Your Developing Baby

There is very little as exciting as the month by month development of your baby. No other organism in the world grows with such complexity as the human baby and it will help you to establish a relationship with your growing baby if you can understand exactly how it is developing. For convenience, the- sequence of developmental stages can be roughly divided into three phases, the first, second, and third trimesters. These are so divided because certain physiological changes occur to mother and baby in each of the three stages. In the first trimester your baby's organs form, in the second these organs become complex, and in the third they grow in size. For you, the first trimester is when your body becomes primed for pregnancy: the breasts grow, your internal organs adapt, and the muscles and ligaments start to slacken in preparation for labour. High levels of pregnancy hormones bring on pregnancy sickness, the desire to go to the lavatory more often, and tenderness of the breasts. During the second trimester the body goes into a phase of consolidation. The third trimester sees your body preparing for delivery and making sure that your baby is growing healthily.