3 Months (9-13 weeks)

Baby

In the third month, your baby is the size of a small apple and is fully formed. She has grown from 1 to 3 inches and weighs about 1 ½ ounces by month end. Her head now sits on her neck and you can even see the whorl of a hair pattern on the top of her head. Her head is still very large and makes up half the length of her body. Her eyes are moving closer together and her ears are continuing to form. She has taste buds and has developed the sucking reflex. She is beginning to practice her swallowing too. Teeth buds have also begun to form, as well as fingernails and toenails. Her major organs, as well as her sex organs have formed and are developing steadily. Your placenta has now developed and has taken over hormone production.

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Mom

Your uterus is now the size of a softball and may be felt above your pubic bone. This month, nausea will most likely peak and begin to subside. Most women report an end to the nausea by the fourth month. Although you are having mood swings, a new sense of calmness has come over you as you prepare to enter the second trimester. By the end of this month, you will feel like a new woman. The second trimester brings a burst of energy and is often described as the “honeymoon period” of the pregnancy. When you go to the doctor next, you will most likely be able to hear your baby’s heartbeat with the Doppler for the first time!

Physical symptoms include fatigue, although energy levels will pick up soon. They also include sleeplessness, frequent urination, increased vaginal discharge, nausea, excessive salivation, constipation, heart burn, indigestion, bloating, food aversions or cravings, breast changes, increase in blood supply to the abdomen and legs (you may start to feel your heart beating), headaches, dizziness, increase in appetite, PMS-like mood swings, calmness, and changes in orgasm caused by blood engorgement in the genitals. It may be harder or easier to reach orgasm when pregnant, depending on your situation.

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PLEASE NOTE

This should be used as a general guideline and is for general information and educational purposes only. Please remember that all pregnancies develop at different rates. If you have questions about your baby's development, please contact your doctor or midwife.