Welcome to this beautiful new chapter of your life! As you embark on the journey of pregnancy, think of us as your trusted companion, here to provide guidance, reassurance, and a wealth of knowledge. Our thoughtfully curated guide is your key to feeling confident and informed, helping you navigate every stage of this incredible experience.

Gaining insight into the stages of pregnancy allows you to follow your baby’s development and recognise important changes in your body. Each phase brings new experiences, helping you prepare for what’s ahead and make the most of this incredible journey.

WHAT SHOULD YOU EXPECT?

FETAL DEVELOPMENT AND CHANGES IN YOUR BODY.

Pregnancy is a journey of three incredible trimesters, and we are here to guide you through each one!

Let’s get right into it

FIRST TRIMESTER

The Beginning of a Beautiful Journey

From the moment of conception, your body starts working wonders! Hormones surge, morning sickness might kick in, and your baby is growing at an incredible rate. Here’s what each month brings!

MONTH ONE

Fetal Development

This is how the journey began…the sperm of your spouse fuses with your egg and fertilization took place!
Implantation followed, which is when your fertilized egg (now called a blastocyst) completed its travel through the fallopian tube and attaches to the lining of the uterus.
Your baby is the size of a poppy seed.
Changes in Your Body

You’ve missed your monthly menstrual flow and test results come out positive!
Light vaginal bleeding, smaller in volume with fewer number of days compared to menstruation.
Breast tenderness
Morning Sickness
Feeling sick and nauseous

MONTH TWO

A tiny miracle is taking shape!

The circulatory system of your baby is beginning to form.
Its nose, mouth and ears are starting to take shape, and the intestines and brain are beginning to develop.
Your baby has doubled in size. Little hands and feet that look more like paddles are emerging from the developing arms and legs.
Your baby has started moving around, though you won’t feel movement yet. Nerve cells are branching out, forming primitive neural pathways. Breathing tubes now extend from the throat to the developing lungs.
At 8 weeks, your baby is the size of a kidney bean.
Changes in Your Body

Tiredness, nausea, vomiting, painful breasts, headaches, constipation and faintness.
Mood swings
Weight gain
Your skin may react to the influx of pregnancy hormones with a break-out.
Pregnancy food cravings which can be sweet, spicy, salty or sour

MONTH THREE

Your little one is growing fast!

Your baby’s basic physiology is in place and is about to start gaining weight.
Your baby’s skin is still translucent, limbs can bend and details like nails are starting to form.
Your baby is almost fully formed and can kick, stretch, and even hiccup as diaphragm develops. Although you can’t feel any activity yet.
Your baby’s fingers will soon begin to open and close, toes will curl, and your baby’s mouth will make sucking movements.
The 13th week marks the end of your first trimester. Your baby’s tiny fingers now have fingerprints, veins and organs are clearly visible through the skin. If you’re having a girl, her ovaries now contain more than 2 million eggs!
At 13 weeks, your baby is the size of a pea pod.
Changes in Your Body

• You may experience blurry vision.
• Dizziness and frequent urination
• Your bump may have started showing.
• You may just feel bloated like you just had a heavy meal.
• Shinier and smoother complexion.

2ND TRIMESTER

Baby Moon

Welcome to the trimester where things start to feel a little easier! The early discomforts are easing, your energy is making a comeback, and that growing bump is a beautiful reminder of the little life inside you. It is also the perfect time to plan a well-deserved getaway to relax, recharge, and enjoy some quality time before your baby arrives. So, let’s dive into why the second trimester is the Babymoon!

MONTH FOUR

The journey is feeling more real than ever!

• Your baby’s kidneys are working now.
• Eyelids are still fused shut but can now sense light.
• The patterning on your baby’s scalp has begun, though the hair isn’t visible yet. It’s legs are more developed, head is more upright, and ears are close to their final position.
• Your baby can move its joints, and its soft cartilage is now hardening to bone. The umbilical cord is growing stronger and thicker.
• At 17 weeks, your baby is the size of a pear.

Changes in Your Body

• Morning sickness will be reduced.
• Your energy level and appetite will increase.
• You will start getting your groove back, feeling your usual self again.
• Your skin will begin to darken, most commonly around your nipples, areolas, navel, armpits and inner thighs. This darkening usually fades a few months after delivery.
• You may begin to feel your baby’s first kicks, called quickening or flutters. They are so subtle that they are often mistaken for stomach rumblings, indigestion or like butterflies in your belly. This is between the 16th and 20th weeks.
• Your bump is rounding out and becoming more visible to everyone.

MONTH FIVE

Halfway there! Your little one is growing, and so is your excitement.

• Your baby is flexing its arms and legs, and you may be able to feel those movements.
• Your baby’s senses – smell, vision, touch, taste and hearing – are developing now, it may be able to hear your voice.
• Your baby’s movements have gone from flutters to full-on kicks and jabs against the walls of your womb. You may start to notice patterns as you become more familiar with its activity.
• At 21 weeks, your baby is the size of a carrot.

Changes in Your Body

• As your uterus gronts, the round ligaments, which are attached to your pelvic sidewall and each side of your upper uterus, are pulled and stretched.
• You may feel sharp pains in your hip and abdomen which is normal but if it becomes unbearable, please see your doctor.

MONTH SIX

The countdown is on! Your bump is blooming!

• Your baby now looks almost like a miniature newborn. Features such as lips and eyebrows are more distinct.
• Your baby’s ears are getting better at picking up sounds. After birth, your baby may recognise some noises outside the womb that it was used to hearing inside.
• Your baby’s wrinkled skin is starting to fill out with baby fat, making it look more like a newborn.
• Your baby is now inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid, which helps develop it’s lungs. These breathing movements are good practice for that first breath of air at birth.
• At 26 weeks your baby is the size of a bunch of Lettuce.

Changes in Your Body

• You may feel dizzy. This is due to the fact that your blood pressure has dropped.
• You may begin to notice thicker hair and stronger nails.
• Your uterus continues to expand upward; the top is nearly midway between your breasts and belly button now.
• Weight gain. This can be attributed to the weight of your baby, an increase of blood and fluid volume, your expanded uterus, larger breasts, the placenta, and amniotic fluid.

3RD TRIMESTER

The Final Stretch

The finish line is in sight! Your baby is getting ready for the big day, and so is your body. From stronger kicks to final preparations, let’s break down what to expect as you count down to meeting your precious one!

MONTH SEVEN

Baby is getting bigger, kicks are stronger, and the excitement is reaching new heights!

• The so-called honeymoon phase of pregnancy (second trimester) is over and parenthood is visible.
• In the third trimester, you might be peeing more often, have leg cramps or have your baby pressing on the nerves in your hips and back.
• Your baby now sleeps and wakes on a regular schedule, and its brain is very active. Your baby’s lungs are not fully formed, but they could function outside the womb with medical help.
• Your baby’s eyesight is developing, which may enable it to sense light filtering in from the outside.
• Your baby’s muscles and lungs are busy getting ready to function in the outside world, and its head is growing to make room for its developing brain.
• At 30 weeks your baby is the size of a large cabbage.

Changes in Your Body

• Weight gain. The extra weight can lead to musculo-skeletal pain, and fatigue can slow you down even more.
• You are becoming uncomfortable when sitting down, at work and even when sleeping.
• Shortness of breath.
• Leaky breasts. The yellowish, thin fluid is colostrum. Usually you will notice only a drop or two, if any at all, but if the flow becomes greater, you can put nursing pads inside your bra to keep things under control. This fluid contains antibodies that help fight infection and build resistance to many common illnesses during your baby’s first days on the outside.
• Appearance of stretch marks and itchy skin due to your expanding uterus.

MONTH EIGHT

Almost there! Baby is getting ready for the big debut, and every kick is a sweet reminder that you will meet your little one soon!

• Your baby can now turn its head from side to side.
• You’re probably gaining about 0.454kg in a week. Half of that goes straight to your baby, who will gain one-third to half its birth weight in the next seven weeks in preparation for life outside the womb.
• The bones in your baby’s skull aren’t fused yet. That allows them to shift as its head squeezes through the birth canal. Your baby’s central nervous system is maturing, as are its lungs. Babies born between 34 and 37 weeks who have no other health problems usually do well in the long run.
• Your baby’s kidneys are fully developed, and its liver can process some waste products. At 35 weeks your baby is the size of a honeydew melon.

Changes in Your Body

• You may start noticing hip and lower-back pain. Your expanding uterus may also be putting some pressure on the sciatic nerve, which runs from your lower back to your buttocks and hip area and down the back of each leg, triggering chronic tingling or numbness along its path, a condition called sciatica. But it is usually not serious, it won’t affect the baby and it will likely become less intense as the baby shifts around in there.
• Your baby is pressing more on your internal organs – You might start experiencing symptoms like such as urine leakage, heartburn, and breathlessness.
• Your appetite might reduce and nausea may come back.
• The sporadic contractions are called Braxton Hicks contractions. Although they do not lead to active labour, they do prepare your body for when the time comes. If you take time to sit down, put your feet up and drink a glass of water or two, these contractions will subside. Labourinducing contractions don’t stop even if you relax for an hour or two.
• Extra-thick vaginal discharge that is pink or even a bit blood-tinged. This is the start of your mucus plug dropping. The mucus plug is a ball of tissue that’s been blocking your cervical opening during pregnancy to keep your uterus safe from germs. Losing your plug doesn’t mean that labour is starting . Many women lose their plugs up to two weeks before labour officially begins.

MONTH NINE

Any day now, you will be holding your little one in your arms

Your baby is gaining weight by the day.
Your baby’s physical development is complete, but it is putting on fat that will help to regulate it’s body temperature in the outside world.
If you’re past your due date you may not be as late as you think, especially if you calculated it solely based on the day of your last period. Sometimes women ovulate later than expected.
But if you don’t go into labour on your own by your due date, your doctor will probably do tests to make sure you can safely continue your pregnancy – At 40 weeks your baby is the size of a small pumpkin.
Changes in Your Body

• Your baby settles lower into your pelvis to get ready for delivery, this is called dropping, lightening, or engagement, and it is common around this time.
• Little spotting after sex, this is because your cervix is engorged with blood and feels sensitive. If you notice persistent spotting or bright red discharge, please call your doctor.
• Your water could break any day now. Most women start to notice a wetness running down the leg, do not feel embarrassed, call your doctor.
• Labour may begin in several ways: mild cramps (the most common scenario), your water breaking, or when you get to the hospital you will likely be in active labor during which your cervix dilates from 3 or 4 centimeters to 7. They will come fast and furious once you are in active labour lasting up to a minute each, or even a bit longer. You will feel this intense pain radiating through your stomach, lower back and upper thighs. This is like nothing you have ever felt .
• If pregnancy exceeds 40 weeks, your doctor will most likely recommend that you check into the hospital and either be prepped for a C-section or, if you are going to deliver vaginally, given something to induce labour.

This journey has been amazing, full of growth, excitement, and all the feels! As you step into the next chapter, keep embracing every moment, trusting yourself, and knowing we’re always cheering you on.

With all our love,
FTMA.