When you see your doctor or midwife, they will talk about your pregnancy in terms of “weeks”. Your estimated date of delivery is based on the “40th week”. A term pregnancy is one where the baby is born between “weeks 37 to 42”.

This series within pregnancyandwomenshealth will inform you about the growth and development of your baby in each week of pregnancy.

If you read an embryology textbook things rapidly become complicated. Hopefully this blog will explain development in a simpler way. Then again, maybe not. It really does get complicated at times, especially around weeks 8-20. My colleagues and I have observed many medical and midwifery students develop glazed eyes once we embark on fetal folding. But that comes later. For now, start at week 1 of pregnancy – what happens…