Imagine your pregnancy journey as the setting up of a magical garden. First, you plant a tiny seed with vast potential. As the weeks pass, you eagerly expect the first show. And after the tiny sprout emerges from the soil, you continue to nurture it as it grows bigger, just like your pregnant belly week by week.
While each week might seem a little different for different moms-to-be, the basic milestones of pregnancy remain the same. But the pregnant belly is what draws most of the attention.
In this blog, we’ll take you on a virtual tour as we navigate through different stages of pregnancy. And you’ll also discover how and when a pregnant woman’s belly changes as weeks pass.
Let’s get started.
When Will Your Pregnant Belly Start To Show
Each woman’s pregnant belly is unique and may start to show at different stages. However, week 12 is when it is probably evident enough for others to notice. Your baby at this stage, is about a plum’s size & fully formed.
The First Trimester (Weeks 1-13): Baby In The Making!
Even though pregnancy is calculated from the first day of your last period, there’s no baby in the ‘baby town’ until week 3. That’s when implantation takes place and you become officially pregnant!
Quite rightly portrayed by our Indian TV soaps, nausea & vomiting are usually the earliest pregnancy signs. The first trimester is also when the dramatic mood swings make their grand entry.
On the physical front, you gain around a couple of kilograms & your breasts become tender, larger & heavier. The rest of your weight gain is attributed to the placenta, the extra blood you’re making & your uterus. The latter also presses on your urinary bladder making you wanna pee more often.
As we mentioned earlier, around the 12th-week mark, a pregnant woman may start to notice her belly change.
The Second Trimester (Weeks 14 – 27): Hang In There Baby!
Feeling less tired & less moody? Congratulations, you’ve hit the 2nd trimester mark, a period when you physically enjoy your pregnancy the most. You might even start flaunting your pregnancy bump.
Now the baby, with all its organs fully developed, starts growing in size & weight – which means even your body starts to stretch. Your uterus at around 20 weeks reaches your belly button height. And the pregnancy becomes more noticeable. On the flip side, this leads to some itching & pain.
The 20th week will signify the midpoint of your pregnancy.
Over the next few months, your baby’s weight will increase more than seven times & it will become capable of surviving in the outside world.
The Third Trimester (Weeks 28 – 40): Show Time…Almost!
The third trimester marks your gun lap before giving birth. This is the time when your non-stop growing baby reaches maturation. They now overcrowd your bump region likely causing some breathing difficulties.
You might feel hotter, more bloated & pee a lot. Stretch marks will usually develop on your bump, breast, thighs & butts. The backaches tend to get worse & false labour kicks in.
By the 36th week of pregnancy, your foetus’s head descends to the pelvic region. It can now see, hear, suck its thumb & even cry. So be watchful of what you do and say ‘cuz your little one is eavesdropping.
Most women give birth between 38-41 weeks of pregnancy. As the contractions get closer & the water breaks, that might be it. Contact your doctor right away!
Ending Note
Tracking your pregnant belly week by week can be an exciting part of your pregnancy journey. Also, knowing what to expect during each trimester can help you stay mentally strong. But always remember that each pregnancy is unique and there might be variations in what you and others might go through. Try not to obsess over any particular milestone. Rather focus on holistic development & getting the right nutrition to support a healthy pregnancy.
Talking about a baby’s healthy growth and development, did you know you can now secure your baby’s future health? How, you ask? We’ll tell you. The umbilical cord which was once discarded as waste is actually filled with stem cells that can protect your baby and family from the impact of many medical conditions. All you have to do is preserve them at the time of your baby’s birth.
Want to learn more about stem cell preservation and how it can benefit you and your family? Visit www.lifecell.in or call 18002665533.
