Laying the foundations for their future, stage by stage
Congratulations! You're pregnant
During this exciting and nerve-wracking period of your pregnancy, you can expect your baby to grow from 8mm in length to 6cm. And while their physical features and internal organs develop, the increase in pregnancy hormones may cause you to experience morning sickness. If you don't feel like eating too much, try to prioritise folate-rich foods like green, leafy vegetables and avocados, which are known to reduce the risk of neural tube defects in early pregnancy.
Your pregnancy week by week
Fuelling their growth and development
Now it's safe to share your exciting news, you can enjoy your pregnancy. As morning sickness subsides you'll start to 'glow' – and grow, as your body prepares for birth. Over the next 13 weeks your baby will learn to kick, swallow and pull faces, while they grow from 8cm in length to 34cm. Now is a good time to include iron and Omega 3-rich foods in your diet to enhance your baby’s brain and visual development.
Your pregnancy week by week
Approaching the final countdown
As you both prepare for birth, your baby will spend the final 14 weeks of pregnancy gaining weight, strength and immunity. They'll also spend 80% of their time sleeping – unlike you, and will grow from 36cm in length to 51cm, gaining around 6lbs in weight. Nutrition remains important for you both. But while your baby is busy gaining fat, it's important to remember that you only need an extra 200 calories a day to support this.