By the end of the first three weeks of pregnancy, you may have noticed that your period has not arrived. If you weren’t planning on getting pregnant, this can be scary. The best way to find out is to take a pregnancy test.

Five weeks into pregnancy is when most mothers find out that they are pregnant. You could be experiencing some morning sickness. You can start receiving antenatal care from midwives and doctors to make sure that you and your baby are being looked after as well as possible. You should contact your GP when you know that you are pregnant so that you can start receiving care.

When you are seven weeks pregnant, your womb will have grown to be the size of a lemon. You will be feeling tired and your breasts might be feeling sore and larger than they were before. You could still be experiencing feelings of nausea and vomiting. This will start to improve after around 14 weeks.

By your ninth week of pregnancy you will have noticed that your breasts have enlarged, it is a good idea to wear a supportive bra. Your emotions will be changing quickly, one moment you could be feeling happy and the next you may be sad.

When you are 11 weeks into pregnancy you may be experiencing headaches brought on by the changes. Read about what you can do about headaches during pregnancy here: https://www.nhs.uk/pregnancy/related-conditions/common-symptoms/headaches/.

When you are 13 weeks pregnant you have started your second trimester and you may start feeling less sick, as morning sickness usually goes away at around week 13 or 14. You may start to feel an increased sex drive because of a different balance of hormones or the increased blood flow to your pelvic area. Its normal to not feel this increased desire too.

You will be developing more of a baby bump. Your womb is growing and moving upwards, if you’ve been using the toilet more often in the last few months this will ease off as your womb is not pressing on your bladder as much anymore.

At 15 weeks you may be noticing that there is more vaginal discharge. Its normal to be experiencing this, it’s usually thin, clear or a milky white colour and doesn’t smell badly. You may be starting to feel more back pain from the increased weight in your womb and breasts and pregnancy hormones affecting the ligaments in your body.

When you’re 17 weeks pregnant you will be able to feel your baby moving inside you. You may not be able to tell exactly what they’re doing, but it won’t be long until you can tell.

You will have been having ultrasound scans during your pregnancy. Between week 17 and 21 you will have the mid-pregnancy anomaly scan, sometimes this is called the “20-week scan”. At 19 weeks, you will be feeling movement now if you are having your first baby.

At 21 weeks, your womb will start getting bigger more quickly and you will start looking pregnant. You may be feeling hungrier than you were before you were pregnant. Its important to try and keep a healthy and balanced diet.

At 23 weeks, you may develop piles (haemorrhoids). These are swollen and enlarged blood vessels inside or around your bottom, while this can happen to you whether you’re pregnant or not, its more likely to happen when you are pregnant because hormones are making your veins relax. You may be experiencing tiredness and not being able to sleep as well, you can help this by sleeping with more pillows around your body to help you relax.

At 25 weeks, you may have some swelling in your hands or feet. This is caused by a retention of water, take more rests and spend more time off your feet. If you are going to take maternity leave, now is a good time to tell your employer that you are pregnant as they need at least 15 weeks’ notice to prepare your maternity/paternity leave care and pay.

Week 27 is the end of your second trimester. You may be feeling bloated and constipated, this is partly because your stomach is being squeezed by your growing baby and partly due to the pregnancy hormone progesterone.

At 29 weeks your bump will start to push up against your lungs, this combined with the extra weight from your growing baby will make you feel breathless from time to time. You may have swollen ankles too, so take time to rest.

31 weeks pregnant means you are not likely to go beyond another 10 weeks of pregnancy, you could give birth in 6 weeks and it wouldn’t be considered early. Your bump will still be growing and if this is your first baby your doctor will probably check on the size of your uterus. You may have felt your bump move downwards as your baby moves into a better place for birth, there’s still time if this hasn’t happened yet.

33 weeks means that you’ve got around 6 weeks to go, and if you gave birth now your baby wouldn’t be considered early. You could start preparing for birth at any moment as your child could be ready to be born at any point. Remember to try and stay active and get as much rest as you can.

Week 35 is where many women choose to start their maternity leave and use the next few weeks to make final preparations for giving birth. You may have noticed yellow stains in your bra, this is colostrum, an early milk that is rich in antibodies, which is good.

You’re in week 37 now and your baby could come at any point. Your baby is full term and fully developed. If you’re carrying twins, you will probably give birth this week. Almost all babies are head down at this point but there is still time for them to turn if they are in bottom down position (breech).

When you’re sitting try leaning forwards with your hips above your knees, this could help your baby move into a better position. You may also find that you’re getting more vaginal discharge and you may be feeling discomfort, these are Braxton Hicks contractions, which are practise contractions, they will be uncomfortable but should not be painful. Get as much rest as you can.

In your 39th week of pregnancy you will finding quite a lot more discharge in your underwear than before. If you spot a limy blob of mucus which is yellow or bloody this is a “show”. This used to plug your cervix and when it comes out it is a sign that your baby is on the way, but don’t rush to the hospital yet as you could still have days to wait. You may be getting some back pain as your baby moves down your pelvis and presses against your spine.

Its not unusual to go past your due date, so if you get to week 41 try to be patient and relax. However if you go more than 12 days over your due date you will may have to have labour induced through membrane sweeps.