Email updates about pregnancy

How to update your account. Best toddler backpacks. Sponsored educational areas. Help Center. Celebrating the holidays in an interfaith family. New to BabyCenter? Join now. Password Forgot your password? Keep me logged in. As your baby grows, your body goes through many changes.

A typical pregnancy will last 40 weeks full-term which is split into three different trimesters of development. Our pregnancy week by week newsletter provides pregnancy updates about how your baby is developing as well as what you can expect to be experiencing week by week, trimester by trimester.

Your baby's strong kicks might be keeping you up at night — and you may be feeling Braxton Hicks contractions, too. Your baby is plumping up!

Meanwhile, your expanding uterus may cause heartburn and shortness of breath. With your baby now weighing a little over 4 pounds, you might be waddling — and having trouble getting comfy in bed. Your baby's central nervous system and lungs are maturing, and dizziness and fatigue may be slowing you down.

Your baby is too snug in your womb to do somersaults, but you'll still feel frequent — if less dramatic — movements. Your baby is gaining about an ounce a day. You may feel her "drop" down into your pelvis as you approach your due date. Your baby's brain and lungs are continuing to mature. You may have more vaginal discharge and occasional contractions.

Your baby has a firm grasp, which you'll soon be able to test in person! Meanwhile, watch out for signs of preeclampsia. Your baby is full term this week and waiting to greet the world!

If your water breaks, call your healthcare provider. Your baby is the size of a small pumpkin! Don't worry if you're still pregnant — it's common to go past your due date.

As cozy as he is, your baby can't stay inside you much longer. You'll go into labor or be induced soon. Weeks on pregnancy Britel. Pregnancy weeks Lya Go to community. New to BabyCenter? Join now. Password Forgot your password? Keep me logged in. Log in. Getting a flu shot is the first and most important step in protecting against flu. The flu shot given during pregnancy is safe and has been shown to protect both the mother and her baby up to 6 months old from flu.

The nasal spray vaccine should not be given to women who are pregnant. If you get sick with flu-like symptoms call your doctor right away. If needed, the doctor will prescribe an antiviral medicine that treats the flu.

Listeriosis lih-steer-ee-OH-suhss. An infection with the harmful bacteria called listeria. It is found in some refrigerated and ready-to-eat foods.

Infection can cause early delivery or miscarriage. Most pregnant women who are infected with this virus do not have serious problems. But there is a small chance the virus can infect the fetus. This raises the risk of miscarriage during the first 20 weeks of pregnancy. Fifth disease can cause severe anemia in women who have red blood cell disorders like sickle cell disease or immune system problems.

An infection that is passed through sexual contact. Many STIs can be passed to the baby in the womb or during birth. Some effects include stillbirth , low birth weight , and life-threatening infections. STIs also can cause a woman's water to break too early or preterm labor. STIs can be prevented by practicing safe sex. A woman can keep from passing an STI to her baby by being screened early in pregnancy. Treatments vary depending on the STI. Many STIs are treated easily with antibiotics.

This infection is caused by a parasite, which is found in cat feces, soil, and raw or undercooked meat. If passed to an unborn baby, the infection can cause hearing loss, blindness, or intellectual disabilities.

Medicines are used to treat a pregnant woman and her unborn baby. Sometimes, the baby is treated with medicine after birth. Bacterial infection in urinary tract. If untreated, it can spread to the kidneys, which can cause preterm labor. An infection caused by an overgrowth of bacteria normally found in the vagina. Yeast infections are more common during pregnancy than in other times of a woman's life. They do not threaten the health of your baby. But they can be uncomfortable and difficult to treat in pregnancy.

When you are pregnant, don't wait to call your doctor or midwife if something is bothering or worrying you. Sometimes physical changes can be signs of a problem.

Department of Health and Human Services. ET closed on federal holidays. Breadcrumb Home Pregnancy You're pregnant: Now what? Pregnancy complications. Pregnancy complications Complications of pregnancy are health problems that occur during pregnancy. Health problems before pregnancy Before pregnancy, make sure to talk to your doctor about health problems you have now or have had in the past. Health problems before pregnancy Condition How it can affect pregnancy Where to learn more Asthma Poorly controlled asthma may increase risk of preeclampsia , poor weight gain in the fetus, preterm birth , cesarean birth , and other complications.

If pregnant women stop using asthma medicine, even mild asthma can become severe. Lung diseases fact sheet Depression Depression that persists during pregnancy can make it hard for a woman to care for herself and her unborn baby.

Having depression before pregnancy also is a risk factor for postpartum depression. Depression fact sheet Depression during and after pregnancy fact sheet Diabetes High blood glucose sugar levels during pregnancy can harm the fetus and worsen a woman's long-term diabetes complications.

Doctors advise getting diabetes under control at least three to six months before trying to conceive. Diabetes fact sheet Eating disorders Body image changes during pregnancy can cause eating disorders to worsen.

Eating disorders are linked to many pregnancy complications, including birth defects and premature birth. Women with eating disorders also have higher rates of postpartum depression. Anorexia nervosa fact sheet Bulimia nervosa fact sheet Epilepsy and other seizure disorders Seizures during pregnancy can harm the fetus, and increase the risk of miscarriage or stillbirth.

But using medicine to control seizures might cause birth defects. For most pregnant women with epilepsy, using medicine poses less risk to their own health and the health of their babies than stopping medicine. About Epilepsy High blood pressure Having chronic high blood pressure puts a pregnant woman and her baby at risk for problems. Women with high blood pressure have a higher risk of preeclampsia and placental abruption when the placenta separates from the wall of the uterus.

The likelihood of preterm birth and low birth weight also is higher. Yet this risk is less than 1 percent if a woman takes certain HIV medicines during pregnancy. Women who have HIV and want to become pregnant should talk to their doctors before trying to conceive. Good prenatal care will help protect a woman's baby from HIV and keep her healthy. Some women have no migraine attacks during pregnancy.

Certain medicines commonly used to treat headaches should not be used during pregnancy. A woman who has severe headaches should speak to her doctor about ways to relieve symptoms safely. Migraine fact sheet Overweight and Obesity Recent studies suggest that the heavier a woman is before she becomes pregnant, the greater her risk of a range of pregnancy complications, including preeclampsia and preterm delivery.

Overweight and obese women who lose weight before pregnancy are likely to have healthier pregnancies. Overweight, obesity, and weight loss fact sheet Sexually transmitted infections STIs Some STIs can cause early labor, a woman's water to break too early, and infection in the uterus after birth. Some STIs also can be passed from a woman to her baby during pregnancy or delivery. Some ways STIs can harm the baby include: low birth weight , dangerous infections, brain damage, blindness, deafness, liver problems, or stillbirth.

Sexually transmitted infections fact sheet Thyroid disease Uncontrolled hyperthyroidism overactive thyroid can be dangerous to the mother and cause health problems such as heart failure and poor weight gain in the fetus.

Uncontrolled hypothyroidism underactive thyroid also threatens the mother's health and can cause birth defects. Graves' disease fact sheet Hashimoto's disease fact sheet Uterine fibroids Uterine fibroids are not uncommon, but few cause symptoms that require treatment.