Changes During Pregnancy.
Your body is now starting to go through some fascinating changes. During pregnancy, these stages are referred to as trimesters (periods of about three months). Take time to get in tune with your body and your baby’s growth. Enjoy each trimester as they go by quite fast.
Changes During Pregnancy: FIRST TRIMESTER (0 to 14 weeks) 1 to 3 months
HOW YOUR BODY CHANGES
- Menstrual periods stop.
- You may feel sick to your stomach (nausea) and vomit (maybe better by 17th week).
- The need to urinate increases.
- Breasts become larger and tender; clear, yellowish, sticky first milk (colostrum) may leak from nipples.
- Nipples enlarge, darken and may have raised bumps.
- The womb (uterus) where the baby develops before birth may be felt above the pubic bone by 12th week.
- You may feel very tired and need extra sleep.
HOW THE BABY CHANGES (First Trimester)
- Heartbeat can be heard with a special machine (Doppler machine) that picks up the heartbeat of a foetus at 8 to 12 weeks.
- Face, arms, legs, fingers, and toes are formed.
- Brain, digestive and nervous systems are formed.
- Placenta (an organ that develops in your uterus when pregnant) sends blood and nutrients to the foetus through the umbilical cord.
- A thin-walled bag (amniotic sac) becomes the baby’s home. It is filled with fluid (amniotic fluid) to protect the growing baby (foetus). When your water breaks, the sac (bag of water) empties this fluid.
Changes During Pregnancy: SECOND TRIMESTER (15 to 28 weeks) 3 to 6 months
HOW YOUR BODY CHANGES
- You can feel the baby’s movement at about 16 to 20 weeks.
- Skin changes may occur.
- Streaking of the skin due to quick expansion (stretch marks) may occur on the breasts or abdomen.
- A dark line may appear from the navel down the middle of the abdomen (linea nigra).
- Brown spots or blotches on the face (pregnancy mask) may show up.
- Top of the uterus is near the ribs by 28th week.
- You may start to get your energy back. You still need lots of sleep.
HOW THE BABY CHANGES ( 2nd TRIMESTER)
- Growth is rapid.
- Sex organs develop and can be seen during an ultrasound
- Eyebrows and fingernails form.
- Skin is wrinkled and can have a red hue.
- Hair covers the head.
- The body is covered with fine, soft hair and cheesy covering (lanugo).
- Hands open and close.
- Fingers and toes can be seen during an ultrasound.
- Baby sucks and swallows.
- Heartbeat can be heard at about 20 weeks through the mother’s abdomen with a special stethoscope (fetoscope).
Changes During Pregnancy: THIRD TRIMESTER (29 to 42 weeks) 6 to 9 months
HOW YOUR BODY CHANGES
- You feel baby’s movements more strongly.
- Your uterus may get hard and tight at times (contractions). This may or may not be the time for you to have the baby (labour).
- You may feel short of breath until the baby “drops,” then you may feel an increased need to urinate.
- Cervix may begin to thin out (efface) in the last weeks of pregnancy.
- Cervix may begin to open (dilate) slightly, in the last weeks of pregnancy.
- Your back may hurt or hurt more if it already was sore.
- You may feel contractions. This is normal. Call your medical provider if you have more than six an hour.
Your ankles and feet often swell slightly.
HOW THE BABY CHANGES (3rd TRIMESTER)
- Baby moves kicks and stretches often. You may feel the kicks.
- The body begins to fill out; becomes less thin and wrinkled.
- Fine body hair disappears.
- First babies usually “drop “into the bony structure (pelvis) that protects the uterus before labour begins (37 to 42 weeks). Second or later babies may not settle deep into pelvis until labour begins.
- Baby responds to sound and light.
SEE ALSO
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