Do you know what to expect from each of the three trimesters? Here is an overview of each with the common signs of pregnancy trimesters one, two and three. Weeks one to 12: Pregnancy Trimester One The first and most prominent pregnancy symptom is a missed menstrual cycle. You may see pinkish or brownish discharge [...]
FACTS: Fertilisation occurs when one of the millions of sperm penetrates the outer layers of the egg and fuses with its nucleus.
FACTS: The baby is now floating in the amniotic fluid attached by a string of blood vessels that eventually forms the umbilical cord.
FACTS: Your baby has more than doubled in size in the past week. Its tiny heart begins to form and will already have the power to pump blood around its own body.
FACTS The baby’s spinal cord and brain are now almost complete and the head is beginning to look more human-like. Tiny rudiments of the kidneys, eyes and lungs are forming.
FACTS: The baby is still smaller than your little toe yet has all its main organs in a rudimentary form and in the correct positioning. A brain is already visible through the rice-paper-thin skin revealing every little branching blood vessel beneath.
FACTS: The baby weighs only as much as a grape though its heart now has all four chambers and beats twice as fast as yours – at times up to 180 times a minute. Its tiny liver is producing its own red blood cells that are circulating around its body.
FACTS: The baby, now called a foetus, has obvious elbows, wrists, ankles and clearly visible fingers and toes. It measures between 3-4.5cm in length and its external sex organs have begun to form.
FACTS: During pregnancy the amount of blood in your body increases 30-50 per cent to nourish and supply the baby with oxygen.
FACTS: This is the end of the first trimester considered the most intense part of the development of the pregnancy. By now you may have put on an extra 10 per cent of your body weight.