The
Growth and Development of Your
Baby
This
month is especially critical in the
development of your baby. Any disturbance
from drugs,
viruses, or environmental factors such
as pesticides may cause birth
defects.
Your
baby's development is very rapid
during the second month. By the
end of the second month, all of
your baby's major body organs and
body systems, including the brain,
lungs, liver, and stomach, have
begun to develop. The first bone
cells appear during this time.
Eyelids form and grow but remain
sealed shut. The inner ear is forming.
Ankles, toes, wrists, fingers,
and sexual organs are developing.
At
the end of the second month of
pregnancy, your baby looks like
a tiny human infant. If it is a
boy, the penis will begin to appear.
The baby is a little over 1 inch
long and still weighs less than
1 ounce. From now on the baby is
called a fetus.
What
is Happening With You
At your prenatal care
appointment, your health
care provider will likely check
your weight, your blood pressure,
your urine for sugar and protein,
and the size of your growing uterus.
You will also discuss your pregnancy
symptoms and any questions you
have. It is helpful to write down
anything you want to discuss with
your provider, so that you will
remember to ask about these things
during your appointments.
Many
women "do not feel pregnant yet" during
these early weeks of their pregnancy.
This is common. It is also normal
to feel very tired, to urinate
often, to feel nausea,
to vomit, to have excess saliva,
to be constipated,
to have heartburn, indigestion,
flatulence, or bloating, to experience
food aversions or cravings,
to feel changes in your breasts
(fullness, heaviness, tenderness,
tingling, darkening of the areola),
to have occasional headaches, to
feel faint or dizzy occasionally,
and to feel like your clothes are
too tight around the waist or bust.
Your emotions are likely to be
similar to those you were feeling
last month: irritability, mood
swings, irrationality, weepiness,
misgivings, fear, and happiness.
What
is Happening With Your Partner
Your partner is also likely
to still be feeling a whirlwind of
emotions. Remember that is good to
talk about how each of is feeling
about your pregnancy. Your partner
may not know how to help you feel
better when you are feeling especially
tired, irritable, nauseous, or scared.
Talk with each other so that you
can work as a team to help you through
difficult times.
Your
partner may also experience couvade.
This is a condition that causes
the father of the baby to experience
weight gain, nausea,
mood swings, or other pregnancy
symptoms! Click here to read more about "You and Your Partner".
Discomforts
and Remedies
Visit the Common
Discomforts section if you
are experiencing any discomforts.
You may or may not experience some
of these discomforts and be sure
to talk to your health care provider
about them if you have any questions.
