Week-by-week

6 February 2009 No Comment

Our brief guide lets you know whats happening…..

Week
4	Your partner may experience light bleeding (implantation spotting) as the fertilised egg implants into the uterus. Once implanted the egg will split into layers of cells and become an embryo. As week 5 approaches the embryo will grow to around the size of a poppy seed!
5	A few uncoordinated heart beats will occur in week 5 and will become more consistent as time goes by. The placenta and the umbilical cord are carrying oxygen, amino acids, fats and sugars from your partners body to the embryo.
6	This week sees the ‘zipping up’ of the neural tube, closing over what will become the spinal cord.
7	The light of you life is now about the size of a fingernail. The three basic sections of the brain are already being developed. The ‘forebrain’ is responsible for things like reasoning, problem solving and memories; the ‘midbrain’ relays signals, while the ‘hindbrain’ takes care of breathing, heart rate and muscle movement. Physically, arms and legs have sprouted too, though at the moment they look more like paddles.
8	Your little one’s hands and feet are forming tiny webbed fingers and toes.
9	This week sees the embryo officially become a foetus. The body shape starts to emerge albeit on 2.5cm long.
10	Ears will be developed by the end of this week. They will be positioned quite low on the head but will re-align automatically as the head grows.
11	Fantastic times this week…the heart is beating loud enough for your doctor or midwife to hear it through a Doppler. At a rate of between 120 and 140 beats per minute it beats at twice the speed of your own.
12	The task of growing new body structures will be complete at the conclusion of this week. The sex organs have developed now but it’s too early for an ultrasound to determine gender.
13	The second trimester begins. .
14	The facial muscles are working hard. A gullet, windpipe, larynx and vocal cords can all be found as the rapid development of your baby continues.
15	This is the week when your little one’s scalp hair pattern will be established for the rest of its life, some hair might even sprout. Soft, fine hair called lanugo is appearing all over the foetus’s body to protect the skin from amniotic fluid
16	Your partner could feel your little one’s movements for the first time this week.
17	The foetus is weighing in at nearly 140 grams (about 5 ounces).
18	Growth continues at a rapid rate
19	If you’re carrying a girl the vagina, uterus and fallopian tubes are in place with the ovaries containing more than 6 million primitive egg cells. Boys have now developed testicles and have been secreting testosterone since week 10.
20	The mid-pregnancy ultrasound should take place between weeks 18 and 22. This is your opportunity to find out the gender of your little one whilst it gives the medical team a chance to screen for certain birth defects and check that the placenta is in the right place.
21	Your baby’s heartbeat gets stronger every day and it can now be picked up using a stethescope instead of a Doppler device.
22	Baby’s now kicking, flexing and clasping hands.
23	The bones in your little one’s ears have hardened which means he/she can hear you. Now is time for dad to kick into action, talking, reading aloud or singing verses from your favourite songs.
24	Babies tend to be at their most boisterous between weeks 24 and 28. Dads-to-be often develop a new look. This can take shape in the form of a new hairstyle or growing a moustache or beard. Now is a good time to sit down and talk about these life changes and your new roles as parents.
25	Tiny blood vessels called capillaries are starting to develop below your little one’s skin. These give it a pink hue.
26	Ultrasounds often show babies in utero sucking their thumbs.
27	Your baby, now about 33cm (13 inches) and 900 grams (32 ounces), is lulled to sleep cushioned by the amniotic fluid.
28	Your baby is now beginning to open his eyes. If you shine a bright light against your partners abdomen, your little one may shy away.
29	The brain has now matured to the point where it can help regulate body temperature.
30	Your baby takes nutrients directly from your partner to build up internal stores and to gain weight. The calcium from the milk she drinks goes directly into building bones while the iron boosts the babies iron supply.
31	The third trimester. The little one is very busy exploring his face, his other hand, and his umbilical cord.
32	Antenatal classes are the best place to learn about the latter parts of the pregnancy and now is the time to attend them.
33	Your baby’s brain is still developing to ensure all 5 senses are in full working order.
34	Baby boys’ testicles are now descending from the abdomen into the scrotum. Occasionally, one or both testicles fail to move into position before birth but they will probably drop before his first birthday. This baby’s unique footprint has already developed.
35	Should your baby appear head up or head down? The head-down, or vertex, position is the ideal for birth. If something other than the head appears first, the delivery is called a breech birth.
36	Your baby now weighs between 5.5 and 6 pounds this week and measures 19 inches. However, what is most amazing is the shapable skull. The bones in your baby’s skull aren’t fused together yet. This loose construction makes the head very malleable so that it can squeeze through the birth canal without harming the mother or itself. These bones will gradually fuse over the first year of life.
37	Not long to go now ….the baby will start to move down ready for delivery.
38	Any day now and you’re going to be a dad! Your baby is now considered to be full-term even though the official due date is still two weeks off.
39	Hold on to your hats……..here it comes!!!!!
40	Whilst you may be expecting a new family member this week, your little one may have other ideas! Enjoy the week as it’s about to get busy, busy, busy.

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Author: SuperDads

We’re here to make a difference. Superdads not only offers advice but we are her e to promote the importance of fatherhood. Many people are oblivious to the fact that Dads really do matter and this is something we’d like to put right.

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