Once your pregnancy is confirmed, you need to look up information in every guide to pregnancy you can find. Apart from feelings of joy or elation, you may also feel anxiety and apprehension. With so many myths floating about these nine months, it is but natural that mothers feel worried. Getting the right information is the first step to a healthy pregnancy. This article will be a small guide to pregnancy that will answer some of the fundamental questions all pregnant women have.
What Causes The Physical Changes During Pregnancy?
When the male sperm fuses with the female egg after intercourse, a baby is conceived. The egg is transferred to the lining of the uterus after fertilization. The symptoms such as nausea, swelling, fatigue are caused by an increase in the levels of the hormone progesterone. They are nothing to be worried about, unless the symptoms are severe. Nausea is a sign that the hormones in your body are working fine and the development of the baby is progressing smoothly.
What Is A Trimester?
Doctors find it convenient to describe and discuss the duration of nine months if it is divided into three sections of three months apiece. Each three-month period is a trimester. The symptoms of pregnancy change during each trimester, as the baby develops and grows. In the first trimester, most mothers feel severely nauseated and fatigued. The chances of miscarriage are the highest in the first trimester. The second trimester is relatively easier for the mother, as nausea abates and she feels less tired or dizzy. The baby can also be monitored through ultrasound scans during this trimester. In the third trimester, the baby has developed completely and gets ready for the world outside. Mothers may also feel some of the fatigue returning during this trimester, and have symptoms that predict the onset of labor. The third trimester ends with childbirth.
When Is The Baby Due?
The date of delivery of the baby is known as the due date. Doctors start counting trimesters from the first day of the last menstrual period. Thus, pregnancy lasts for 40 weeks. However, not all babies are delivered after exactly 40 weeks. Most babies are delivered a little sooner or little later. Only about 1 in 10 babies are born on the due date. Babies that are born before 37 weeks are called premature. Your doctor will calculate the due date for you based on your last menstrual cycle. You can also look up a due date calculator on any online guide to pregnancy.
Today, you can find many books, journals and articles that can act as your guide to pregnancy. You can also ask your doctor for more information. Knowledge will empower you to make the right decisions regarding pregnancy.
The pregnancy is divided up into three periods of about three months each. They are called the first trimester, second trimester, and third trimester. Here is what you can expect in each trimester.
The first trimester is the first 14 weeks. During the first trimester, your baby will grow from a microscopic size to the size of a small melon. By then end of the first trimester, the baby will have defined facial features and you will be able to determine the sex of the baby with an ultrasound.
During the first trimester, the mother may begin experiencing morning sickness, and or unstable emotions. Be loving, supportive, and communicate as well as you can with your wife / girlfriend.
The second trimester is the 14th to 28th weeks of the pregnancy. During the second trimester, the mother will generally have much less morning sickness and nausea. The baby will be growing rapidly ? weighing in at about two pounds by the 28th week.
The third trimester is from week 28 to birth. During the third trimester, the baby is nearly completely formed, and can live with specialized care, should it be born early. The mother will likely have various physical discomforts due to the growing baby, such as backaches, trouble sleeping, heartburn, etc. As throughout the rest of the pregnancy, communication, support, and love are very important.
As the baby's due date nears, you'll have many decisions to make with your wife / girlfriend, with help from your doctor. Of course, you'll want to pick out name(s) too!
Both Warren Wong & Gabriel Adams are contributors for EditorialToday. The above articles have been edited for relevancy and timeliness. All write-ups, reviews, tips and guides published by EditorialToday.com and its partners or affiliates are for informational purposes only. They should not be used for any legal or any other type of advice. We do not endorse any author, contributor, writer or article posted by our team.