Your Pregnancy, Week by Week: A Trimester Guide for Singapore Mums
Pregnancy is usually counted as 40 weeks from the first day of your last period, divided into three trimesters. Here is what to expect at each stage, with the prenatal milestones that matter in Singapore.
First trimester (weeks 1–13)
Your body is adjusting to a surge of hormones. Many mums feel tired, nauseous ("morning sickness" that can strike any time of day), and notice tender breasts. Your baby grows from a cluster of cells to a tiny form with a beating heart by around week 6.
- Confirm the pregnancy and book your first appointment at a polyclinic, GP, or O&G specialist.
- Dating scan (around weeks 6–10) confirms how far along you are and checks the heartbeat.
- First-trimester screening / OSCAR (weeks 11–14) combines a nuchal translucency scan and blood test to assess the chance of chromosomal conditions.
- Start a folic acid supplement if you haven't already — it supports your baby's neural development.
Second trimester (weeks 14–27)
Often the most comfortable stretch. Nausea usually eases, energy returns, and a bump appears. Somewhere between weeks 18 and 25 you'll feel the first flutters of movement ("quickening").
- Detailed (anomaly) scan at weeks 18–22 checks your baby's organs and growth in detail.
- You may be offered a glucose tolerance test for gestational diabetes, common in Singapore, usually around weeks 24–28.
- A good time to plan: choosing your delivery hospital, antenatal classes, and your confinement arrangements (good confinement nannies book out early).
Third trimester (weeks 28–40+)
Your baby gains weight quickly and settles into position for birth. You may feel breathless, have trouble sleeping, and notice Braxton Hicks (practice) contractions.
- Antenatal visits become more frequent — typically fortnightly, then weekly near your due date.
- A Group B Strep (GBS) swab is usually done around weeks 35–37.
- Pack your hospital bag, finalise your birth preferences, and learn the signs of labour.
Remember that every pregnancy is different. Use this guide as a map, but your O&G doctor's advice and your own body always come first.
