowing and expelling.

Your unborn baby at 18 weeks

At this stage your baby can punch, kick, turn and wriggle. Shes now over 14cm long and weighs around 225g. She already has the protective covering of lanugo on her delicate skin and now begins to produce vernix, a white waxy covering, to coat her skin and keep it moisturised in her watery environment. The umbilical cord and placenta are continuing to develop to support your ever-growing child, and now your placenta and baby are now around the same size.

Your unborn baby at 19 weeks

Your baby is now over 15cm long (the size of a courgette!) and weighs 225-250g, around half a pound. The nerves and spinal cord are now being coated with a fatty matter called myelin that protects the nerves and helps impulses flow smoothly along them. Teeth buds for your babys milk teeth have already formed. If your baby is a girl she will have developed all her sex organs and will be storing around 6 million eggs in her ovaries. By birth the number of eggs will have fallen to one million. In boys, testes will now be apparent.

Your unborn baby at 20 weeks

Things are about to slow down a little growth-wise, but its a crucial stage in the development of your babys senses. Shell be able to hear noises outside the womb and will gradually learn to recognise your voice and that of your partner. Noises she becomes familiar with now may be soothing for her after birth. So make sure you play music youre willing to listen to over and over again! She now sleeps for the same amount of time as a newborn and is developing sleeping and waking patterns. Your baby is now around 16.5cm long and weighs about 255g.

Your unborn baby at 21 weeks

Your baby is now around 18cm long and weighs about 300g. Her hearing is acute and shell jump at loud noises. Shes beginning to prepare her immune system by forming white blood cells, or leukocytes, to help fight disease and infections, and you are passing on your own immune cells to protect her from viruses youve already had for the first few months out of the womb. Shes continuing to put fat onto her bones in preparation for birth and her legs are growing so get ready for her kicks to grow stronger over the coming weeks.

Your unborn baby at 22 weeks

At this stage your baby will be somersaulting and hiccoughing, and you should feel it! Hes now about 19cm long and weighs around 350g. His brain has now entered a phase of rapid growth and deep in the

heart of the brain the germinal matrix is busy producing brain cells. Brain cell production by the matrix will continue until around week 34. The eyelids and eyebrows of your baby have already formed, and he also has the finest of eyelashes. If your baby is a boy the testes will begin to descend to the scrotum.

Your unborn baby at 23 weeks

Your baby is now around 20cm long and weighs around 400g, not far off 1lb. The eyes behind her eyelids are now fully formed. The pancreas is developing and your baby has started to produce insulin, which will help her regulate her blood sugar levels later on. Overall your baby is reaching her proper proportions and if she were born now would have some chance of survival. The best place for her continued growth is in the womb though, so lets hope that she stays there for a while yet.

Your unborn baby at 24 weeks

This is an important week because your babys chances of survival if born prematurely have been increasing by 3-4% every day. Hes now about 21cm long and weighs about 500g or 1.1lbs. Hes rapidly bulking up now, with bone mass, muscle, organ growth and fat. His skin is wrinkled but will begin to smooth out over time as he develops more muscles and puts on fat. Permanent teeth buds are now appearing in his gums.

Your unborn baby at 25 weeks

Your baby is now approximately 22cm long and weighs around 700g. This is the week when her nostrils will begin to open and the blood vessels in the lungs develop, preparing your baby for the time when she will need to breathe air. Your baby's brain is busy developing her vision and hearing and her finger and toenails are growing steadily. The complex structure of the spine is also developing: all 33 rings, 150 joints and 1,000 ligaments! Her skin is changing colour, taking on a pinky hue as the capillaries, tiny blood vessels, form beneath the skin.

Your unborn baby at 26 weeks

The big news this week are the eyes. Your babys retinas are now developing and sometime around now hell open his eyes for the first time and start to blink. His eyes are developing the colour they will be at birth. This is also the time when brain wave activity starts for babys eyes and ears. Your baby is gaining weight fast and now weighs around 750g, or 1.6lbs. Spinal growth and strengthening is continuing this week. His lungs have begun to develop air sacs and now produce surfactant, a fatty-protein substance that helps the air sacs to inflate.

Your unborn baby at 27 weeks

As the neural network within the ear becomes complete your babys hearing is improving, along with her ability to recognise voices. You may be able to notice this yourself as your babys reactions to sounds become more predictable. Your baby is now nearly 27cm long and weighs about 900g, nearly 2lbs. Her lungs are continuing their rapid development and your baby is practising breathing - inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid. Her brain is also growing very rapidly still, so good nutrition for you is crucial at this stage.

Watch your unborn baby grow - 3rd Trimester(Welcome to the final trimester! It is during this stage
that your baby will be getting ready to make an appearance.)
The Third Trimester
Congratulations, youve made it to the third trimester! If your baby was born now she would have a very good chance of survival, but the final three months are when all the hard work of the previous six is matured so we want to keep her right where she is for the time being. * Remember, all pregnancies are different and foetal growth rates vary, this is meant only as an approximate guide to development. If you have any concerns about your developing pregnancy then speak to your doctor.

Your unborn baby at 28 weeks

As you enter the third trimester your baby is now around 25cm long and weighs approximately 1.1kg. Shes probably at the peak of her activity, and it may feel as though theres a football match going on in your stomach. Her eyes boast very well formed eyelashes and eyebrows. The lungs are now capable of breathing air, but need more time to fully mature, so if your baby were born now shed need assistance breathing to start off with. Over the coming weeks your baby will put on a lot of weight, in bone mass, muscle and plenty of fat.

Your unborn baby at 29 weeks

Your babys eyes can move around in their sockets and he may begin to react to light shone directly onto your bump. Its not just light that your baby is sensitive to, but also sound, touch, taste and even smell. His head and body now have the proportions they will have at birth and hes now acquiring fat deposits under the skin to get ready for his big debut.

Your unborn baby at 30 weeks

Your baby is now around 27cm from crown to rump and weighs approximately1.36kgs. The thin layer of hair named the lanugo that once covered his body is now disappearing and he is starting to get plumper. Hell become more active in the womb as he starts to stretch out and you may be able to make out little hands and feet as he pushes against you. His lungs are still not fully formed and his immune system is continuing to develop but if he was to be born at this stage he would still have an excellent chance of survival.

Your unborn baby at 31 weeks

By this stage your baby is now around 41cm long from the top of his head to his bottom - thats about the size of a pineapple. He now weighs around 1.5kg or 3.3Ibs and hes putting on more baby fat. The cerebral cortex has matured, so your baby can now feel and remember. Because hes more aware, if he hears a noise, he might react to it, perhaps with a kick! Your babys skeleton continues to harden. The brain is also growing rapidly at this time, creating billions more nerve cells.

Your unborn baby at 32 weeks

You may find that your baby is responsive to light and may seem to reach towards a light shone directly on your bump. Shes probably moving around a little less vigorously now as she has less space in the womb to play with, but you should still be able to feel her wriggling about. Your baby now weighs about 1.7kg, and is about 29cm long. Her toenails are completely formed and she continues to grow hair. If your baby is a boy his testicles will probably be descending from his abdomen.

Your unborn baby at 33 weeks

By now, many babies have moved into the head-first position (or presentation) ready for labour, although many are still breech bottom or feet first or sideways. If your baby hasnt turned yet, dont worry, theres still plenty of time. She now weighs nearly 2kg, over 4lbs. Your baby will continue to respond to familiar voices and songs, so talking or singing to your bump can be a great bonding activity. Her sleeping cycles will be extending to around half-hour rests followed by 30 minutes of activity.

Your unborn baby at 34 weeks

Your baby is about 44cm long and weighs 4.5lbs, over 2 kilos. Its around this time that she will turn to face downwards. She's very well developed now, but each week longer she stays in the womb her lungs develop more and she gathers more fat deposits ready for life outside the womb. Your babys skin is now gaining a proper colour, instead of its previous translucent hue, and its wrinkly texture is becoming smoother.

Your unborn baby at 35 weeks

The only organ that has yet to be fully developed are the lungss. The rest of your babys growth is focused on putting on fat stores to help him regulate his temperature outside the womb. Your baby now weighs around two and a half kilos and may have less room to move around now, but hes still exercising and developing muscle tone. Hes also busy practising his basic bodily functions breathing amniotic fluid, swallowing fluid, digesting and urinating. His hearing is now also fully developed, so its a good idea to keep talking to him.

Your unborn baby at 36 weeks

Your baby is now the size of a watermelon - around 44-48cm long from top to toe and weighs nearly 6lbs, or two and three-quarter kilos. Her lungs are continuing to mature, and her kidneys are already beginning to process waste products. If she hasn't already then your baby may drop or 'engage' this week, dropping her head into the pelvic cavity and pressing on your cervix. In first pregnancies this usually happens 2-4 weeks before birth. If this isn't your first baby though, she probably won't engage until shortly before labour.

Your unborn baby at 37 weeks

Its really exciting now as your baby is getting ready to make an appearance. He now weighs nearly 6.5lbs, not far off 3 kilos. The amount of amniotic fluid surrounding your baby is lessening as he expands to fill the space available. As the wall of your uterus is stretched and becomes thinner, more light from outside the womb can penetrate and your baby can develop activity cycles for day and night. Reflexes that will be present from birth are already developed, so not only is your baby breathing and swallowing, but hes also able to make a strong grasp.

Your unborn baby at 38 weeks

Congratulations, youve made it! Your baby now probably weighs about 6lb 8oz, or 3kg and, provided she seems big enough is now considered to be ready, or at term. This means if labour were to begin now then in usual circumstances nothing would be done to slow it down or stop it. Your baby will start to lose her vernix coating by now, but will probably still have a little in the folds of her skin at birth. You may notice your baby having hiccoughs, these happen when amniotic fluid gets into her windpipe when shes practising breathing.

Your unborn baby at 39 weeks

Your baby is completely ready to be born, but might not decide to make an appearance by your due date, particularly if this is your first. He now probably weighs between 7 and 7.5 pounds or 3 and 3.5 kilos. He'll still be using the time inside your womb well though, practising breathing with amniotic fluid and continuing to put on fat supplies that will help him regulate his body temperature once he's born. Your growing baby, at a glance Eyes These begin to develop in the first four weeks, with eyelids beginning at around week eight. The eyes start to open in week 28. Eyelashes and eyebrows become prominent in week 16. Heart The heart starts to beat at 22 days, but its so small its still hard to hear it beating! Its fully formed at just eight weeks, and fully developed at 11 weeks. Lungs, kidney and bladder These begin to form and develop in week eight. Spine The neural tube, which evolves into the spine, grows in the first six weeks. (This is why, if possible, it's great to take folic acid while you are still trying for a baby.) Arms and legs These form in week seven, with ankles and wrists developing in week 10. Fingernails and toenails begin to appear at week 12, with the digits moving freely at week 16. Nose The nose becomes noticeable in week seven, with nostrils developing at nine weeks! Skeleton This draws upon calcium deposits to form at week 10. Ears These develop at 11 weeks, and by week 21 your baby can hear everything thats going on!