Baby's Time To Grow!

The first trimester was a time of incredible growth and development of your unborn baby's new organs and systems. By the end of this stage all the body structures and organs are completely formed and continue to grow and mature throughout the rest of your pregnancy.

At the beginning of this stage, your tiny, unborn baby has the following characteristics:

• the length is about 6 centimeters
• the head is large in proportion to the body
• the muscles and bones strengthen
• the limbs move more freely
• the hands and feet are distinct, and have fingernails and toenails

By the end of this stage, your unborn baby will have developed his/her own distinctive fingerprints, and the genitals are developed enough to clearly tell whether you are having a boy or girl!

Although you may not feel movement yet, your little one can move freely around in the amniotic fluid. By about 20 weeks, most women can feel the first flutters of movement. Another exciting milestone near the end of this stage is hearing your unborn baby's heartbeat through a fetal stethoscope placed on your abdomen.