| First Trimester Critical |
| Written by Jane Brown | |
Pregnant? Congratulations! You're about to embark on an amazing journey.Of course, you're probably curious about how the new life inside you is developing. When will its heart start beating? When will it become a boy or a girl?The first trimester of pregnancy is a time of critical development for your unborn child; the child's circulatory system forms and his or her heart starts beating, the neural tube closes, limbs and appendages form, etc. All of your baby's major organs are forming during this phase, so taking care of yourself and doing the right things is very important, as negative influences on your child's development at this stage can have lifelong consequences. Throughout the first trimester (http://www.pregnancy.org/article/first-trimester), while it's highly unlikely that you'll be visibly pregnant as of yet, and in fact, you may not even know that you're pregnant at this time, a lot of changes are going on inside you as well. As your body adjusts to your new pregnancy, you'll probably feel tired quite a bit and may also begin feeling other early symptoms of pregnancy, such as morning sickness or headaches. During the first few weeks of pregnancy, an egg is fertilized and burrows into your uterus. Also during this time the placenta, which helps provide nutrients to your unborn child, develops. The umbilical cord, which provides a link from the fetus to the placenta, is developing too. The umbilical cord consists of two arteries and a vein, which carry nutrients to and waste products away from the growing fetus. At about the fourth week of pregnancy, a period of intense growth and development will begin. This is called the embryonic stage, when your baby goes from being a zygote to an embryo. The baby is still very tiny, just 1/25 of an inch long, but already his or her heart, brain and other major organs are beginning to form. At this point, the embryo consists of three layers. The topmost layer, known as the ectoderm, will develop a groove among the midsection of your unborn child's body. This will eventually develop into the neural tube, which is where the child's brain, backbone, spinal cord and spinal nerves will form. The middle level of cells is known as the mesoderm. This is where your baby's bones, muscles, kidneys and reproductive organs will form. The innermost layer is known as the endoderm, and will eventually develop into your child's lungs, bladder and intestines. The fifth and sixth week of your first trimester are equally as eventful. Your baby's heart and circulatory system are forming, and by the end of the fifth week the circulatory system will be complete and the heart will begin to beat. The sixth week consists of a lot of neural development, as the neural tube closes. Also at this time, your child will begin to develop facial features and development of the intestines, ribs, lungs and skeletal system begins. Your baby is still very small at this point. At the end of the sixth week of pregnancy, your baby is about 1/8 of an inch long. However, by this time you should be able to hear your baby's heartbeat via ultrasound. In the seventh week of the first trimester, your baby continues to grow larger. The umbilical cord becomes detectable by ultrasound imaging, and the beginnings of your baby's arms starts to take a more defined shape. By the eighth week, fingers and toes have begun to develop, and facial features become more apparent. Your baby's heart becomes more fully formed, and beats at about twice the rate of an adult heart. While your child has been growing, he or she remains very small. The average size of a baby at this point in development is about half an inch long. In the final weeks of your first trimester, growth accelerates. Most of the vital organ systems of your baby's body have formed and are functioning. Bones begin to form. The brain begins a period of massive development, as neurons begin to multiply at an exponential rate. Your child's sexual organs develop and the sex of your baby becomes apparent in ultrasound imagings. By the end of the first trimester, your baby is about three inches long and weights about four-fifths of an ounce. As you can see, a lot is going on during the first trimester of pregnancy. Because so many vital systems are forming during this time, it's very important that you do nothing that can jeopardize your baby's growth, and everything that can foster it. Start eating healthier, adopt a mild exercise regimen and follow your doctor's instructions precisely. Also, if you have any bad habits such as smoking, drinking or illegal drug use, stop them immediately. There's simply too much at stake at this point of your child's development to put at risk unnecessarily. |
| < Prev | Next > |
|---|
