What to expect when you're expecting (67 page)

If you find that your weight gain has strayed significantly from what you and your practitioner planned (for instance, you gained 14 pounds in the first trimester instead of 3 or 4, or you packed on 20 pounds in the second instead of 12), take action to see that the gain gets back on a sensible track, but don’t try to stop it in its tracks. Dieting to lose weight is never appropriate when you’re pregnant, and neither is using appetite-suppressing drinks or pills (these can actually be very dangerous). Instead, with your practitioner’s help, readjust your goal to include the excess you’ve already gained and to accommodate the weight you still have to gain.

A
S YOU ENTER THE LAST MONTH
of your first trimester (great!), many of those early pregnancy symptoms are probably still going strong (not so great!). Which means it’s probably hard to tell whether you’re exhausted because of first-trimester fatigue—or because you woke up three times last night to go the bathroom (it’s likely a little of both). But chin up, if you have the strength to lift it. There are better days ahead. If morning sickness has had you—and your appetite—down, there’s a less queasy day soon to dawn. As energy levels pick up, you’ll soon have more get-up-and-go—and as urinary urges ease, you may have to get up and go less often. Even better, you may hear the amazing sound of your baby’s heartbeat at this month’s checkup, which might make all those uncomfortable symptoms seem much more worthwhile.

Week 9
Your baby (who has officially graduated now from embryo to fetus) has grown to approximately 1 inch in length, about the size of a medium green olive. His or her head is continuing to develop and take on more baby-like proportions. This week, tiny muscles are starting to form. This will allow your fetus to move his or her arms and legs, though it’ll be at least another month before you’ll be able to feel those little punches and kicks.
While it’s way too early to feel anything, it’s not too early to hear something (possibly). The glorious sound of your baby’s heartbeat might be audible via a Doppler device at your practitioner’s office. Take a listen—it’s sure to make your heart beat a little faster.

Your Baby, Month 3

Week 10
At nearly 1½ inches long (about the size of a prune), your baby is growing by leaps and bounds. And in gearing up for those first leaps and bounds (and baby steps), bones and cartilage are forming—and small indentations on the legs are developing into knees and ankles. Even more unbelievably for someone the size of a prune, the elbows on baby’s arms are already working. Tiny buds of baby teeth are forming under the gums. Further down, the stomach is producing digestive juices, the kidneys are producing larger quantities of urine, and, if your baby’s a boy, his testes are producing testosterone (boys will be boys—even this early on!).

Week 11
Your baby is just over 2 inches long now and weighs about a third of an ounce. His or her body is straightening out and the torso is lengthening. Hair follicles are forming, and fingernail and toenail beds are beginning to develop (nails will actually start to grow within the next few weeks). Those nails are forming on individual fingers and toes, having separated recently from the webbed hands and feet of just a few weeks ago. And though you can’t tell baby’s gender by looking yet (even with an ultrasound), ovaries are developing if it’s a girl. What you would be able to see, if your womb had a view, is that your fetus has distinct human characteristics by now, with hands and feet in the front of the body, ears nearly in their final shape (if not final location), open nasal passages on the tip of the nose, a tongue and palate in the mouth, and visible nipples.

Week 12
Your baby has more than doubled in size during the past three weeks, weighing in now at ½ ounce and measuring (crown to rump. about 2½ inches. About the size of a large fresh plum, your baby’s body is hard at work in the development department. Though most of his or her systems are fully formed, there’s still plenty of maturing to do. The digestive system is beginning to practice contraction movements (so your baby will be able to eat), the bone marrow is making white blood cells (so your baby will be able to fight off all those germs passed around the playgroup), and the pituitary gland at the base of the brain has started producing hormones (so your baby will one day be able to make babies of his or her own).

Week 13
As your first trimester comes to a close, your fetus (who seems to be working its way through the produce section) has reached the size of a peach, about 3 inches long. Your baby’s head is now about half the size of his or her crown to rump length, but that cute little body is picking up steam and will continue growing overtime (at birth, your baby will be one-quarter head, three-quarters body). Meanwhile, your baby’s intestines, which have been growing inside the umbilical cord, are now starting their trek to their permanent position in your baby’s abdomen. Also developing this week: your baby’s vocal cords (the better to cry with … soon!).

As always, remember that every pregnancy and every woman is different. You may experience all of these symptoms at one time or another, or only a few of them. Some may have continued from last month; others may be new. Still others may be hardly noticed because you’ve become so used to them. You may also have other, less common, symptoms. Here’s what you might experience this month:

A Look Inside

This month, your uterus is a little bigger than a grapefruit and your waist may start to thicken. By the end of the month, your uterus can be felt right above your pubic bone in the lower abdomen.

Physically

Fatigue, lack of energy, sleepiness

Frequent urination

Nausea, with or without vomiting

Excess saliva

Constipation

Heartburn, indigestion, flatulence, bloating

Food aversions and cravings