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Fetal development: The first trimester

Fetal development begins soon after conception. Find out how your baby grows and develops during the first trimester.

By Mayo Clinic staff

You're pregnant. Congratulations! You'll undoubtedly spend the months ahead wondering how your baby is growing and developing. What does your baby look like? How big is he or she? When will you feel the first kick?

Fetal development typically follows a predictable course. Find out what happens during your baby's first three months in the womb by checking out this weekly calendar of events.

Weeks 1 and 2: Getting ready

It may seem strange, but you're not actually pregnant the first week or two of the time allotted to your pregnancy. Yes, you read that correctly!

Conception typically occurs about two weeks after your period begins. To calculate your due date, your health care provider will count ahead 40 weeks from the start of your last period. This means your period is counted as part of your pregnancy — even though you weren't pregnant at the time.

Week 3: Fertilization

The sperm and egg unite in one of your fallopian tubes to form a one-celled entity called a zygote. If more than one egg is released and fertilized, you may have multiple zygotes.

The zygote has 46 chromosomes — 23 from you and 23 from your partner. These chromosomes will help determine your baby's sex, traits such as eye and hair color, and, to some extent, personality and intelligence.

Soon after fertilization, the zygote travels down the fallopian tube toward the uterus. At the same time, it will begin dividing rapidly to form a cluster of cells resembling a tiny raspberry. The inner group of cells will become the embryo. The outer group of cells will become the membranes that nourish and protect it.

Week 4: Implantation

When the zygote — now known as a blastocyst — reaches your uterus, it will burrow into the uterine wall for nourishment. The placenta, which will nourish your baby throughout the pregnancy, also begins to form.

By the end of this week, you may be celebrating a positive pregnancy test.

Week 5: The embryonic period begins

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Illustration of embryo three weeks after conception Fetal development three weeks after conception

The fifth week of pregnancy, or the third week after conception, marks the beginning of the embryonic period. This is when the baby's brain, spinal cord, heart and other organs begin to form.

The embryo is now made of three layers. The top layer — the ectoderm — will give rise to your baby's outermost layer of skin, central and peripheral nervous systems, eyes, inner ear, and many connective tissues.

Your baby's heart and a primitive circulatory system will form in the middle layer of cells — the mesoderm. This layer of cells will also serve as the foundation for your baby's bones, muscles, kidneys and much of the reproductive system.

The inner layer of cells — the endoderm — will become a simple tube lined with mucous membranes. Your baby's lungs, intestines and bladder will develop here.

By the end of this week, your baby is likely between 1/16 and 1/8 inch (1.5 to 3 millimeters) long — about the size of the tip of a pen.

Week 6: The neural tube closes

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Illustration of embryo four weeks after conception Fetal development four weeks after conception

Growth is rapid this week. Just four weeks after conception, the neural tube along your baby's back is closing and your baby's heart is pumping blood.

Basic facial features will begin to appear, including passageways that will make up the inner ear and arches that will contribute to the jaw. Your baby's body begins to take on a c-shaped curvature. Small buds will soon become arms and legs.

By the end of this week, your baby may be 1/6 to 1/4 inch (4 to 6 millimeters) long.

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References
  1. Healthy pregnancy: Stages of pregnancy. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.4women.gov/pregnancy/you-are-pregnant/stages-of-pregnancy.cfm#second. Accessed March 20, 2009.
  2. How your baby grows during pregnancy. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp156.cfm. Accessed March 20, 2009.
  3. Knuppel A. Maternal-placental-fetal unit; Fetal & early neonatal physiology. In: DeCherney AH, et al. Current Diagnosis & Treatment Obstetrics & Gynecology. 10th ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2007:1.
  4. Cunningham FG, et al. Williams Obstetrics. 22nd ed. New York, N.Y.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2005:1.
  5. DeUgarte CM, et al. Embryology of the urogenital system and congenital anomalies of the female genital tract. In: DeCherney AH, et al. Current Diagnosis & Treatment Obstetrics & Gynecology. 10th ed. U.S.: The McGraw-Hill Companies; 2007:1.
  6. Having twins. The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists. http://www.acog.org/publications/patient_education/bp092.cfm. Accessed April 28, 2009.
  7. Moore KL, et al. The Developing Human: Clinically Oriented Embryology. 8th ed. Philadelphia, Pa.: Saunders Elsevier; 2003:1.

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July 25, 2009

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