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Development Of Fetus In The First, Second And Third Trimesters
The endlessly fascinating cycle of life begins when one from among millions of sperms fertilizes the female egg and the zygote is formed. The development of fetus, which begins as a zygote, develops into a morula or pre-embryo, then becomes a blastocyst, which goes on to become an embryo and finally a fetus goes something like this:
Development of fetus in the first trimester: Near the end of the first trimester, at 10 weeks the embryo developed into what is known as a fetus.
At 10 weeks gestation, the tiny fetus has a primitive brain and appears more like a primate than human and most of it is still head. The sex of the fetus can be determined by way of ultrasound at 10 weeks.
At the end of the first trimester, the fetus is about three inches long and it would typically weigh about one ounce.
The bones begin to develop about now. Involuntary movements and twitches can occur as the mental pathways start to develop.
Development of fetus in the second trimester: The facial characteristics of the nose, eyes, mouth etc now starts to develop. The first hair and lanugo (that disappears at birth) will start to develop during the first part of the second trimester. By about 15 weeks, it is thought, the fetus can taste what the mother eats.
The circulatory and digestive systems of the baby develop by about the middle of the second trimester. By about 18 weeks, the fetus is about 6 inches long and the sex organs have now developed.
By about 20 to 22 weeks, the first fluttering movements of the baby can be perceived deep within by the mother. The baby develops fat layers and a layer of vernix.
The baby practices breathing by taking in and exhaling the amniotic fluid that surrounds it. It can hear you now and even perhaps recognize familiar voices and sounds.
Development of fetus in the third trimester: The tiny baby now weighs about 2 pounds at the start of the third and final trimester. It is about 27 inches in length and the eyes are just about starting to open.
The brain develops fast now and this is a good time to talk and sing to the baby. Exposure to music, reading to the baby is a good idea right now.
The baby puts on weight and during the second half of the third trimester it may be noticed that the movements were felt as fewer now as the baby has less space to move freely.
Most babies also get into the correct birthing position, head down, by the 33rd week or so. By the 36th or 37th week women tend to notice the ‘lightening’ which is the baby’s head settling and getting ready to come out of the birth canal.
By the 40th week the average baby is usually about seven and a half pounds and is about 20 inches in length.
Miscarriage
Suffering a miscarriage or stillbirth can be very upsetting and traumatic. Many women feel the need to grieve after a pregnancy loss, regardless of whether it happened early in pregnancy or later on. Although it can be difficult, it is important to deal with your loss rather than ignore the emotions you may be feeling.
The loss of a baby through early miscarriage is much more common than people believe, and may account for many cases of what is thought to be delayed conception. It could be that as many as half of all early pregnancies end in miscarriage.
The warning signs for an impending miscarriage include vaginal bleeding, abdominal cramps and backache similar to those of a period. Excessive vomiting can also be a symptom. Once a misscarriage starts, there is little that can be done to halt it. However, it is important that you seek medical advise immediately because there is a risk of infection and complications
Investigating Miscarriage
Having a misscarriage can be a very traumatic experience. For some women it is just as distressing as bereavement, even when it occurs in the early stages of pregnancy. It may be of some comfort to know that misscarriage, particularly in the early months, is very common. It does not mean that there is anything inherently wrong with you, or that you are likely to miscarry next time you become pregnant. For this reason, having one or even two early miscarriages is not usually seen as a reason for medical investigation.
Tests are usually done if a woman experiences repeated miscarriages: this is defined as three or more successive miscarriages with no successful pregnancy occurring in between. After suffering three miscarriages, you should seek medical help and advise. A late miscarriage – one that occurs after 14 weeks – should also be investigated.
Your family doctor will be able to refer you to a consultant gynaecologist if you have had recurrent miscarriages. In some cases, couples may be referred to a genetic counsellor. Genetic counselling may help determine the level of risk of future pregnancies, and discuss the best way forwards.
Why Miscarriage Happens
Doctors do not know why so many pregnancies end unsuccessfully, and determining the cause of a miscarriage can be very difficult or even impossible.
Some of the known causes of early miscarriage include:
A major abnormality in the baby. About three in every five early miscarriages are thought to be connected to fetal abnormality.
The mother contracting rubella, listeriosis or chlamydia during pregnancy.
The failure of the fertilized egg to implant successfully in the lining of the uterus.
The mother having a low level of progesterone, which is needed to sustain the pregnancy.
For the vast majority of miscarriages, there is nothing you can do to prevent it from happening.
Most miscarriages are caused by one time, non-repeating genetic defects in the embryo. The egg might be abnormal, the sperm might be abnormal or the combination might be abnormal. This does not mean that either you or your partner has a genetic defect. Every woman has some abnormal eggs and every man produces some abnormal sperm.
An embryo that has one of these defects is destined to miscarry from the moment of conception. That is why there is nothing that you can do to prevent the miscarriage. The embryo will stop growing and developing at some point, and will be expelled by your body.
There is a small group of miscarriages that can be prevented. These miscarriages are causes by a progesterone hormone deficiency (luteal phase defect). Progesterone is needed to support the growth of a pregnancy. In the early weeks of pregnancy, the mothers body produces the progesterone. By about 9 or 10 weeks of pregnancy, the placenta usually takes over the production of progesterone.
Women who do not produce enough progesterone hormone in the early weeks of pregnancy may have repeated miscarriages. These miscarriages can be prevented by progesterone supplements.
Later miscarriage (after 14 weeks) can be the result of:
An abnormality in the uterus, such as a large fibroid.
A weak (incompetent) cervix. This is a condition in which the cervix dilates instead of remaining tightly closed during pregnancy.
Certain antenatal tests: amniocentesis, for example, carries a 1 in 200 risk of miscarriage.
The mother having diabetes, epilepsy, asthma, kidney disease or high blood pressure.
Miscarriages are more common in very young women or women over 35.
Know The Developmental Changes In The First Trimester of Pregnancy!
First trimester pregnancy refers to the first three months of pregnancy.
Pregnancy is divided into three trimesters: first, second and third. Each trimester includes three months.
The first trimester pregnancy is most critical period of pregnancy, as most of the body changes and fetal developments happen in this trimester.
In the first month of this trimester, implantation of the fertilized egg in the uterus takes place and the fertilized egg then starts growing and developing in the uterus until delivery.
This process of Implantation generally happens 5-7 days after fertilization. In this stage, the fertilized egg in the uterus is called an embryo.
Shortly after implantation, the corpus luteum produces progesterone, which helps in maintaining the thickened endometrium.
Even the yolk sac starts developing along with the amniotic sac, a fluid-filled sac that protects the baby in the uterus. The yolk sac helps maintain the pregnancy until the placenta and umbilical cord is formed completely.
The placenta and umbilical cord helps carry food and oxygen to the baby from mother’s body and also excretes the wastes from the baby.
During the third week of first trimester pregnancy, the embryo undergoes a developmental process called gastrulation, where the embryo forms multi-layered (the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm).
The outer layer called the ectoderm consists of the nerves, skin, and brain. The middle layer called the mesoderm develops into the muscles, heart, sex organs, bones, and blood vessels. The inner layer called the endoderm will have the liver, lungs, intestines, stomach, and urinary tract.
After this process, the neurulation process occurs where the embryo develops the nervous system (entirely). By the end of first month, the head and trunk of the body forms in the embryo.
The eyes, limbs, heart will begin to form within 16-17 days after fertilization. The pumping of fluids through blood vessels starts by 20 days and formation of red blood cells occur by day 21 after conception.
By the end of this month, the size of the embryo is about 0.5 inch and weighs fraction of an ounce.
In the second month of first trimester pregnancy, the development of the baby will be very rapid. Also, major developmental changes occur. The heart of the embryo begins to beat.
All major organs of the body (brain, lungs, liver, pancreas and stomach) begin to appear. The first bone cells, limbs and its feature such as the fingers, toes, and joints starts appear. The formation of inner ear begins at the end of this month.
Now the embryo is called a fetus. Now, the size of the fetus will be one inch and the weight becomes one ounce.
In the third month of first trimester pregnancy, heart chambers will form and the rate of heartbeat increases. The functioning of kidneys and the development of intestines starts.
The external genitalia begins to differentiate, head becomes large; external ears form and the fingers and toes will separate.
By the end of the first trimester pregnancy, the fetus formation completes and is about four inches long and weighs more than an ounce. You can notice all these changes in the first trimester pregnancy.
Bleeding During Pregnancy – The First, Second And Third Trimesters
Any bleeding during pregnancy is likely to cause worry; since we associate the subsistence of a pregnancy with the stoppage or cessation of bleeding.
In fact, since it is the absence of menstrual bleeding that alerts us to a pregnancy in the first place any vaginal bleeding is bound to be a cause for concern.
However, it is important to understand while it may be a cause for concern, a lot of bleeding during pregnancy may be quite harmless, and have a perfectly innocuous explanation though the rule of thumb should be that no bleeding during pregnancy should be ignored. We look at what bleeding during the three trimesters of a pregnancy could mean:
Bleeding During Pregnancy First Trimester: Implantation bleeding is common during the first trimester of pregnancy This is when the embryo burrows into the endometrial lining of the uterus in search for sustenance from the mother’s circulatory system.
Unless accompanied by certain other symptoms such as pain, cramping, fever and faintness, this is not usually a cause for worry.
Bleeding during the first trimester other than implantation bleeding could be caused by something innocuous like cervical changes since increased blood flow to the pelvic region may cause some bleeding particularly after sex.
On the other hand, several serious conditions such as an ectopic pregnancy, the presence of inflammation or infection or a threatened miscarriage, molar pregnancy etc. could also be responsible for bleeding during pregnancy’s first trimester.
Bleeding During Pregnancy Second trimester: Bleeding during pregnancy in the second trimester is rather of more concern. This is not routine or very common.
It could be due to certain harmless causes such as after intercourse or after a pelvic or vaginal exam when some capillaries of the cervix rupture and cause the blood to flow. This should however be light bleeding that resolves itself within a day or so.
Anything else is likely to have graver reasons. Late miscarriage or preterm labor could be the cause of a heavier, period like bleeding episode in the second trimester, and a doctor should always be consulted.
Bleeding During Pregnancy Third Trimester: It is always a cause for grave concern when there is vaginal bleeding during the third trimester of pregnancy.
Any kind of bleeding during the third trimester is likely to be classified as an emergency since hemorrhage is a complication in up to 4% of all pregnancies.
Hemorrhage is also a leading cause of maternal deaths in the western world. Placental problems, such as the detachment of the placenta from the uterus either partial or complete could be a problem causing bleeding.
Sometimes the placenta covering the mouth of the uterus could also cause bleeding. Preterm labor could also be a cause of bleeding during the third trimester.
