Being 3 months pregnant can feel… surreal. In some ways, you’re out of the woods: The tentative first trimester is over, you’re feeling more confident about your pregnancy, and you’re probably even starting to tell people your big news (yay!).
At the same time, though, you’ve got a lot of work ahead of you (boo!). Pregnancy is a marathon, not a sprint — and at 3 months pregnant, you’re only about a third of the way through the race.
But don’t worry — you’ve got this, and we’re here to help. Here’s what you can expect at 3 months pregnant for you and your baby, along with what you should be doing right now to prepare for the next two legs of the marathon.
Symptoms at 3 Months Pregnant
Let us guess — you kinda feel like crap right now, right? That’s unfortunately 100 percent normal. On the other hand, some people are feeling pretty good at 3 months pregnant — maybe the morning sickness got a little dicey around 8 to 10 weeks, but you’ve been keeping your breakfast down ever since. Go you!
However you’re feeling, it’s probably “normal” for you and your unique pregnancy. At 3 months, you might have symptoms like:
- nausea and vomiting
- constipation, gas, and heartburn
- breast changes such as swelling, itching, and darkening of the nipples
- fatigue
- dizziness and headaches
- increase in appetite
- mood swings
- increase in vaginal discharge
- increase in food aversions and cravings
Those who don’t have any morning sickness at all often worry this means something is “wrong” with their baby. But while studies have shown that having morning sickness is associated with a lower miscarriage rate, no studies have shown the opposite to be true (that is, that if you don’t have morning sickness, you’re more likely to miscarry).
Morning sickness is common but it doesn’t strike everyone, so if you don’t have it, call yourself lucky and enjoy it!
Although seeing pink or brown spots of blood or discharge in your underwear at any point during pregnancy is understandably alarming, it’s not always a sign that something is wrong. Spotting during early pregnancy happens in as many as 25 percent of healthy pregnancies.
However, you should contact your doctor if you’re seeing bright red blood, are bleeding enough to soak through a pad, or if there have been changes to your spotting recently.
Baby Bump at 3 Months Pregnant
If it’s your first pregnancy, you might not be showing yet at 3 months. Many women, especially if they have strong core muscles, won’t start showing until 4 or even 5 months pregnant the first time around.
On the other hand, if you are showing, that’s cool, too. Every woman’s body is different. And with subsequent pregnancies, you’re more likely to pop out sooner rather than later (you’d be surprised how early… like 7 or 8 weeks, sometimes!), but this is also determined by your overall height, weight, and core strength.
Bottom line? Belly size is about as individual as you are, so try not to compare your belly to other pregnant mamas, even if you’re at the same point in gestation.
Fetal Development at 3 Months Pregnant
OK, now that we know what’s up with you… what about baby?! At 3 months, your baby is working hard at growing: They’re now between 2 and 3 inches long and weigh about as much as a lemon.
You probably aren’t feeling much in the way of movement yet, but that doesn’t mean nothing is happening in there. Your baby’s:
- digestive, muscle, and skeletal systems are developing
- individual fingers and toes on their hands and feet are starting to form
- kidneys are starting to function
- reflexes are developing
- bone marrow is producing white blood cells
- genitals are developing (meaning that pretty soon you’ll be able to find out if your baby’s biological sex)
They might be sucking their thumb or even hiccupping!
