During pregnancy, some women choose to focus on the here and now and leave the scientific technicalities in the hands of experienced medical professionals.

However, if you are either trying to get pregnant or are either happily already pregnant with your first baby and you are fascinated by the entire process, then you have come to the right place.

Here is a concise guide to everything that happens to your baby and your body during the first trimester.

Week 1 & Week 2

It may surprise you to learn that throughout the first fourteen days of your pregnancy, you are not pregnant.

In reality, conception usually occurs around the two weeks mark after the last day of your previous period and your due date is estimated to be forty weeks afterwards, so your last period is counted as pregnancy.

When you visit an established London pregnancy clinic, you will be afforded comprehensive medical care and check-ups, which will provide you with a detailed analysis of the growth of your baby.

Week 3 & Week 4

Fertilization occurs around three weeks into your pregnancy, with the egg and the sperm joining together in the fallopian tubes to create a brand-new single-cell organism, which is the beginning of the creation of your baby and called a ‘zygote’.

Around the fourth week, the cell has become a cluster of cells, called a ‘blastocyst’ and starts to implant itself into the lining of the uterus, which is known as the implantation period.

Week 5 & Week 6

In week five, the blastocyst starts to increase the production of hormones, which signals the ovaries to not release any eggs and to start creating more progesterone and estrogen, with the embryo now consisting of three separate layers; the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm.

Your baby will begin to grow at a rapid pace from around the sixth week of your pregnancy, with the closing of the neural tube, the development of the spinal cord and brain, and the formation of the heart and other key organs.

Week 7 & 8

During week seven, the face of your baby will start to become more identifiable and the characteristic depressions in the nostrils and the beginning stages of the retina start to grow. There are also buds to form the lower limbs which start to grow around this time too.

In the eighth week, fingers and your baby’s nose will start to develop and your beautiful baby’s eyes will become visible on the ultrasound, as well as the neck and the upper lip.

Weeks 9 to 12

In the final section of the first trimester of your pregnancy, the fetus will begin to grow their arms and the distinction between the elbows will start to appear, with the bending of elbows occurring around ten weeks into your pregnancy.

During weeks eleven and twelve, which mark the end of your trimester, your baby’s genitals will begin to develop, their fingernails will have formed, and their face will have a more detailed profile.