In the earliest weeks of pregnancy, you may not feel different yet—you may not even notice you’re pregnant. In your uterus, the amniotic cavity and placenta are forming. Your baby is still very small, about 0.04 inches. Right now, it is a collection of multiplying cells and does not yet resemble a human, but the development process is already underway.
In the second month of pregnancy, you may be experiencing common symptoms such as morning sickness, cramping in your abdomen and tingling or tenderness in your breasts. During this time, your baby will grow to about the size of a grape. The heart and lungs are becoming more developed and fingers, toes and eyes are forming.
By the end of the third month, you may have gained 3–5 pounds. The fatigue, moodiness and nausea you felt at first may be fading. You may notice changes to your hair, skin or nails. By the end of week 12, your baby is fully formed and will now continue getting bigger and stronger. This also marks the end of the most critical phase of its development, and chances of miscarriage drop considerably.
As your body changes, you may experience certain symptoms, many of which are common during pregnancy. Choose your symptom below to find causes and recommended treatments. If you don’t see your symptom here, or have additional questions, please email us.
In your first trimester, a nuchal translucency screening, or nuchal fold screening, checks for genetic problems. This test combines the results of an ultrasound to measure the neck (nuchal) thickening on your growing baby, a blood test and your age. It can detect Down’s Syndrome or other genetic abnormalities about 82–87% of the time. You can couple the results with your 20-week ultrasound for added reassurance
Blood tests performed during your first trimester will screen for certain genetic disorders or conditions, such as cystic fibrosis, sickle cell disease, Tay-Sachs and Canavan’s, spinal defects or hemolytic disease caused by the Rh factor. Results can also be combined with those of your nuchal translucency screening to assess risks to the fetus.