Medically Accurate • Expert Reviewed

Your
Pregnancy
Journey

40 weeks of life's most extraordinary transformation, every milestone, every change, week by week.

📅

Weeks

🌙

Trimesters

✨

~280

Days

🎯

Key Milestones

🤰

🌱

Weeks 1–12

First Trimester

4 milestone stages

🌸

Weeks 1–4

Poppy seed

≈ < 0.1 cm · 4% full size

🌸

👶 Baby

Fertilisation → cell division → implantation into uterine wall
HCG surges, the hormone pregnancy tests detect

🫀 You

Breast tenderness and mild fatigue begin. You may not even know yet.

🟤

Weeks 5–6

Lentil

≈ 0.4–0.6 cm · 9% full size

🟤

👶 Baby

Heart beats for the first time at week 6 (100–160 bpm)
Neural tube, future brain and spinal cord, closes. Folic acid critical.

🫀 You

Nausea and profound fatigue begin. Your body is building the placenta.

🫘

Weeks 7–8

Kidney bean

≈ 1.3–1.6 cm · 16% full size

🫘

👶 Baby

Arm and leg buds appear. Fingers begin forming
Brain grows 100 new neurons per minute

🫀 You

Morning sickness peaks. Food aversions driven by hCG hormone.

🍋

Weeks 9–12

Lime

≈ 3.5–5.4 cm · 30% full size

🍋

👶 Baby

All major organs formed, the rest of pregnancy is growth
Nuchal translucency scan screens for Down syndrome

🫀 You

Miscarriage risk drops sharply after week 12. Energy begins returning.

Nutrition

Eat for Two, Smartly

Six nutrients with direct, measurable impact on your baby. Deficiency has lasting consequences.

🥬

Folic Acid

600 mcg/day

Prevents spina bifida & anencephaly. Most critical in weeks 1–12.

🩸

Iron

27 mg/day

Blood volume increases 50%. Carries oxygen to baby's developing brain.

🦴

Calcium

1000 mg/day

Baby builds a full skeleton, if intake is low, it draws from your bones.

🧠

DHA Omega-3

200–300 mg/day

60% of the brain is fat. DHA is its most critical structural component.

☀️

Vitamin D

600–800 IU/day

Reduces preeclampsia, GDM risk and supports calcium absorption.

🧂

Iodine

220 mcg/day

World's #1 preventable cause of intellectual disability when deficient.

⚠️

Take a prenatal supplement daily. Diet alone rarely meets all pregnancy requirements. A quality prenatal covering folic acid, iron, iodine, DHA and Vitamin D is recommended from preconception through to breastfeeding.

Medical

Appointment Checklist

Each test is timed to catch conditions when intervention is most effective.

🫀

Week 6–8

First Ultrasound

Confirm heartbeat, date pregnancy, rule out ectopic

🔬

Week 10–13

First Trimester Screen

Blood test + NT scan, screens for Down syndrome, trisomy 18/13

🧬

Week 11–14

NIPT (Optional)

>99% accuracy for chromosomal conditions from maternal blood

👶

Week 18–20

Anatomy Scan

Most important scan, all organs, 4-chamber heart, spine, placenta

🩺

Week 24–28

Glucose Challenge

Gestational diabetes screening with 75g glucose drink

📏

Week 32–34

Growth Scan

Baby's size, amniotic fluid, placental function

🦠

Week 35–37

Group B Strep Swab

GBS positive → IV antibiotics during labour to protect baby

📋

Week 36+

Weekly Checkups

Blood pressure, fetal position, cervical changes, labour signs

Safety

Call Your Doctor Now

These are not wait-until-next-appointment signs.

🚨

Any Trimester

Heavy bleeding (1+ pad/hr)
Severe one-sided abdominal pain
Fever above 38°C with chills
Can't keep food or water down for 24 h

🫀

Preeclampsia

Sudden severe headache
Blurred vision or seeing spots
Sudden face/hand/feet swelling
Upper-right abdominal pain

⏰

Preterm Labour (<37 wks)

4+ contractions in 20 minutes
Constant lower back or pelvic pressure
Water breaking (gush or steady leak)
Bleeding with cramping

📞

After 24 weeks, monitor fetal movement every day. Count kicks while lying on your left side. Fewer than 10 movements in 2 hours → go to hospital immediately. Do not wait for your next appointment.