There’s no greater joy than receiving the news of conception. Along with the excitement of welcoming a new member in the family, pregnancy also brings a nerve-wracking phase in your life. It is not just your body that undergoes changes. The baby also goes through several developmental milestones. Let us try and understand the different stages of the baby’s development and the consequent changes in your body.
1-4 Weeks: The Beginning of a New Life
Fertilisation occurs during the time span of 5-14 days after the last period and the fertilised egg is called zygote. Within 90 hours of fertilisation, the cells begin to divide and subdivide to form a solid mass of cells.
6-10 days post-ovulation, the zygote gets attached to the walls of the uterus. This marks the beginning of further development of the cells that go on to make your baby’s internal organs and the body.
Right from the first week, your body will require all the essential nutrients to provide adequate nourishment and support to the developing baby. A balanced diet with all the necessary nutrients will help in meeting the nutritional demands of your body and baby. These nutrients play an important role in keeping cells healthy and the formation of tissues, skin and blood vessels.
5-8 weeks: The Steps Towards Development
The 5th week marks the beginning of several essential developmental processes. At this stage, the embryo is only about 1mm long. The baby’s key systems and organs such as the nervous system, circulatory system, brain, heart, umbilical cord start forming. Also, around this time, the baby’s heart starts beating at a rate of 110 beats per minute.
In order to sustain these developmental processes, you should continue maintaining a healthy diet. Include foodstuff rich in Vitamin A, folic acid, Iodine, Zinc. Green leafy vegetables, fruits, lentils, milk, cheese and eggs are excellent sources. These nutrients perform a variety of functions; formation of a healthy nervous system, immune system, vision and brain structures important for cognition.
9-12 weeks: Ready to Grow
While the internal organs continue to mature, the external features begin forming a definite shape. This phase includes the formation of the baby’s mouth, tongue, taste buds, facial bones and cartilage. At the same time, the limbs start to show individual fingers and toes emerging from their webbed buds.
What’s amazing is that at 12 weeks, the baby is 6 cm long; about 60 times bigger than its size at 5 weeks. Moreover, the size has doubled in the last 3 weeks of development.
Clearly, such a growth rate demands appropriate nutrition. Vitamin D, Iron, Calcium, and healthy fats like Omega 3 and 6 are necessary for the baby’s development.
Over time, you will need adequate nutrition to maintain the healthy development of you and your baby. To find out more, please visit Mummypedia.in.
