Twelve Weeks Pregnant

I've hit the 2-inch mark (about the size of a lime) and weigh half an ounce. My face is beginning to look more human. My eyes, which started out on the sides of my head, have moved closer together on my face, and my ears are near their final positions on the sides of my head. My intestines, which have grown so rapidly that they protrude into the umbilical cord, will start to move into my abdominal cavity about now. My kidneys are secreting urine into my bladder. My nerve cells have been multiplying rapidly, and synapses (neurological pathways in the brain) are forming. I may have acquired more reflexes by now, including sucking, and I'll even squirm if Mummy prods her abdomen, though she still won't be able to feel my movement for several weeks.

Blood Tests

Today Mummy had to see Sue the Midwife for some routine blood tests. The tests are to check Mummy's blood group, haemoglobin levels, Rhesus factor, Rubella immunity and certain other conditions. Sue was very lucky, she managed to find a good vein on her first try (Mummy's veins usually hide from needles). Now Mummy has got a bruised and aching arm!

Eleven Weeks Pregnant

I am now fully formed and the size of a fig — measuring 1½" long and weighing in at a quarter of an ounce. My skin is still transparent, allowing many of my blood vessels to show through. Some of my bones are beginning to harden, and tiny toothbuds are starting to appear under my gums. My fingers and toes have separated, and I may soon be able to open and close my fists. I'm already busy kicking and stretching, and my tiny movements are so fluid they look like water ballet. These movements will increase as my body grows and becomes more developed and functional. As my diaphragm develops, I may also start to get the hiccups. Because I'm still so small though, Mummy won't feel any of my workouts or intrauterine gulps until sometime between weeks 16 and 20.

Ultrasound Scan

Today Mummy had an ultrasound scan at the hospital. Here she is, having the scan.

I was measured to be 4cm from crown to rump. As you can see from the graph, this is exactly on the line of expected growth.

Mummy and Daddy had to buy this ticket

and exchange it for this, the very first picture of me:

On this picture, Daddy has put some labels:

I'm glad it doesn't reveal whether I am a boy or a girl... I want to surprise everybody when I am born. (The person who did the scan is in on the secret though!)

I am hiding so well in Mummy's tummy, that they had to look for me with a more expensive machine. Quite right too!

Ten Weeks Pregnant

I am no longer an embryo! Though I'm barely the size of a kumquat — just an inch or so long, crown to bottom — and weigh less than a quarter of an ounce, I have now completed the most critical portion of my development. This is the beginning of the so-called fœtal period, a time when the tissues and organs in my body rapidly grow and mature. My vital organs — the liver, kidney, intestines, brain, and lungs — are now in place and starting to function (although they'll continue to develop throughout Mummy's pregnancy.) My liver continues to make blood cells, and the yolk sac, which previously supplied these cells, is no longer needed and begins to disappear. During the next three weeks, my length will more than double to nearly 3 inches. My head is proportionately smaller now than it was a few weeks ago, but it's still almost half the length of my entire body. My forehead temporarily bulges with my developing brain and sits high on my head; it will later recede to give me a more human appearance. Each day, more minute details — including tiny fingernails, toenails, and peach-fuzz hair — start to appear on my body. My fingers are now completely separated; my arms bend at the elbow and curve slightly; my hands are flexed at the wrist and meet over my heart; my legs are lengthening; and my feet may be long enough to meet in front of my body. I am busily swallowing amniotic fluid and kicking my legs.If you could take a peek at me this week, you'd be able to clearly see the outline of my spine through my parchment-thin skin. Spinal nerves are beginning to stretch out from my spinal cord.

Nine Weeks Pregnant

I am nearly an inch long — barely the size of a grape — and weigh just a fraction of an ounce, but I'm poised for rapid weight gain now that my basic physical structure is in place. I'm also starting to look more and more human. My embryonic "tail" is now completely gone and my body parts — including organs, muscles, and nerves — are kicking into gear. My eyelids are fused shut and won't open until 27 weeks. I have earlobes and, by week's end, the inner workings of my ears will be complete. My upper lip is fully formed, too, and my mouth, nose, and nostrils are more distinct. The tips of my fingers are slightly enlarged where my touch pads are developing. All major joints — my shoulders, elbows, wrists, knees, and ankles — are working, enabling me to move my limbs. As for my heart, it has divided into four chambers now, and the valves have started to develop. External sex organs are there, but I'm STILL... NOT... TELLING!!!