Three Stages of Fetal Development

A woman's pregnancy is divided into three parts called trimesters. Each trimester is slightly over 13 weeks for a total of 40 weeks for a normal pregnancy. During each of those trimesters, the baby goes through important stages of fetal development. With each stage, the baby is growing and forming into the infant that you will soon meet and each stage has its own emphasis on nutritional needs.

During the first trimester, your baby will undergo changes almost day by day. From one lonely single cell, the fetus develops limbs and the beginning stages of all its vital organs. Despite this rapid growth, the size of your baby is still extremely tiny, only about 3 and a half inches long at 14 weeks. At this point, you will recognize the ultrasound picture of this tiny human being within. During this phase of your pregnancy, you will need to provide lots of energy to your growing baby so plenty of complex carbohydrates are needed.

The next of the three stages of fetal development is the second trimester. During this time, your baby's growth really explodes, finishing the period a foot long or more! You will feel movement as the baby begins to kick and move it's arms within your uterus. Hair begins to grow and all of the bones are formed. Good nutrition is just as necessary during this stage as the rest of your pregnancy but a special emphasis on calcium and vitamin D should be made so that the bones formed are strong and sturdy.

During the last of the stages of fetal development, your baby begins to build muscles and start to store fat. From the average of 2 and a half pounds at the end of last trimester, your baby will approximately triple in size during the last months of pregnancy. During this stage, vital brain development is happening. For proper brain functioning, omega 3 fatty acids are extremely important during the final part of your baby's development.

If you take an omega 3 supplement during pregnancy, baby brain development will be enhanced. Your baby will be born smarter and brighter. An omega 3 supplement is especially important during the third trimester of pregnancy. You can get this supplement from fish oil which means you will have to eat fish. However, your doctor recommends you eat no more than 2 servings a month when pregnant. Therefore you will not get enough of the omega 3 supplement that both you and your baby need. In order to get enough, you will have to take it in capsule form.