Concerns and Complications

Your baby todayThis profile of the baby shows the tip of the nose touching the placenta. Your placenta will not be growing any more and now thins slightly. Within, the placenta continues to mature and it remains a highly efficient means of supply...

Your baby todayThe lip shape and groove between the nose and upper lip are particularly well shown here. If you or your partner has a prominent groove, or philtrum, above the upper lip, your baby may too, or she may inherit characteristics that a...

Your baby todayHere the back of the embryo can be seen lying over the yolk sac. The opening overlying the developing brain has now closed (left side of image) and this will be followed two days later by closure of the opening at the base of the s...

Your baby todayThere is no light in the uterus, but 3D ultrasound is designed to produce highlights and shadows to give the same effect as if you shone a flashlight into the uterus. Now your baby may be holding her hands flexed into a fist. ...

Your baby todayThere is still plenty of room for your baby to move around. Your baby is able to perform complete somersaults and change position several times a day or even several times in a few minutes. ...

Your baby's skin is still transparent and there is little fat lying beneath it at this stage of the pregnancy. ...

Your baby todayThe embryo until this stage of development has consisted of two layers of cells. Now, a third layer starts to become visible as a "bulge" between the two-this bulge can be seen in the center of this image. ...

Your baby todayBy now the fetus's forehead is high and bulging, with visible joins in the plates of bone that comprise the skull. The eyes have migrated from the sides of the head at this stage of development. ...

You're probably already wondering if you're carrying a boy or a girl, but the physical signs of gender aren't apparent yet. ...

Your baby's lungs won't be fully developed until late in pregnancy, but the foundations are being laid down right now. ...

You're probably already wondering if you're carrying a boy or a girl, but the physical signs of gender aren't apparent yet. ...

Your baby todayHere the back of the embryo can be seen lying over the yolk sac. The opening overlying the developing brain has now closed (left side of image) and this will be followed two days later by closure of the opening at the base of the s...

Your baby todayThe embryo, still less than 3 mm long, now has a deep and narrow groove extending along its entire length. This groove will soon become so deep and its edges will curl over so much that it forms into a tube running along the length...

Your baby todayThe embryo until this stage of development has consisted of two layers of cells. Now, a third layer starts to become visible as a "bulge" between the two-this bulge can be seen in the center of this image. ...

Your baby todayYour baby's heart will beat quite fast, at between 110 and 160 beats every minute. Even after birth, your baby's heart will continue to beat at this speed. It will be several years before the heart rate is 70 or so beats per minute...

What's happening insideThe blastocyst prepares to embed itself in the lining of the uterus-the endometrium. Once it is completely implanted-usually around seven days after fertilization-the pregnancy will become established. ...

What's happening insideThis mature ovarian follicle contains a fluid-filled cavity (pale pink) known as the follicular antrum. At this stage, just prior to ovulation, one follicle has become much larger than the others, and it is this follicle th...

Women who experience a pregnancy loss quickly learn that our society doesn't understand the pain of this loss. Well-meaning friends might say, "It was probably defective in some way so this is actually a blessing." Or, "You'll get pregnant again....