Pregnancy By Week

We've had an overview of what's involved in the first trimester and how it relates to the full 40 weeks of pregnancy. But what's really happening within your body and for your baby in these first few months? What can you do to support it through the earliest weeks and provide the best possible environment for your baby to thrive?

It is still not time to get too excited about your pregnancy just yet. Although being 2 weeks pregnant may sound like you are on your way, there is still a little time to go before it is possible for your baby to be conceived. But, with a couple of well timed interventions and a little luck, you and your partner will be able to make the most of your chances of successful conception.

Congratulations, you are now officially pregnant. Being 3 weeks pregnant means that one of your partner's sperm and one of your eggs have combined and you are in the earliest of stages of pregnancy. If, by chance, you have released two eggs and they have both been fertilised, you will be pregnant with non-identical twins. You won't know it though; all of this activity is going on deep within one of your fallopian tubes at a tiny, microscopic level.

It's implantation time! This week the embryo, which is now called a blastocyst, has found its way to the uterus and is looking for a suitable place to nestle in for the next 36 weeks or so. Implantation usually happens at around the time you would be expecting your period so many women aren't surprised when they have a slight bleed in the 4th week.

By the time you are 5 weeks pregnant, you may be getting very suspicious that there is something going on. Your period hasn't come when you expected it to and you are at least a week overdue. You may even be starting to feel distinctly different to how you usually do but could be passing this off as your imagination. If you haven't already confirmed you are pregnant with a urine test, this is the week to do it.

If you haven't already done a pregnancy test, do one now. You can buy pregnancy urine tests from the supermarket or chemist  which are just as accurate as the ones used in doctor's surgeries. Some couples take a DVD or record the moment when they do the test.

You are now officially just over half way through your first trimester. Even though you may be feeling less than fabulous and don't look as if you are pregnant, be reassured that on the inside there is a lot going on.

What a big week this is. Only 4 more weeks to go before the end of your first trimester which somehow, may not seem all that far away. It's still really important to be careful about limiting your exposure to any toxins, viruses or chemicals which could potentially harm the baby as it's forming.

You are now officially in the last month of your first trimester. You've probably got your head around being pregnant by now and it doesn't all seem such a foreign concept.

From the time you are 10 weeks pregnant until term, most of your baby's changes will be targeted towards their growth and maturity.

The end of your 1st trimester is well and truly in sight. There's no going back now and at 11 weeks pregnant, you are almost a third of your way through your entire pregnancy.

You've almost made it. You are now close to the end of your 1st trimester, the one many women find the hardest of the three.

By the time you are 13 weeks pregnant, you are rapidly closing in on the end of your first trimester. Hopefully, you are feeling a little better than you have been and are starting to think that somehow, pregnancy isn't so bad after all.

This is the first week in your second trimester, the one a lot of women find the most comfortable of the three. Your nausea and exhaustion are likely to have lifted, or are starting to and you won't be so big that you feel awkward and cumbersome.

This week your baby weighs a little less than 100 grams. It's still very small, but is moving around a lot when it's not snoozing.

By the time you are 16 weeks pregnant you have probably had a couple of ante-natal appointments already. As part of a standard series of medical checks conducted in early pregnancy, specialised blood tests are included.

At 17 weeks pregnant your centre of gravity is changing. Trying to maintain a good posture will help you avoid backache and unnecessary muscular strain.

This should be an exciting week for you. You've probably already found that every new twinge and symptom brings with it a reminder you are really going to have a baby.

Hooray! You're almost half way through your pregnancy. Enormous changes have occurred both in your own body and your developing baby in the 16 weeks since you first conceived.

Congratulations, you are now officially half way through your pregnancy. Although the average length of gestation is 40 weeks, it is still considered within a normal range to deliver 2 weeks either side of this.

Finding it hard to sleep on your tummy? This is because you can't ignore the rather big lump which is forming in your middle.

If you're passing a toy store this week, then call in and check out the sizes of the dolls. Your baby is around the same size as a small dolly and not so different in appearance too.

Having any weird and wonderful dreams yet? It is common in the 2nd trimester of pregnancy to have some pretty amazing and vivid dreams which tend to hang around the next day.

If you catch sight of yourself in the mirror this week, you might be seeing a more rounded version of usual self. Familiar of course, but still different.

You are almost six months into your pregnancy. Your belly is rounded and you are looking more pregnant with every week which passes.

At 26 weeks of pregnancy, you are entering into your sixth calendar month of pregnancy. You've probably been having monthly ante-natal checks throughout your second trimester and are getting used to what's involved each time.

Baby baby, it's getting a little cramped in there. Your baby is really pushing the boundaries of its accommodation and your uterus needs to expand a little more everyday just to fit it all in.

Welcome to the first week of your third and final trimester. Although you're definitely looking pregnant by now, you're not quite at that stage of feeling so big you're getting clumsy.

Your belly is leading the way from now on and it has probably become difficult for you to ignore it. Even if you aren't particularly big, you'll certainly be feeling the effects of your pregnancy on your legs, your bladder, your belly and even your brain.

The countdown has almost begun. You are now ? of the way through your pregnancy and you'll be amazed at how quickly the remaining 10 weeks will go by. What once seemed so far away is really getting closer with every day which passes.

This can be a special time in your pregnancy. You won't be so big that moving around has become too challenging just yet, but it's obvious to everyone that you are pregnant. This comes with some special privileges, especially if you are around other parents.

At 32 weeks pregnant, you are now entering the 8th month of your pregnancy, with just 2 more months to go. If this is your first baby you'll probably be feeling a real mix of excitement and a little healthy apprehension thrown in as well.

It's getting harder to forget you are pregnant now. Frequent niggles and pains, kicks and prods mean you are constantly being reminded that there is a baby in there.

It's getting harder to get around and maintain your usual activities at 34 weeks of pregnancy. Your lungs can't inflate as much as they'd like to and there's a general sense of everything being squeezed and squashed into your mid-section.

You are getting close to the last month of your pregnancy now. The countdown to having your baby has almost begun and somehow getting to 40 weeks doesn't seem too far away.

You're getting close now. Only 4 more weeks to go before your due date as your baby continues to prepare every day for extra-uterine life.

You are getting oh so close now to having your baby. Next week you will officially be classed as "term" so if your baby were to be born when you are 37 weeks pregnant, it is unlikely to have any issues because of prematurity.

You feel and look like a ripe peach this week. All rounded corners and full of promise. Even if you've loved every minute of pregnancy until now, some creeping, nagging doubts may start to surface when you are 38 weeks pregnant.

Still pregnant? If this is your first baby the chances are high you will not deliver right on your due date and in fact, are more likely to go a little overdue. Even if you are 100% sure of your dates, this is no guarantee that you will deliver when you've been advised.

You are there, you've made it. Congratulations on reaching the 40th week of your pregnancy. Although you have probably thought many times you would never get to this milestone, take it as a personal accomplishment if you have.

You're probably short tempered even with your own shadow this week, waiting in anticipation for "D" day. Even though your due date has come and gone, don't feel as if you're experiencing humanity's longest gestation. Less than 5 percent of pregnant women actually have their baby on their due date and deliver either before it or later.

Being overdue to have a baby means different things to people. Some pregnant women will be quite relaxed about it, confident that the baby will come in its own sweet time.