Monthly Stages of Pregnancy

Understanding and following the monthly stages of pregnancy and development of your baby can be a fascinating experience. Learn about the changes in fetal development over the course of your pregnancy in an easy month-by-month format. Enjoy the miracle that is growing inside of you!

First month

Most women don’t even know they are pregnant in the first month of pregnancy. This is typically when expecting mothers notice their period stops. At this stage your baby is still a blob of cells 1cm in length. The heart, spine, lungs, brain, arms and legs start developing now.

Second month

In the second month baby has grown to 2cm and even has a beating heart! This is the time when the eyes, bones, ankles, elbows and genitals start to form.

Third month

As you near the end of the third month, baby is already 7-8cm long and moving, although mothers can’t feel it just yet. All major organs have started to develop and the face starts to look human.

Fourth month

The fourth month sees baby moving, swallowing, producing urine and expecting mother’s may start to feel their baby move. The baby is now 13cm long and its toes, fingernails and genital organs form further.

Fifth month

In the fifth month, your baby grows to 20cm and even starts to suck its thumb. Babies have regular patterns of sleep now and mothers can feel baby move.

Sixth month

If expectant mothers still haven’t felt baby moving, they will surely have by now. By the sixth month, baby is 30cm and quite active. By this stage hair has started growing and baby’s lungs are fully developed.

Seventh month

In the seventh month the baby has reached 35cm and is kicking and stretching a lot, which can sometimes be uncomfortable, even painful. The baby responds to sound and can open and close its hands and eyes.

Eighth month

During the eighth month, all of baby’s major development has completed. Baby has almost doubled in weight from the previous month and may start to turn upside down. Baby has now reached 45cm.

Ninth month

By the ninth month baby can be up to 45cm long and weigh anywhere between 2.5 to 4kg. There’s not much room inside your belly for baby to move, so you can certainly feel every movement your baby makes. The baby generally turns upside down with its head in the pelvic region ready to come out!