Many expectant mothers nickname their fetus, to help reference the size of their baby during their pregnancy.
However, babies don’t stay one size for long. While comparing a fetus to a piece of produce or a sporting equipment might seem kind of absurd, it will help to visualize how much the baby is growing in the womb.
Here is the expected growth of baby over the next nine months:
Month One: The embryo is only two layers of cells, making it microscopic. But by the end of the month, a little poppy seed will grow to be about the size of an apple seed.
Month Two: While still small, baby is growing at a rapid pace; about a millimetre every day and doubling in size weekly. In week five, it will be around the size of lentil (5 mm); a raspberry in week seven; and by the end of the month the size of a kidney bean (about 1.6 cm). This accelerated growth is the cause of increased hunger, nausea or exhaustion.
Month Three: Baby’s not the only thing that’s getting noticeably larger. You may not yet be showing, but your breasts have likely increased in size and your clothes are feeling a bit tight. By the end of the month, baby will be the size of a lime or a baseball, and be about as long as a pea pod (7.4 cm).
Month Four: Baby’s now about as big as an avocado—or the size of your entire hand—and weighs around 100 grams. You’re probably also starting to show.
Month Five: Now, baby is between 25 and 30 centimetres in length—so about the size of a banana. You’ve also now passed the halfway point, which makes this a great time to learn about your cord blood storage options.
Month Six: You are now probably starting to feel a little bit heavy. Your baby is too. This is when your baby is starting to put on fat, making him/her about the size of a mango.
Month Seven: Welcome to your third trimester. Your little one can now open and close their eyes. At 40 centimetres in length and about 1 kg, they are the size of an eggplant.
Month Eight: Baby is getting ready to greet the world! At 2.2 kilograms, they have developed lungs and are the size of a pineapple. As you prepare your bag for the hospital, don’t forget to pack your cord blood collection kit.
Month Nine: At this point, the average size of babies are about 3.5 kg and about 50 centimetres in length — about the size of a watermelon.
Cherish every month of your pregnancy—while you probably can’t wait to meet your baby— each stage of their growth is worth celebrating.
While COVID-19 impacted many aspects of life, the fundamentals of pregnancy and childbirth remained the same – except traditional prenatal classes suddenly were not possible.
Markham Prenatal, a division of Cells For Life and one of Canada’s leading prenatal education providers, offers FREE, live prenatal class webinars as an alternative to their in-class programs which have run for over 30 years. Over 12,000 expectant mothers-to-be from over 50 hospitals nationwide have attended the free classes. Markham prenatal partners with a number of leading Canadian Hospitals including North York, Markham Stouffville, Mackenzie health Prenatal and Humber River.
Join a FREE live Prenatal class for even more pregnancy tips