Let’s talk about the first trimester

Congratulations on your pregnancy!

Now is the time to prepare and nuture yourself on the most exciting journey of your life. As Midwives, Joyce and I are here to support you and your partner on your journey. Your Pregnancy has three phases called trimesters and each trimester is about 3 months long. The first trimester (weeks 1 to 12) is one of the most important, even when you can’t see what’s happening inside your body. Your body is busy building your new baby! How incredible, exciting and exhausting is this?

The heart is the first functional organ to develop and at 22 days the heart starts to beat and pump blood.

At 6 weeks, your baby’s heartbeat can usually be detected.

The digestive system starts to develop from the third week and by the 12^th week the organs have correctly positioned themselves.

The eyes begin to develop from the third to the 10^th week.

Limb buds appear by the end of the fourth week.

By 42 days, the baby’s nose mouth and ears are taking shape and the baby is the size of a lentil.

At 8 weeks, your baby has started to move around and is the size of a kidney bean.

Everyone is different and your experience is unique. There is no way of knowing how you will feel during your pregnancy until you are pregnant. 

Growing a baby takes lots of energy. You are making an entire placenta along with many of the baby’s major organ systems in the first 12 weeks! 

Always remember to give yourself some ‘you’ time during the day.

Listen to your body….take that power nap! 

Our ‘I’m Pregnant, What’s Next’ course is perfect for newly expectant mothers in their first trimester.

“Self-care during pregnancy is the first gift that a mother can give to her child”.