Your Pregnancy - Fetal Developments Month by Month

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• Congratulations, youre pregnant! Over the next
  eight to nine months, your body will undergo many
  changes as the baby develops starting as soon
  as three days after conception. Once the egg is
  fertilized, it divides into many cells and passes
  through the fallopian tube into the uterus so the
  egg can attach to the uterine wall. At this
  stage, the babys heart, blood, and other organs
  start to generate, as does the placenta that will
  nourish the baby as he or she grows.

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• Over month two, your baby will grow significantly
  and start to develop defining features. In this
  stage, most babies measure a little over half an
  inch in size. The legs and arms will be visible,
  as well as facial structure like the eyelids,
  ears, and nose. The tiny toes and fingers will
  also be present in this phase, much to parents
  delight!

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• Continuing to grow, in month three the baby will
  measure about 2 inches, so you may begin to feel
  the top of your uterus above the pelvic bone. As
  the baby grows larger, his or her sex organs will
  develop and contribute to overall growth. With
  the help of special instruments, your doctor may
  also be able to hear the babys heartbeat!

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• The babys unique identity will form in month
  four, with the development of fingerprints on
  tiny fingers and toes! At this stage, the baby
  will measure about 4.5 inches and weigh around
  3.5 ounces. Youll likely be able to feel the top
  of your uterus about 3 inches below your belly
  button by the end of month four.

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• Week 20, or the fifth month of pregnancy, is a
  big one for most moms. At this time, an
  ultrasound is usually done for all pregnant
  women. This will help your doctor determine the
  health of the baby and placenta. This visit will
  also allow an expectant mother to determine the
  sex of her baby (if she so chooses!) as well as
  get to know her little one better through the
  ultrasound image. At 20 weeks, babies can suck
  their thumbs, yawn, stretch, and make faces!
• This is also the time when youll start to feel
  movement more than ever.
• In this stage, your uterus will be about level
  with the height of your belly button, and the
  baby will weigh in at about 10 ounces.

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• The baby now weighs around 1.4 pounds, and can
  respond to surroundings by moving and increasing
  his or her pulse. You may notice jerking motions
  or hiccups coming from the womb. At this stage,
  the baby may be able to sense being upside down
  or other movements, due to full development of
  the inner ear by week 24.

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• During month seven, the baby changes position
  often. If for any reason premature delivery needs
  to occur, this month may be an acceptable time to
  ensure the babys survival (be sure to ask your
  doctor about preterm warning signs). This time is
  also perfect for registering for birthing
  classes, which will prepare you for many aspects
  of childbirth like labor, delivery, and taking
  care of your newborn.

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• Month eight completes development and gets your
  baby ready to meet the family! By now most
  organs, including the brain, are fully developed.
• The baby may weigh anywhere from 3-5 pounds,
  depending on many factors (like parents size,
  the number of babies being carried, or gender).
• With new layers of fat growing under the skin, by
  now the baby will weigh almost 4 pounds (between
  now and delivery, your baby will gain up to half
  of his birth weight!)
• Your baby will move often in this phase ask
  your doctor to do a fetal movement chart.
• This is the time to consider breastfeeding. You
  may notice a yellowish fluid, called colostrum,
  leaking from your breasts in order to get milk
  ready.
• If born between 37-39 weeks, your baby is
  considered early term. 39-40 weeks would be at
  term, and 41-42 weeks is late term.

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• Based on each mothers unique pregnancy, delivery
  can occur anywhere from 38 to 42 weeks on
  average. Once your baby is born, cord blood (plus
  cord tissue and placenta tissue) can be collected
  immediately by Americords trusted team to expand
  your babys (and your familys) future options
  for medical treatment. Taking this rare
  opportunity to save your newborns stem cells is
  an investment in the future health of your child.
  As a licensed medical facility, Americord follows
  strict protocols to ensure the viability of your
  babys stem cells at every step of the collection
  and storage process.

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CONTACT US

• Americord is a leader in the advancement of
  umbilical cord blood, cord tissue, and placenta
  tissue banking. As a private bank, Americord
  collects, processes, and stores newborn stem
  cells exclusively for each family to use in
  future medical or therapeutic treatments.
• For more information, please visit
  http//americordblood.com/
• or call 866-503-6005.