The following article delves into the subject of pregnancy week by week. If you have a particular interest in pregnancy week by week, then this informative article is required reading.

Pregnancy is a scary, yet miraculous part of life. Part of the nervousness and anticipation that surrounds pregnancy is a lack of knowledge about what happens to your body during the nine months required to create a new life. Below is a pregnancy week by week list of the changes that will take place while you are pregnant. Remember that every woman is different and the rate at which a fetus develops is varied.

Pregnancy Week By Week - One Through Four:

Week one starts with the date of your last menstrual period. During week four, fertilization of the eggs occurs and the process of creating a new life begins.

Pregnancy Week By Week - Five Through Eight:

You have missed a period and you may begin to suspect that you are pregnant. At this stage, a pregnancy test will be accurate for most women. During the sixth week your baby's heart starts to beat. Week seven may be the beginning of morning sickness, and by week eight the rapidly developing fetus has small arms and legs.

Pregnancy Week By Week - Nine Through Twelve:

During this stage of pregnancy, your body continues to grow and adjust to accommodate the growing fetus. Your baby should start to move inside your body although you may not notice at this point. By week twelve, morning sickness should begin to subside.

Pregnancy Week By Week - Week By Week Thirteen Through Sixteen:

It is possible to determine the baby's gender by week thirteen, but with only a moderate degree of accuracy. Week fourteen should be the week in which you can hear the baby's heartbeat during your visit to your obstetrician. You will most likely be able to feel your baby move during this period as the baby's bones begin to harden.

Pregnancy Week By Week - Seventeen Through Twenty:

The best time to learn about pregnancy week by week is before you're in the thick of things. Wise readers will keep reading to earn some valuable pregnancy week by week experience while it's still free.

By this time your baby's internal organs are starting to develop rapidly and the fetus is covered in fine hair called lanugo. An ultrasound performed during this time should accurately determine your baby's gender.

Pregnancy Week By Week - Twenty One Through Twenty Four:

At this stage of pregnancy, your baby will begin practicing breathing in order to be ready for this job when he or she is born. You may feel slight contractions during this time as your uterus begins preparing for the task at hand. By week twenty four, your baby begins to develop fat deposits in order to regulate body temperature after birth.

Pregnancy Week By Week - Twenty Four Through Twenty Eight:

Your uterus will begin to get crowded at this stage of pregnancy and your baby's movements will slow down. Your baby can now sense light and darkness and will be able to hear sounds from the outside world. The sounds your baby hears will resemble the sounds you would hear while swimming under water.

Pregnancy Week By Week - Twenty Nine Through Thirty Two:

Your baby's head is growing rapidly in proportion to the rest of its body. The brain and the eyes are almost fully developed during this stage of your pregnancy. By week thirty two, the only organs not almost fully developed are the lungs

Pregnancy Week By Week -Thirty Three Through Thirty Six:

During week thirty three, your baby can close and open it's eyes and the fingernails grow to the end of the fingers. It is possible that your baby's nails will need to be cut soon after birth. By week thirty six, the baby could weigh up to four pounds and be up to sixteen inches long.

Pregnancy Week By Week - Thirty Seven Through Forty:

Your baby's major organs have been fully developed for a while now and the lungs continue to develop in preparation for birth. The baby could be born at any time now. The actual delivery date for your baby could be as much as two weeks before or after the expected due date. The time has come to prepare for the imminent arrival - good luck!

There's a lot to understand about pregnancy week by week. We were able to provide you with some of the facts above, but there is still plenty more to write about in subsequent articles.

Ken Austin is the webmaster at My Pregnancy , a pregnancy resource site.

For more great pregnancy articles, please visit The Pregnancy Resource Guide .