In the third month of pregnancy, you may begin to experience a change in the physical symptoms, such as a change in nausea and fatigue. Your uterus is enlarging at a noticeable rate and now your pregnant belly may be visible. Your health – care provider will make you several screening and diagnostic tests. When you are in your third month, you will enter the second trimester, which is great news for you and your child is developing well.
If you still smoke, then it is recommended to stop smoking as soon as possible, so in this way, you can avoid any complications during your pregnancy [1,2]. It is known that smoking can lead to premature birth, postnatal colic, deformities, such as cleft lip and palate, and slow down in the utero – growth (length and weight). If you cannot stop smoking on your own, then you need to visit your doctor as soon as possible, so he or she will help you to stop doing it and stop risking the health of your baby.
Nausea and vomiting can be present in the third month, but by the end of this month, they will come down. In most cases, pregnant women come out of nausea by the end of the first trimester. Your uterus is about the size of a grapefruit by the third month of pregnancy.
The uterus is lifted up into the abdomen area and it covers the whole pelvic area. By the third month, your belly is the size of a lime or ripe plum. Your doctor will make an ultrasound, which can help to measure the amniotic fluid parameters and the position of the placenta in the uterus. It is possible for your doctor to notice that your baby has spina bifida during the ultrasound which is made from 11 – 13 weeks of the gestational period.
The spina bifida is a congenital malformation where the neural tube around the spine fails to close due to environmental and genetic factors. The NTD can be detected during the first trimester, but it is more accurate in the second trimester.
Ultrasound scans and tests are done to detect any health risks for you and the baby. When a mother is healthy, then she will give birth to a healthy baby. This is a reason why you need to take extra care during the nine months of your pregnancy, so you will be sure that you will deliver a healthy baby. You should not drink alcohol, because this can increase the risk of complications during your pregnancy, so do not risk the health of your baby. Your doctor will not be able to tell you the sex of your baby, but its genitals are developing during the third month.
Enjoy the special time:
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You need to overcome your stress and blues, so your baby can develop in the best possible conditions. You need to surround yourself with family and friends that love you. You need to make most of this special time and enjoy the first scans. When your partner will see the baby for the first time, then his awareness will be increased and he will join you in many things which you enjoy doing. [3]
Common symptoms of pregnancy in the third month:
When you are in your third month of pregnancy, some of the pregnancy symptoms you might notice are pleasant and welcome, while other symptoms are challenging a lot. All of these symptoms are normal during the pregnancy and you may not experience all of them. Below are given the most common symptoms of your third month of pregnancy:
- Changes in skin pigmentation
- Frequent urination
- Dizziness
- Spider veins
- Varicose veins
- Increase in vaginal discharge
- Increase in energy
Your pregnancy week by week: Weeks 9 – 12:
Below are explained all weeks of the third month of pregnancy, so you should not be worried about yourself and your baby. Read them and you will get relief from your worried thoughts.
Week 9:
Baby: In the ninth week your baby is about the size of a peanut. Its head is more erect and its neck is more developed. During the ultrasound, you can see how your baby is moving, but you cannot feel it yet.
Mom–to–be: In this week, your uterus is continuing to grow and you can notice that your waistline is thickening. Your pregnancy will not be noticeable to others unless you tell your people your special news. Also, you should not have gained much weight yet, especially if you are having bloating, nausea, indigestion, heartburn, cravings, and food aversions.
Tip of the week: You need to eat a lot of food that has calcium, such as broccoli, sardines, and cheese. Your baby needs calcium, as well as your body.
Week 10:
Baby: In week 10 your baby is still small, but it looks and acts like a baby. Its arms and legs are longer and they can bend at the elbows and knees.
Mom–to–be: Your uterus was the size of your fist, but now it is the size of grapefruit. Your body probably does not show much, but you may feel more comfortable in looser clothes. In this week, you may continue to feel tired and moody, but you need to remember that your symptoms should not last too much longer.
Tip of the week: You need to start shopping for maternity bras because you will need one pretty soon. Also, if you are planning to breastfeed, then you can go and buy nursing bras.
Weeks 11:
- Baby: This is a week that is marked by big growth for your children. Your doctor can hear the rapid swooshing noises of the heartbeat when he or she is using a Doppler stethoscope. In this week, your baby’s genitals are developing, but the sex cannot be determined yet by the ultrasound.
- Mom–to–be: In week 11, pregnancy hormones show their good and bad effects. You can notice that your fingernails, toenails, and hair are growing faster. But, you can also notice acne and oily skin.
- Tip of the week: You need to schedule a dentist appointment. You need to see your dentist at least once in these nine months. You need to brush and floss your teeth daily and take your prenatal vitamin for calcium to keep your teeth strong. Also, you can notice that your gums may bleed more due to the pregnancy hormones and increased blood volume. If your gums bleed, then you should use a soft toothbrush.
Week 12:
- Baby: In this week, all parts of your baby are developing, from tooth buds to toenails. Your baby will keep developing and he or she will get larger and stronger for the rest of your pregnancy. By the end of 12 weeks, the chance of miscarriage will drop considerably.
- Mom–to–be: In the next few weeks, you will feel more energetic. The typical weight gain by this week is from 1.5 – 5 pounds. Also, fathers–to–be may experience pregnancy symptoms (which are known as couvades or hatching) during the third month and at delivery, such as weight gain, appetite changes, abdominal pain, and nausea.
- Tip of the week: You should try not to fret about the stretch marks. Most women get stretch marks on the hips, abdomen, breasts, or buttocks sometimes during pregnancy. Stretch marks will not go away, but usually, they fade after the pregnancy. Despite the claims from manufacturers, oils and creams will not minimize them. How much stretch marks will show on your skin, depends on the natural elasticity of your skin.
What is happening inside you:
Your baby is fully formed, with arms, hands, fingers, feet, and toes by the end of the third month. Its little hands can open and close. Also, the fingernails and toenails are beginning to develop and the external ears are formed. Its teeth are starting to form. Also, your baby’s reproductive organs develop, but the sex of a baby is difficult to distinguish on the ultrasound. The liver produces bile and the circulatory and urinary systems are working.
The development of your baby in the third month:
During the third month of your pregnancy, your baby will triple in its size. Its nerve cells develop. Its skeleton continues to form and the joints become functional. The fingers of your baby can bend inside the hand, but none of these movements are controlled by the brain yet. In this month, your baby is no longer an embryo, but a fetus. The sensory organs will develop and the eyes will take their final place and the eyelids cover them. Its mouth starts to join together and the lips take the shape. [4,5]
Also, the nostrils form. In this month, your baby moves more and the suction system also develops. Your baby weighs about 65 grams and it measures 12 cm. you need to talk with your partner because the pregnancy needs to be supported by both partners. In this way, you will feel better and this can help your baby to grow in a healthy and happy state.
References:
[1] Avsar TS, McLeod H, Jackson L. Health outcomes of smoking during pregnancy and the postpartum period: an umbrella review. BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth. 2021;21.
[2] Liu B, Xu G, Sun Y, et al. Maternal cigarette smoking before and during pregnancy and the risk of preterm birth: A dose–response analysis of 25 million mother–infant pairs. PLOS Medicine. 2020.
[3] Schetter CD, Tanner L. Anxiety, depression and stress in pregnancy: implications for mothers, children, research, and practice. Current Opinion in Psychiatry. 2012;25(2):141–8. doi:10.1097/YCO.0b013e3283503680
[4] Brown JE, Murtaugh MA, Jacobs DR, Margellos HC. Variation in newborn size according to pregnancy weight change by trimester. The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. 2002;76(1):205-9.
[5] Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. About pregnancy. Retrieved from www.nichd.nih.gov/health/topics/pregnancy/conditioninfo
