Developmental Changes Trimester by Trimester

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Changes in you:

• a slight weight gain or weight loss


• no monthly period(s)


• breasts enlarge and may become tender


• nipples may enlarge and protrude


• constipation


• frequent urination


• indigestion and heartburn


• nausea and maybe vomiting (morning sickness)


• food cravings


• general fatigue

Changes in baby:

• placenta develops


• heart starts to beat


• all major organs form


• the nervous system develops


• bones start to form


• head, face, eyes, ears, legs, toes, arms and fingers develop


• genitals develop


• hair appears


• buds for future teeth develop

Developmental Changes: Second Trimester (weeks 14 - 28)

Changes in you:

• increased appetite


• swollen feet and ankles


• the abdomen expands (you begin to 'show')


• skin around abdomen and breasts stretches, stretch marks may appear


• between month 4 and month 5 you start to feel the fetus move


• nipples may darken


• brown patches may appear on the face (chloasma)


• a dark line may appear from mid-abdomen to pubic hair (linea negra)


• stomach region may ache as ligaments stretch

Changes in baby:

• moves and kicks


• sleeps and wakes


• eyebrows, eyelashes and fingernails appear


• skin is covered in a wax-like coating (vernix) and fine hair (lanugo)


• organs grow quickly and begin to function

Developmental Changes: Third Trimester (weeks 29 - 40)

Changes in you:

• feel the baby's movements - a lot


• shortness of breath


• more frequent urination


• a thin, yellow liquid (colostrum) may leak from nipples


• an innie may become an outie (belly button)


• abdominal contractions (false or actual labor)


• cervix dilates

Changes in baby:

• baby kicks and stretches


• lanugo disappears


• bones harden except for the skull


• significant fetal weight gain


• usually turns to head-down position for birth

One very important word of comfort, here. These development schedules vary from mom to mom and from pregnancy to pregnancy. You may not experience what your sister experienced. You may not experience what you experienced the last time you were pregnant.

So, relax. See your obstetrician for all of your routine visits and discuss any concerns you have regarding your development or the development of that little person growing inside you. As long as you stay current on doctor's visits, you'll be less concerned about variations in pregnancies.