First trimester

Month 1: the first signs of pregnancy

You: You might find it difficult to think about, but pregnancy is usually dated by doctors from the first day of your last period – often before your baby has been conceived! Most women conceive around two weeks after this, but you may know the exact date of conception. You will be asked for this date if you know it, or for the first day of your last period at your first midwife’s appointment, so they can calculate your baby’s due date.

At this early stage, there’s the possibility you will feel no different at all, and until a missed period you could remain completely unaware of your pregnancy. However, even before that missed period, many women start to “feel” pregnant. You might notice that your boobs feel heavy and your nipples are a bit sore, you could be experiencing extreme tiredness and find yourself nipping to the toilet every 2o minutes!

Some women also feel quite emotional at this stage; so if you find yourself welling up at television adverts, don’t panic! It’s simply hormones buzzing around your body.

Your baby: Inside your tummy all sorts of changes are taking place: your new baby is the size of a grain of rice. However, although it’s tiny, your embryo has multiplied to more than 150 cells, and over the coming weeks, layers of cells will form various components. For example, the outer layer will become your baby’s nervous system, skin and hair, while the inner layer will become breathing and digestive organs. The middle layer will become the skeleton, cartilage, muscles, circulatory system, kidneys and sex organs.
This period of rapid change is when the baby is most susceptible to damage from alcohol, drugs or illness so reducing your intake of alcohol and caffeine is recommended.

Month 2: managing morning sickness

You: By now a missed period will have probably let you know for sure that you’re pregnant and you may have started to get morning sickness, which, by the way, doesn’t necessarily happen in the morning! Try eating small, regular snacks as an empty tummy usually triggers that queasy feeling. Ginger is also said to help, so try nibbling on a ginger biscuit or having a cup of ginger tea. You should also avoid eating spicy foods, as strong smells and flavours can often trigger feelings of nausea. Tiredness plays a big part in triggering morning sickness so again, rest well, take naps and ensure you get at least 8 hours sleep at night.
Don’t skip meals! Extra nutrients are vital for both you and your baby.

Some women are fortunate enough to avoid morning sickness completely, but if you’re not one of the lucky ones, don’t worry – it will pass. By the second trimester of your pregnancy, if not before, it should have got significantly better or stopped completely. In the meantime, if you are finding it very difficult to keep food down, talk to your GP or midwife for advice. Alternatively, ask other mothers for their personal tips, after all, they have had first hand experience and this is a perfect time to share worries and experiences.

This is a time of major development for your foetus, so a healthy diet and lifestyle become all-important. If you haven’t already been taking folic acid, you should start as soon as possible, as this can help to reduce neural deficiencies, such as spinal bifida, in your baby.
Did you know, that your body is more efficient at absorbing nutrients when you are pregnant? So a perfect excuse to top up on those you may be lacking in your diet.

Your baby: Your little one is less than one inch long. His face is forming, his arms and legs are moving and his brain is developing further. By the end of week six, your baby is about the size of a small bean, but if you could look inside at what’s happening you’d see a large head and dark spots where the eyes and nostrils are beginning to form. Other features, like ears, are also beginning to emerge.

His hands and feet are shaped like little paddles at this stage, and even tiny fingers are beginning to form. Your baby’s heart has divided into two chambers and is beating around 150 times a minute – if you had an ultrasound now, the heartbeat would show up. The neural tube (brain, spinal cord and other neural tissue of the central nervous system) is also well formed. By the end of the second month, your “little bean” will be about one inch long.

Month 3: pregnancy hormones

You: As pregnancy hormones flood your system, you may find your emotions are haywire and you could feel very tired. Go to bed early if you want to and don’t be afraid to whinge or cry.

For many women, this can be one of the hardest stages of pregnancy, no matter how overjoyed you may be at being pregnant. Tiredness can feel overwhelming, and if you have decided not to tell many people until after three months, it’s difficult to explain why you’re not quite yourself. If you usually have a few cups of coffee to perk you up at work, but you’ve limited your caffeine intake or cut it out completely, it’s that much harder to stay focused. The journey into work may feel more of a strain and you might find that you need a lot of early nights. So if you need to and you can, take time off work. If your body is telling you to take it easy, you really should listen to it. This tiredness will ease in your second trimester.

As you near the end of your first three months of pregnancy, your uterus is about the size of a grapefruit. You may have also started to develop a small but distinct bump, although for lots of women this doesn’t appear until later.

Your baby: Weighing around 28 grams (1 oz), your baby now has wiggling fingers and toes and even tiny fingerprints. From week 10, your baby will more than double in size, and he is now swallowing and kicking, too. All of his major organs are fully developed, even though by the end of week 12, although fully formed, he is still only the size of a Satsuma.

At your three-month stage, you and your baby will go for a first scan. It is here that the hospital will recommend you a midwife, if you haven’t got one already. Different hospitals offer different types of scan, but the most common is an ultrasound scan to check whether the foetus is alive and whether it is alone or one of twins, triplets or more. You may be able to opt for a nuchal scan. This measures fluid at the back of your baby’s neck to help assess the risk of Down’s Syndrome or other chromosomal conditions. It is not a diagnostic test it simply estimates likelihood. Ask your GP or midwife for more details. Your next scan, at around the 20-week stage, will be more in depth and will check that your baby is developing normally. Remember, before your three-month scan is complete, ask for a first picture of your little one!