Continuous Research and Development into DNA Molecular Diagnostic Methods
First Month of Pregnancy
During your first month of pregnancy (4 weeks)
1 2 3 4 5
1) Ovulation Occurs
The time is right; now you just need this egg to be fertilized! Did you know that during your
pregnancy that your uterus will increase its capacity by 1000 times?
2) Gender Determined
Immediately upon fertilization your little one is set as a boy or a girl. Ladies, this is one that you can’t
take credit for since it is up to the sperm to determine the sex of your baby. Sperm carries
either a “X” (girl) chromosome or a “Y” (boy) chromosome.
3) Implantation
Implantation bleeding (spotting) may occur about 10 - 14 days after conception. You may believe you are starting
your period but generally this bleeding is extremely light and lasts only day or so.
4) Neutral tube forms
It will develop into the nervous system (Brain, spinal cord, hair and skin). Already your baby has the foundation for
though, sense, feeling and more!
5) Heart and primitive circulatory system form
While still in its beginning stages, this is the very life support system that will carry your child throughout his or her
life.
Fourth Month of Pregnancy (16 weeks)
During this period of time, the baby’s face is starting to look more human. His/Her eye moving closer together, toes and finger clearly seperated, eyelids, eyebrows, eyelashes, nails and hair are formed. Teeth and bones become denser. The intestine will also shifting into their proper place. Ear shifting from the neck to the side of the head. Your baby can even suck his or her thumb, yawn, stretch and make faces.
The nervous and muscle system is starting to function. He/She beginning to respond to outside stimuli. If mommy’s abdomen is poked, the fetus will try to wriggle away. The reproductive organs and genitalia are now fully developed and you may know your baby’s sex; boy or a girl by using ultrasound. The baby’s heartbeat may now be audible through an instrument called a Doppler.
From http://www.webmd.com/solutions/sc/pregnancy-week-by-week/weeks13-16
Second Month of Pregnancy (8 weeks)
Changes in baby:
Baby’s head will be quite big, due to the rapid growth of the brain. The upper limbs resemble paddles. Baby’s heart begins to separate into four chambers, and blood is circulating throughout the body. Intestines form within the umbilical cord, but will later migrate back into the abdominal cavity. In the next few days, foot plates, with the beginnings of toe rays, will appear. The external ears are now present. The baby is now 10 to 13 millimeters long — about the size of a cherry. The cells that will become either testes or ovaries arrive, but there is no obvious sign of gender yet. Muscle contractions are beginning, but these early “movements” are not yet perceptible.
Based on http://www.babycenter.com
Third Month of Pregnancy (12 weeks)
On the third month of pregnancy (12 weeks) the baby’s bones begin to harden. The baby is already moving spontaneously, but the mother usually can’t feel these movements for awhile yet. The baby’s eyes are large and open. Eyelids will form later. External ears have formed. Besides that, a chin, bits of teeth, a nose, and a forehead and the fingers and toes are almost fully formed. His/ her head is the biggest part of their body. It is about 1/2 the size of the rest of the body. While the head is large, the brain’s structure is similar to what it will be at birth. S/he weighs about 14 grams and is approximately 3.54 inches in total length. By the end of this month mother should be able to hear the baby’s heart beat.
External genitalia begin to differentiate, though it’s still very difficult to tell whether the baby is a girl or a boy without genetic screening. The baby moves from being an embryo to the fetal period, now called a fetus. S/he also loses their tail!
Refered from :http://pregnancy.about.com