First Trimester

• During the first trimester, you may feel more tired than usual and notice some breast tenderness and an achy feeling in your abdomen. The nausea and vomiting common with morning sickness can begin during the first trimester. It is common to experience frequent urination due to the increased pressure on your bladder as your uterus enlarges. The umbilical cord that supplies the baby with nutrition will form, as will the baby's external genitalia. By the end of this trimester, your baby will have developed most of the major organs, including the brain and heart, and will have recognizable eyes and ears. After 12 weeks, your baby will weight approximately 1/2 oz. and measure about 3 inches.
  
  

Second Trimester

• Morning sickness disappears for some women during the second semester, but others continue to feel nauseous. As the baby grows, you may experience aches in the pelvis and hips, leg cramps, stretch marks, back pain, hemorrhoids, nosebleeds and heartburn. It is during this trimester that you will feel the first fluttery movements of your baby. Your baby's skin will form, and she'll be able to hear and move her facial muscles. Her eyes will become sensitive to light. During the second trimester, the eyebrows, eyelashes, fingers and toes form. Rapid fetal growth occurs during this time, and by the end of trimester, during your twenty-fourth week, your baby will be 12 or 13 inches long and weigh close to 2 lb.
  
  

Third Trimester

• Things are getting tight in your uterus as your baby grows and delivery approaches. You may notice that your baby has dropped lower in your abdomen as you near your due date. This dropping signals that the birth will happen soon, as your baby is getting into a better position to exit the birth canal. As the baby grows larger, you may experience shortness of breath due to the pressure of the expanding uterus on your diaphragm. You might notice pain in your hip or a pain that runs down the backs of your legs due to the baby pressing on certain nerves. You might develop varicose veins and stretch marks. You might leak urine occasionally, particularly if the baby finds a comfortable position right over your bladder. During this trimester, your baby will be able to open and close his eyes and even get the hiccups. He'll put on weight and fat to prepare for his arrival into the world, and his lungs will continue to develop.
  
  

Birth

• During the first phase of labor, the cervix will start to dilate, or enlarge, and contractions will begin. When contractions occur, the uterus tightens and relaxes, forcing open the cervix, the opening to the uterus. During the active phase of labor, the cervix is completely dilated, and the baby moves into the birth canal. It is during this phase that you will push the baby out. The average length of labor is 12 to 14 hours, according the March of Dimes, although labor can be much quicker or longer, depending on the woman. Labor tends to be shorter in women who have had children before.
  
  

Postpartum Recovery

• After the baby is born, your body will slowly revert to normal. Your uterus will shrink by half in only 1 week, and after 6 weeks, it will return to its prepregnancy size. There will be some postpartum, or after-birth, bleeding for approximately 1 month, and you may feel some pain as the uterus shrinks. If you had an episiotomy, an incision made by your doctor to widen the vaginal opening during delivery, you may experience soreness in this area. Soon after delivery, your breasts will begin to fill with milk, causing discomfort and swelling. Some women experience postpartum depression after the birth of a baby. If you are feeling continually depressed or sad, it is important to ask your doctor for help in managing the symptoms.