Congratulations! I take it this is your first baby.
I love talking pregnancies and thoroughly enjoyed both of mine. Firstly let me say this - no matter how many children you go on to have, you will never experience the wonder and excitement of the first time in the same way!!
I think until week 15 or so the baby is referred to as a fetus, but personally I think that's a bit clinical so I will refer to it as baby instead ok?
You would probably already know that at two months the arm and leg buds are forming.
By the third month - maybe a bit of morning sickness if you are going to get it and haven't already!
At week 9
The baby will be about 2.2 - 2.5cm long, and will grow by about 1 - 1.2cm per week, and by the end of the first trimester (week 13) it will have grown to about 7.5cm long and will be fully formed. It will begin swallowing and kicking, and all its' organs and muscles will have formed and begun to function. It's truly amazing that so much happens in such a short time!!
By week 10
You may feel moody or emotional and this is normal - but for your own sanity, and that of your partner, try not to let it run away with you too much! Some women are genuinely hormonal but not all, and there are some who just use this as justification for morphing into total bitches.
The babys' wrists are more developed, its' ankles have formed, its' fingers and toes will be clearly visible, the arms are growing longer and now bend at the elbows. By the end of week 10 the inner workings of the ears are complete and the genitals have begun to form (but you can't see this with ultrasound until 4-5 months).
Week 11
The baby is now about 4cm from crown of the head to its' tiny bottom, and all the crucial parts have formed - right down to tooth buds, and finger and toenails, and fingers and toes have fully separated. He or she will be busy stretching and kicking - trying out those new muscles and letting you know how busy things are inside you!
A dark vertical line of pigmentation, called the "linea nigra" might show from your pubic area to your navel. Don't fret if this upsets you - it usually disappears in most cases, shortly after the birth.
Week 12
Your baby's face is beginning to look more human now, rather tha a bit "alienish", because the eyes have moved closer together (they actually started out on the sides of the head!) and the ears are almost in their normal position on each side of the head. The liver is making bile and the kidneys are secreting urine in the bladder. All this and your baby is still only about 5.5cm long and weighs slightly less than 14 grams!
If you push your tummy gently, the baby will move around and squirm a bit.and even tough you won't feel kicking as such, you might start to feel butterfly like flutters. Anyone even susepecting they are pregnant should take great care now because the nerve cells have been multiplying rapidly and synapses (the neurological connections in your brain) are forming.
Feelings and reflexes are setting in and for example, if the baby touches its' palms this will make the fingers close, or touching the soles of the feet will make its' toes curl down. If it touches its' own eyelid, it will scruch its' eyes shut!
That's about all I remember for the first few months - and my youngest is ten so double check what I have told you here as time might make the memory a bit fuzzy!
A baby health care nurse once told me that in the first month to six weeks babies can be "overhandled" and get upset for seemingly no reason. She said think about it - all their nerves are new and almost raw, and until birth they have been coccooned in fluid. All of a sudden they enter the world and all the doting friends and family want to fuss over them, touch them, cuddle them... so overstimulation can really get them going!!
Here's a tip too - I got no morning sicknes with bub #1 but felt off 24/7 with #2 - green aples, grapes, pasta with a little garlic sauteed in butter, chocolate milk and ginger tea seemed to help quite a bit! But it varies from woman to woman.
Also my 2 best parenting tips -
1. you will get information from all directions. Nod, smile and thank them for their input, but trust your judgement and instincts because only you (and your partner) should choose what is best for you and your baby. You will find even people who shouldn't be allowed to choose their own breakfast will suddenly be a "pregnancy" or "parenting" expert!!
2. Don't be afraid to ask for help - be it with domestics, taking a crying baby off your hands (so you can have a break or a nap) or having a meal cooked AND don't be afraid to ask everyone to go away and leave you and your new family to have private time together.
Good luck to you - I hope you are enjoying the changes you are going through and you have a happy pregnancy and healthy bub!
Regards, Sharon
