Our 9 Months

Symptoms in the 2nd month of your pregnancy will be similar to the previous month. These include fatigue, nausea, dizziness, frequent urination, food cravings or aversions, and mood swings. You might no longer enjoy the taste of alcohol or the smell of smoke, which is good, because these substances can be harmful to your growing baby.

Breasts will continue to become larger, your nipples will be more prominent, and small nodules may appear on the areola, which is the dark area surrounding the nipples.

There might be a slight white vaginal discharge. Increasing hormone levels may cause you to develop acne. Some women, on the other hand, find that their skin clears up toward the end of the month, resulting in that famous pregnancy “glow.” Your hair may be less manageable. You might have a chronic stuffy nose, which may be alleviated with the use of a humidifier. Your gums will become softer due to the hormones in your system, so make sure to maintain good dental hygiene.

Hormones in pregnancy tend to make the intestines less efficient, causing constipation. To guard against constipation, make sure to eat a high-fibre diet and drink lots of water.

This month, cells in the ovary continue to produce a hormone called progesterone, which is important to maintain the pregnancy. The amount of blood circulating in your body will increase to meet the needs of the unborn baby. The increase in blood volume will make you feel warmer. Your abdomen will begin to swell ever so slightly. Your uterus is now the size of an orange but it is still hidden within your pelvis. The baby is moving gently but not enough for you to feel it. In order to avoid accidents that could harm your baby, make sure to get lots of sleep and exercise safely.

The second month of pregnancy is a critical month in fetal development. Your baby goes from being a blastocyst to an embryo. Early on in this month your baby’s heart will begin to beat. First it beats slowly, then very rapidly, later in pregnancy the heart rate will slow a bit more.

In the beginning of this month it’s hard to tell which way is up on your baby. As this month progresses it becomes very easy to tell which end is your baby’s head is and which end is your baby’s bottom. By the end of the month your baby’s upper and lower limb buds will also appear. And the primordia of the liver, pancreas, lungs, and stomach are evident. While your baby is a girl or a boy, it is not yet apparent without genetic screening.

Your baby is now measuring between 8-11 mm from crown to rump (CRL).

By the end of this month heart activity is always present on ultrasound. Toe and finger rays are present, though not quite enough for you to count yet.

Your baby’s facial features continues to develop.

Each ear begins as a little fold of skin at the side of the head. Tiny buds that eventually grow into arms and legs are forming. Fingers, toes and eyes are also forming.

The neural tube (brain, spinal cord and other neural tissue of the central nervous system) is well formed. The digestive tract and sensory organs begin to develop. Bone starts to replace cartilage. The embryo begins movement although the mother can not yet feel it.

By the end of the second month, your baby, now a fetus, is about 1 inch long, weighs about 1/3 ounce, and is virtually all head (1/3 of its body is head).

At about 6 weeks, your baby’s heartbeat can usually be detected