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Your babyIn these last weeks, some time before birth, the baby’s head may move down into your pelvis and is said to be ‘engaged’. Sometimes the baby’s head doesn’t engage until labour has started. The amniotic fluid now turns into waste, called mecon...

Your babyIn these last weeks, some time before bir...

Your babyBy 33 weeks of pregnancy the baby’s brain and nervous system are fully developed. Your baby's bones are also starting to harden, even though the skull bones will stay soft and separated to make the journey through the birth canal (cervix and...

Your babyBy 33 weeks of pregnancy the baby’s brain...

Your babyWhen you're 30 weeks pregnant the baby’s head-to-bottom length is about 33cm. The baby is growing plumper so the skin, which was quite wrinkled before, is now smoother. The white, greasy vernix and the soft, furry lanugo (fine hair) begin to...

Your babyWhen you're 30 weeks pregnant the baby’s ...

Your babyBy the time you are 25 or 26 weeks pregnant the baby is moving about vigorously and responds to touch and sound. A very loud noise may make her or him jump and kick. Your baby is also swallowing small amounts of the amniotic fluid in which i...

Your babyBy the time you are 25 or 26 weeks pregna...

Your babyBy the time you're 17 weeks pregnant, your baby is growing quickly. The body grows bigger so that the head and body are more in proportion and the baby doesn’t look as "top heavy". The face begins to look much more human, and the hair is beg...

Your babyBy the time you're 17 weeks pregnant, you...

Your babyWhen you are around 22 weeks pregnant the baby becomes covered in a very fine, soft hair called lanugo. The purpose of this isn’t known, but it’s thought that it may be to keep the baby at the right temperature. The lanugo disappears before ...

Your babyWhen you are around 22 weeks pregnant the...

Your babyBy about 14 weeks the heartbeat is strong and can be heard using an ultrasound detector. The heartbeat is very fast; about twice as fast as a normal adult’s heartbeat. At 14 weeks, the baby is about 85mm long from head to bottom. YouIf you'v...

Your babyBy about 14 weeks the heartbeat is strong...

Your babyFrom the time you’re about eight weeks pregnant the baby is called a foetus, which means "offspring". By now the face is slowly forming. The eyes are more obvious and have some colour in them. There is a mouth and tongue. There are now the b...

Your babyFrom the time you’re about eight weeks pr...

Your babyThree weeks after the first day of your last menstrual period, your fertilised egg moves slowly along the fallopian tube towards the womb. The egg begins as one single cell. Early on this cell divides again and again. By the time the egg rea...

Your babyThree weeks after the first day of your l...

If you've tried unsuccessfully to get pregnant for a year or more through regular unprotected sex, it’s time to see your GP. If you're a woman over 35, or if you think that either partner may have a fertility problem, see your GP after six months of ...

If you've tried unsuccessfully to get pregnant for...

If you’ve been trying to get pregnant for less than a year, find out how to maximise your chances of getting pregnant. Eating a healthy diet, cutting down on alcohol, keeping to a healthy weight and getting exercise can all help.If you’ve been trying...

If you’ve been trying to get pregnant for less tha...

If you have fertility problems, you may be struggling with many difficult feelings. Support and counselling are available. Complex and often painful emotions are common for people with fertility problems, those who can't have children and those havin...

If you have fertility problems, you may be struggl...

Stay active when you're pregnantThe more active and fit you are during pregnancy, the easier it will be for you to adapt to your changing shape and weight gain. It will also help you to cope with labour and get back into shape after the birth. Keep u...

Stay active when you're pregnantThe more active an...

Obesity, which is usually defined as having a body mass index (BMI) of more than 30, is increasingly common. Around 15-20% of pregnant women are now obese. Before you get pregnant you can use the BMI healthy weight calculator to work out your BMI. Bu...

Obesity, which is usually defined as having a body...

Vitamin supplementsEating a healthy, varied diet in pregnancy will help you to get all the vitamins and minerals you need. There are some vitamins and minerals that are especially important.It is best to get vitamins and minerals from the food you ea...

Vitamin supplementsEating a healthy, varied diet i...

Early signs of pregnancyFor women who have a regular monthly menstrual cycle, the earliest and most reliable sign of pregnancy is a missed period. Sometimes women who are pregnant have a very light period, losing only a little blood. Some of the othe...

Early signs of pregnancyFor women who have a regul...

When you can do a pregnancy test ?You can carry out a pregnancy test on a sample of urine from the first day of a missed period. If you're pregnant, this is about two weeks after conception. Some very sensitive pregnancy tests can be used even before...

When you can do a pregnancy test ?You can carry ou...

Getting pregnant (conception) happens when a man’s sperm fertilises a woman’s egg. For some women this happens quickly, but for others it can take longer. Out of every 100 couples trying for a baby, 80 to 90 will get pregnant (conceive) within one ye...

Getting pregnant (conception) happens when a man’s...

Eating well when you're pregnantA healthy diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle at any time, but especially vital if you're pregnant or planning a pregnancy. Eating healthily during pregnancy will help your baby to develop and grow, and wi...

Eating well when you're pregnantA healthy diet is ...

Take care with some foodsThere are some foods you should not eat when you're pregnant because they might make you ill or harm your baby. Make sure you know the important facts about which foods you should avoid or take extra care with when you're pre...

Take care with some foodsThere are some foods you ...

Am I pregnant? What should I be eating? Is it normal to be this tired? Whatever you want to know about getting pregnant, being pregnant or caring for your new baby, you should find it here.There are more than 200 easy-to-read pages, detailed week-by-...

Am I pregnant? What should I be eating? Is it norm...