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What is Happening Inside Your Body?

You may begin feeling some pregnancy symptoms this week. Your body is producing copious amounts of pregnancy hormones. These hormones will have a widespread effect on your entire body.

Hormones will begin stimulating your breasts to produce breast milk. This can lead to breast tenderness. They will widen your blood vessels, drawing more of your blood toward your growing baby. This can lead to dizziness as your body draws blood away from your head and toward your pelvis.

Hormones will slow down your digestion, influence your brain chemistry, sharpen your sense of smell, and loosen your ligaments in your body to help make room for your baby to grow. You may feel digestive disturbances and nausea. You may experience mood swings or feel emotionally sensitive as hormones make changes in your brain and body.

You may start to feel fatigued or need to urinate more frequently, and you may feel some discomfort in your back or body as your ligaments begin to loosen. All this is normal and a sign that your body is doing its important job to nourish and care for your baby to be.

Your body has not begun to expand yet, and there are no big changes in your outward appearance.

How Big is Your Baby?

Your baby is about 2 millimeters long. It has now been 3 weeks since conception.

How is Your Baby Developing?

Your baby has now begun to develop a neural tube, which is the beginning of the development of the brain and spinal cord. It also has also begun to develop a tube in the center of the embryo which will soon form the heart. The tube will start beating between day 21-24 of the embryo’s development.

What Does a Fetus Look Like at 5 Weeks?

To give you the best example of what your fetus is doing, we are linking you to a great video showing the development of your baby. Please understand that the video is based on the conception date. Click here.

Here a video explains about how the babies brain develops.  Click here.

Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

If you haven’t yet done so, arrange for your first prenatal visit. You may want to interview some different obstetricians and midwives as well as tour the different hospitals and birthing centers they work with. This will help you find the care that is just right for you.

If you have begun to experience morning sickness, please view the section of our website about morning sickness during pregnancy for some great information on managing your symptoms.

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What is Happening Inside Your Body?

Your uterus is growing and expanding. This can put pressure on your sciatic nerve, causing sciatic nerve pain. This feels like an occasional excruciating pain in the buttocks and down the back or side of the legs. This can occur at any time from now until the end of pregnancy, and is caused by pressure on the nerve from the expanding uterus.

You may also start to experience sharp pain on either side of your pelvis, especially from twisting related movements or when transitioning from sitting to standing up. Your growing uterus can cause strain on the round ligament, which are the muscles that support the uterus and hold it in place.

The volume of blood in your body has continued to increase. Your blood volume may have increased by as much as 40-50%, as your body pumps more blood to help feed your baby.

You may be experiencing gas, constipation, or diarrhea, as well as continued nausea. If you are going to have morning sickness, it will have likely developed by this point in your pregnancy.

Your breasts have probably begun to grow. They may be feeling tender or sensitive. This is normal as your body gets ready to produce milk. Many women’s breasts will increase a cup size or more during the course of their pregnancy. It is not unusual for a large portion of this growth to occur during the first trimester.

How Big is Your Baby?

Your baby is a little more than ½ inch long, about the size of a kidney bean. It has been 6 weeks since conception.

What Does a Fetus Look Like at 8 weeks?  -  Video

If you are looking for What does a fetus look like at 8 weeks?
Click here to watch a video 6 weeks since conception.

Here is another great video of an a baby at 8 weeks gestation.
Click here to watch video 6 weeks since conception.

The babies wrist and hand is forming at 5 weeks 6 days.
Click here to see.

How is Your Baby Developing?

Your baby’s arms and legs are continuing to develop. The eyes and ears are beginning to grow. The nose and mouth are recognizable and the outside ears are beginning to grow.

The liver is now beginning to manufacture blood cells and the kidneys have developed but are not yet functioning.

Embryos in their sixth week of development begin to have spontaneous movements and reflexes such as twitching in the body and limbs in response to touch. The body at this point reacts equally to any and every type of stimulus.

Your baby’s heart is pumping at about 150 beats per minute, about two times the rate of an adult.

Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

It is never to early to start practicing Kegel exercises. This exercise strengthens the urogenital muscles which support the pelvic floor. Good tone in these muscles will help you to recover your muscle tone after childbirth and help prevent problems with incontinence.

To practice Kegel exercises, tighten up the same muscles you would use to stop the flow of urine. At first you can practice on the toilet. Then they can be done any time. Contract the muscle as many times in a row as you can as tightly as possible with as many repetitions as possible. It will be very helpful later in pregnancy and after childbirth if you begin these exercises now.

The volume of blood is continuing to increase in your body, as is amniotic fluid. This can cause you to feel thirsty or even worse, suffer from dehydration, which can lead to headaches and other problems.

You may find that you are having more sinus congestion than normal. This is because your sinuses swell to provide extra defense against germs.

You still may not have any noticeable changes in your body shape, but you may be experiencing changes in your hair and nail growth. Your hair will likely change a lot during pregnancy. It can become dry or oily, thicker or thinner. It may also grow faster.

How Big is Your Baby?

Your baby is a little more than 1 ½ inches long. It has been 9 weeks since conception.

What Does A Fetus Look Like at 11 Weeks? Amazing Videos

Amazing video of a baby in the womb at 11 weeks (9 weeks since conception).
Click here to watch the video.

For pictures of actual human fetuses in the womb at 11 weeks.
Click to here to watch video.

External genitalia begin to distinguish themselves as either male or female.
Click here to see video.

How is Your Baby Developing?

Your baby is no longer referred to as an embryo. From this week until the time your baby is full term, it will be known as a fetus.

Fingernails and toenails are beginning to develop, as are hair follicles. Though you won’t be able to feel any movement yet, your baby is beginning to turn somersaults, flex its fingers, and stretch. It will be about another 6 weeks or so before you can feel any of this activity.

Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

Make sure that you are getting plenty of fluids every day. Carry a water bottle with you and drink regularly to avoid dehydration.

Changes are becoming more noticeable now. Your uterus has grown large enough to almost fill your pelvis. You doctor should be able to feel your uterus inside your abdomen now.

Your rib cage is expanding. You are breathing in 40-50% more air than normal.

In addition, your breasts are growing. You may notice that the areola are beginning to darken.

If you have been having morning sickness, it may be starting to ease now. For the majority of women, the nausea of pregnancy will fade completely by week 14. Some unlucky women may experience nausea that comes and goes throughout the entire pregnancy and others will be nauseous until the end.

Your hips are widening to make more room for your baby. Your ligaments are softening and stretching. Some women experience tail bone pain, pelvic pain, or leg pain as a result.

You may find that you are becoming constipated or gassy. Hormones are slowing down your digestive process.

How Big is Your Baby?

Your baby is approximately 2 ¼ inches long. It has more than doubled in size in the last few weeks. It has been 10 weeks since conception.

What Does a Fetus Look Like at 12 Weeks?

Here you can see video of some great video of a fetus at 12 weeks.
Click here see the video 10 weeks since conception.

Ultrasound video of a fetus at 12 weeks sucking on its thumb.
Click here to watch. 10 weeks since conception.

Video of twins at 12 weeks. Watch here.

How is Your Baby Developing?

Your baby’s head growth is slowing, allowing the rest of the body to catch up. Your baby is taking on a much more normal baby appearance.

Baby’s posture is becoming more upright as the spine extends. Bones are beginning to harden, especially in the skull and long bones.

The genitals are becoming clearly developed, though if you had an ultrasound they would not yet be able to tell the sex of your baby.

The baby’s intestines are growing fast, so fast that they extend out into the umbilical cord. Soon they will retract back into its abdomen.

The kidneys are functioning and the baby is beginning to excrete urine.

Your baby is beginning to make sucking movements with its mouth.

Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

Try upping your fiber intake to help your slowing intestines keep moving. Also increase your fluid intake. Dehydration can contribute to dry stools.

Be sure you are getting plenty of exercise and eating a healthy diet. Pay attention to what you eat. Certain foods may cause you to be more gassy than usual. Keep track of the foods you eat to help you identify the culprits.

If you have not started doing Kegel exercises yet, now is a good time to start. Kegel exercises can help with childbirth as well as with recovery afterwards.

By now your clothes are probably fitting pretty snugly. You may not have purchased any maternity clothes yet, but have probably started thinking about that step.

You may be starting to feel more energetic now and you might find that your nausea has diminished. You could possibly be free from queasiness in the next couple of weeks.

Your breasts are getting larger and you may feel some bumps beneath the skin. This is because your mammary ducts are getting ready to produce milk for your baby. You may also begin to notice that your veins are beginning to appear under the skin of your breasts.

You may be beginning to develop some stretch marks on your abdomen, breasts, hips or buttocks. To help prevent stretch marks, try to gain weight slowly and steadily.

Keeping your body well hydrated and engaging in regular exercise can help prevent stretch marks. So can loosening and stretching of the skin. You can find information about this in the book, Pregnancy Pain Relief.

There are also some various creams, salves and butters that are designed especially for preventing stretch marks.

How Big is Your Baby?

Your baby is about 3 inches long. It has been 11 weeks since conception.

What Does A Fetus Look Like at 13 Weeks?

Many want to know what does a baby look like at 13 weeks…Here is a great video

Easy to determine the sex of the baby…Click to see video

How is Your Baby Developing?

Your baby has begun to develop hair. Hair grows first on the eyebrows, upper lip and chin.

Your baby’s face is beginning to show unique features and appearance. Its eyes are coming closer together on the face, and the ears are becoming more fully developed and placed in their normal position on the head.

Your baby may be beginning to develop bouts of hiccups, though you won’t be able to feel it yet. Hiccups work to strengthen the baby’s diaphragm, which will get the respiratory system ready for breathing.

Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

Be sure you are keeping your body well hydrated. Avoid soda and sugary or carbonated beverages. They do not hydrate you and are unhealthy for you and your baby. Carry a water bottle with you everywhere to insure you are drinking all the time.

Staying well hydrated can help prevent stretch marks, as well as headaches, muscle cramps and fatigue.

If you are concerned about stretch marks, try using one of the specialized stretch mark creams to help prevent stretch marks. Applying cream or Vitamin E to your breasts, hips, buttocks and abdomen can help increase the elasticity and hydration of your skin.

You may or may not be beginning to put on weight.

Whether or not you have put on weight, you may find that your clothes are beginning to feel uncomfortable. Your waist is thickening slightly and your breasts are getting larger. You may want to find a new, more roomy bra and wear some pants or skirts with an elastic waist for added comfort.

You may begin to develop little white bumps on your nipples, which are called Montgomery’s tubercles. These bumps are designed to help make breastfeeding more comfortable by secreting a white lubricant.

You likely are feeling quite emotional at this time. Mood swings are normal and are due to the vast hormonal fluctuations taking place inside your body.

You may find that your gums are beginning to bleed while you brush and floss your teeth. Pregnancy causes a softening of the gums. You also may be finding that you have more saliva in your mouth than usual. Many women produce more saliva during pregnancy.

How Big is Your Baby?

Your baby is about 1 ¼ inches long. It has been 8 weeks since conception.

What Does a Fetus Look Like at 10 Weeks?

Throughout this website we will link you up with great videos that show your developing baby at each stage of your pregnancy. Here is a video talking about the embryonic period. Embryonic Video 2

To answer this question we have a link to some awesome video of the baby in the womb at 8 weeks from conception.  click here to watch a video.

What does a human fetus look like at 10 weeks (8 weeks since conception)…click here to see images

More video you will love, 75% of fetus show right hand dominance…. Click here.

Just had to give you one more…Click Here.

How is Your Baby Developing?

All the major organs of the body are in place and will continue to form over the coming weeks. The fingers have formed as have the eyelids.

The bones are beginning to form. Your baby is beginning to kick its legs.

Your baby’s head is still very large in proportion to the rest of its body. The head makes up about half of the body length.

If you are having a prenatal visit this week, you will likely be able to hear the baby’s heartbeat for the first time.

Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

It is important to maintain good oral health during your pregnancy. Now is a great time to make a dental appointment for a cleaning and check up.

You may be feeling very tired at this point in your pregnancy. Try to make time for a short nap or take some extra time for relaxation.

This week your hCG levels are peaking. This means that if you have been having morning sickness, this could be an especially tough week. If you are having frequent vomiting, try to be sure that you are getting enough fluids to prevent dehydration. Check out the section of this website on morning sickness for some valuable tips.

In addition to the nausea, you may be noticing some changes in your hair, which could get thicker, thinner, shinier, or greasier, thinner or more limp. Pregnancy can cause many different changes in your hair texture.

You still may not look pregnant, unless this is not your first pregnancy. Your waist may be expanding a bit, and you may feel that your abdominal area below your belly button is firmer that usual.

Your blood volume has increased greatly. Your body is pumping more blood than before. By the end of your pregnancy your blood volume will increase by about 50%. While your body is building blood, your plasma levels will increase as will your red blood cells. This increases your body’s need for iron.

If your body is deficient in iron, anemia can result, with symptoms of fatigue, dizziness and general ill health.

You may continue to feel mood swings, heartburn, and bloating. These are common discomforts during this stage of pregnancy.

How Big is Your Baby?

Your baby is about 1 inch long, about the size of a grape or green olive. It has been 7 weeks since conception.

What Does a Fetus Look Like at 9 Weeks?

Here is a great video showing a fetus in the womb at 9 weeks which is 7 weeks since conception. Click here to watch this video.

Here is some awesome video for you to see what your baby may look like at this time in your pregnancy. Click here to watch.

How is Your Baby Developing?

Your baby is beginning to look much more distinctly human. The head is large in proportion to the body, making up about half its length. Hands and feet are beginning to form fingers and toes.

The eyelids and retina have formed. A tiny tongue has formed together with taste buds, and tooth buds are developing inside the jaw bone.

The external genitalia are beginning to form, but are still not distinct enough to tell if your baby is a boy or a girl. Nipples are also visible now.

There are now hundreds of different types of cells present and the embryo’s muscles and nerves are twitching. All the major organs and body systems are in place.

Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

You may be feeling very tired at this point in your pregnancy, or experiencing some discomforts or difficulty sleeping.

If heartburn is keeping you awake at night, try elevating your head slightly while you sleep, and view the section on this website about heartburn during pregnancy.

Your doctor may begin speaking with you about a variety of prenatal testing such as CVS (chorionic villus sampling), especially if you are over the age of 35.

You may have begun to gain a few pounds by now. If you have been feeling very nauseated, you may have lost a few pounds.

Your breasts may be beginning to undergo some changes, such as swelling, tenderness, and darkening of the areola.

Many women complain of heartburn during pregnancy. This is a common discomfort which arises due to the effects of pregnancy hormones on the digestive system. Hormones cause slowed digestion and softening of the muscles which generally hold the contents of the esophagus in.

You may also begin to experience constipation. As the levels of hormones increase in your body, they slow down the digestive tract, sometimes resulting in constipation. This is common during pregnancy, as are hemorrhoids.

The hormone HCG is continuing to increase in your body, making you more susceptible to nausea and fatigue. Your blood pressure generally decreases, which can result in dizziness.

Some women may experience spotting during pregnancy which can be normal. If you are having cramping or bleeding that is more than just minor spotting, this could be a sign of miscarriage. If you are experiencing these symptoms, speak with your healthcare provider.

How Big is Your Baby?

Your baby is less than ¼ inch long. Your baby is one month into its development.

How is Your Baby Developing?

Your baby has begun to develop the beginnings of the jaw, face, forehead, nose, cheeks and lips. It has also begun to develop the digestive tract.

What Does a Fetus look Like at 6 Weeks?

Many have this question and some of the best ways to see is through actual video from the womb. You can view the baby in the womb at 6 weeks by clicking here. Please note that this is 4 weeks since conception.

Here is another great video of the baby at 4 weeks 4 days after conception. This video shows the heart beating.  Click here to view. 

Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

Even though you may be feeling sluggish, be sure you are getting adequate exercise and eating a healthy diet. Be sure you are getting plenty of water. Water, exercise, and adequate fiber intake can help prevent constipation. Try eating smaller, more frequent meals. This can help keep heartburn and nausea at bay.

Your uterus is expanding, and has almost doubled in size. The mucus on your cervix is thickening, forming a mucus plug that will help seal your uterus until your baby is ready to be born.

Depending on whether or not you have morning sickness, you may have gained or lost a few pounds. This weight gain is not enough that people will be able to tell you are pregnant.

You may be feeling more urgency to urinate. This is normal and is due to the increased blood flow that occurs during pregnancy.

You may be feeling tired, achy, nauseated and moody. (If you are feeling fine, don’t worry–you’re one of the lucky ones!) If you are feeling nauseated, your nausea may diminish after the first trimester (around 14 weeks).

How Big is Your Baby?

Your baby is about 1/3 of an inch long. The embryo is at 5 weeks of development.

How is Your Baby Developing?

Your baby’s brain is continuing to develop. The digestive tract is forming. The lenses of the eyes are now forming and the middle ears are developing. Arms, legs, hands and feet are starting to take shape.

What Does a Fetus Look Like at 7 Weeks?

The best way to answer that is with this great video of what a fetus looks like at 7 weeks. Click Here. This is week 5 for your fetus.

There are several videos here that you can click on and enjoy. Here is another grate video..click here. Again this is week 5 for your fetus.

Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

Be cautious when taking any over the counter medications. Be sure to check with your doctor before consuming any medication. It is generally recommended that you avoid all pain relievers other than acetaminophen.

Be sure you are continuing to eat a healthy diet rich in fruits and vegetables and exercise regularly. If you are experiencing nausea, check out the page on this website about morning sickness during pregnancy.

If you have not chosen a doctor or midwife yet, you will want to do that right away. You may find some helpful information on choosing a doctor or midwife and what to expect on your first prenatal visit in other sections of this website.

If your test is negative but your period has not begun, wait another week and then test again. It can sometimes take 2 to 3 weeks after a missed period for some women to have a detectable level of pregnancy hormone.

Pregnancy lasts approximately 40 weeks. You are now 4 weeks pregnant and your embryo is approximately 2 weeks old.

If you have a positive pregnancy test and have not already done so, call your doctor to schedule your first prenatal visit. Don’t be surprised if your first checkup isn’t for another month or more. It is common for your first doctor’s visit to be at around 8 weeks.

What is Happening Inside Your Body?

You may begin to experience some early pregnancy symptoms at this point. Many of these symptoms feel the same as those you experience before your period. They can include headaches, backache, breast tenderness, fatigue and nausea.

You won’t have gained any weight at this point and your pregnancy won’t show yet.

How Big is Your Baby?

Your baby measures between .004 and .014 inches long.

How is Your Baby Developing?

The embryo is beginning to develop into three distinct layers. These layers are called the ectoderm, mesoderm, and endoderm.

The ectoderm is the top. It will become the outer layers of the skin, hair, nails, nipples, tooth enamel, the lenses of the eyes, and most of the nervous system.

The middle is the mesoderm. It will form into muscle, bone, connective tissue, heart, blood vessels, and reproductive organs.

The bottom is the endoderm. This layer will form the lungs, digestive organs, liver, pancreas, stomach, spleen, bowl, urinary tract and bladder.

An amniotic sac has now developed, surrounding and cushioning your baby, as has a yolk sac, which will help nourish your baby.

The placenta is beginning to form and produce hCG and other hormones.

What Does a Fetus Look Like at 4 weeks?

The best way to see what is going on at 4 weeks. This is actually 14 days after after conception. Click here to watch video.

Tips for a Healthy Pregnancy

Be sure that you are taking a prenatal vitamin. Eat lots of healthy food, drink plenty of water, exercise and get adequate rest.

Be careful about what you put into your body. Avoid alcohol, recreational drugs, smoking, second hand smoke, and check with your doctor before taking any over the counter or prescription medications or herbal medicines. Remember that your baby will be taking into its body whatever your put into yours.