The nine-month road to Baby can sometimes feel like a long one, so it’s great to know the milestones that they are reaching throughout pregnancy, so that you can keep track of your progress and have a better sense of exactly what is happening through every second of your journey! Milestones come in many forms, from estimations about Baby’s development based on time (“they are dreaming every night!”), to milestones that you enter yourself (“Went on maternity leave”).
First trimester
The first trimester is chock-full of pregnancy milestones, as Baby does so much growing and developing in those first 13 weeks. First-trimester milestones include things like conception, implantation, and a visible heartbeat.
Second trimester
With Baby transforming into a miniature person during the second trimester, and your pregnancy becoming way more of a reality not just for you, but for your friends and family as well, the second trimester is full of some really exciting milestones. Most women will wait to tell people besides their partner, or perhaps a very close sibling, friend, or parent, until after the first trimester, since the likelihood of miscarrying dramatically decreases at this point. During the second trimester, you’ll also be able to find out Baby’s sex and Baby will continue hitting developmental targets, like the first viability milestone, which signifies their newly acquired talents at breathing.
Third trimester
Although most of Baby’s development is complete by the third trimester, save packing on several pounds of fat and brain and lung maturation, the third trimester still has lots of milestones, like Baby growing eyebrows, reaching full-term, and of course, your due date! You’ll also probably be doing a bunch of pregnancy-related administration (setting up Baby’s room, picking out a name), so it’s great to keep track of any big occurrence in your life. So exciting!
Reviewed by Dr. Jamie Lo
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Sources
- Mayo Clinic Staff. “First trimester pregnancy: what to expect.” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic, 4/22/2014. Web.
- Mayo Clinic Staff. “Second trimester pregnancy: What to expect.” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic, 5/15/2014. Web.
- Mayo Clinic Staff. “Fetal development: The third trimester.” Mayo Clinic. Mayo Clinic, 7/11/2014. Web.
