By the end of the fourth month, your baby will be 8 to 10 inches long and will weigh about 6 ounces. Your baby's skin is pink and somewhat transparent. This month eyebrows and eyelashes begin to appear and buds on the side of the head begin to form, creating the outer ear. Facial development continues as the tail has disappeared from the fetus. Your baby’s head makes up about half its size and its neck is long enough to lift the head from the body. Also in this month your baby kicks, moves, sleeps, wakes, swallows, and passes urine.

This is the month that many women begin to really "feel pregnant." Physically, you may still be fatigued, feel constipated, have indigestion, heartburn, severe gas, or bloating, and experience occasional headaches and dizziness. On a more positive note, some of the symptoms you may have had during the first trimester will likely decrease or go away. For example, you will not need to urinate as often, you will feel less nauseated and be less likely to vomit, and your breasts will not feel as tender but will continue to grow. However, as old symptoms pass, new ones may arise. These symptoms may include nasal congestion and occasional nosebleeds, ear stuffiness, bleeding gums, increase in your appetite, mild swelling in your ankles, feet, hands, and face, varicose veins in your legs and/or hemorrhoids. Also present this month may be a slight whitish vaginal discharge called leucorrhea. You may also experience bouts of clumsiness. While the symptoms may be tiring and feel unrewarding, you may, near the end of this month, be rewarded with the wonderful sensation of fetal movement.You may begin to feel fluttering in your lower abdomen. It will feel similar to bubbles or as I could best describe, like an inflated balloon that is being flicked with your fingers. This sensation is called quickening. Be sure to document this with the date so that you can inform your doctor at your next visit. Information like this helps to confirm your due date. It is important, however, to remember that all women experience pregnancy differently and you may have none, some, or all of these symptoms

Emotionally, you are likely to still swing back and forth between joy, apprehension, irritability, etc. Your emotions are a mess and you often have no control over them. Many women feel frustrated and self-conscious about their bodies when they don't fit into their regular clothes but are still too small for maternity clothes. You may also feel somewhat scattered and clumsy-it is normal to be forgetful, drop things, and have trouble concentrating. It is a time of excitement and confusion as your body makes several changes to accommodate the life growing inside.

At this point in the pregnancy dad may be worrying mostly about money. The rising cost of raising children can be a huge burden on both your and dad’s shoulders. Try not to stress as the money will work out when the baby comes. You can both work together on trying to save money now; however, this is not the time to become stressed about how you will put your as yet unborn child through college. Worrying will cause unnecessary stress and irritability in both you and your partner at a time when it is not needed. Instead, plan together your upcoming arrival by continuing to read or watch videos about pregnancy and newborn care. It is also a good time to check out pregnancy and childbirth classes near you. It may also be a good time to find out how soon you need to register for them, as these classes often fill up quickly. Try to find a class that is appropriate for both you and your partner so that you both can prepare for the birthing process.

During your prenatal visit this month, your doctor will likely check your weight, blood pressure and test your urine. After these routine checks s/he will also measure the fetal heart rate, size of your uterus, and height of your fundus. The size of your uterus and fundus height helps to confirm your EDD. S/he may also look for or ask you about any signs of swelling or varicose veins, and other symptoms. It is important to continue to monitor all of these continually during your pregnancy to help ensure the health of your baby and prevent or lessen any problems you might experience. Another test that may or may not be offered to you is the alpha-fetoprotein test. Alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) is a protein produced by a growing fetus. It is present in amniotic fluid, fetal blood, and, in smaller amounts, in the woman's blood. The AFP test is usually performed at 15-20 weeks of pregnancy. This is when the test is most accurate. For the test, a small amount of blood is taken from a vein in the woman's arm. Results are usually available in about a week. By adding certain tests to the AFP test you can get more information about your risk of having a baby with Down syndrome than the AFP test alone. This is called a triple screen test. Besides measuring AFP, a triple screen test measures other substances in the woman's blood that come from the pregnancy. Two that might be measured are human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and estriol. hCG is a hormone produced by the placenta. Levels of hCG are higher than normal in most pregnancies with a fetus with Down syndrome. Estriol is produced mostly in the placenta and in the liver of the fetus. Estriol levels are lower than normal in most pregnancies with a fetus with Down syndrome. A triple screen test is also performed at 15-20 weeks of pregnancy. As with the AFP test, a small amount of blood is taken from a vein in the woman's arm. Usually the same blood sample is used for all the tests. Results are usually available within a week. Depending on the results of the triple screen test and other factors that may affect your baby’s health a third test may also be administered. While it is not a routine test, it is available in high-risk pregnancies and other cases. This test is called an Amniocentesis. Amniocentesis is often referred to as the most common procedure used to test for birth defects, but currently it is often used as a follow up to abnormal results from a triple screen or AFP test. It is usually done at 15-18 weeks of pregnancy. This test is performed in a hospital or in the health care provider's office, not normally requiring any overnight hospitalization. In some cases during this month you may also be offered an ultrasound. At this time of the pregnancy, sex is able to be determined. Depending on the cooperation of your little one, you may be able to find out if you are expecting a boy or a girl. Not all physicians offer a second ultrasound (if you have had one earlier), and not all health insurances will cover more than one ultrasound, especially if they are not deemed medically necessary.