Third Trimester Of Pregnancy (www.encarta.msn.com)

At last my friend was in the third trimester of her pregnancy. Both, husband and wife were both eagerly waiting for the delivery of the baby. They visited the gynecologist at her chamber and she checked her properly. The gynec examined her and said everything was normal and she would deliver the baby at the expected date.

She always used to complain that because of increasing size of the baby and uterus, she could not sleep well in a comfortable position. The doctor then explained her that, after the 36th week, the head of the baby starts to drop down into the pelvis. This creates pressure on the bladder, due to which you feel to pass out urine at frequent intervals.

The doctor then explained her that, during this period of time some women may feel more aches and pains, particularly in the lower back and groin, some may have heartburn. Others experience breathlessness due to hormonal changes and pressure from their growing uterus on their lungs. Few expectant mothers feel leg cramps and ankle swelling, hemorrhoids, and difficulty sleeping. There is no need to be surprised at all, this is a part of the process. The clumsiness in actions is quite common. Few may also feel what is known as Braxton-Hicks contractions, the early contractions that makes the body ready for delivery.

Inspite of all such problem and tensions, she was awaiting to see her baby. She asked the gynecologist to explain her the developmental stages of the baby. The doctor described her in the following way:

During the seventh month, the baby’s eyes open slightly and the eyelashes are formed. It is covered with sufficient amount of hair on the head. The development of the lungs and the blood circulation system is on its way. The weight of the fetus is approximately 3 lbs and around 1415 inches long.

In the eighth month of pregnancy, the baby reacts towards light, weighs approximately 3.54.5 lbs and is around 1618 inches long.

During the last month, the hair covering the body of the baby sheds off and the toenails begin to come out and grow. In the 36th week, the body appears as a plump. The expected date of delivery of the fetus is approximately 266 days. A baby is said to be healthy, if it gains a weight of 68 lbs at the time of his birth and is about 1921 inches long.

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Second Trimester Of Pregnancy (courtesy : www.encarta.msn.com)

When my friend reached in the second trimester of her pregnancy, she was very anxious to know about her baby’s growth and development. She consulted her gynecologist, and asked her to explain all the details happening in the second stage of pregnancy. The doctor explained as follows:

The second trimester begins with the fourth month, or twelfth week. It is considered to be the most pleasant condition in pregnancy. Your baby gets all her vital organs fully developed, except the lungs and brain that begins to develop. She can hear sounds and recognize darkness and light. She starts to get her senses. Her body is covered with fine hair to keep the temperature under control. At the end of this stage, you should be ready to face her kicks! Ouch!. No problem, because they won’t hurt. You would actually enjoy getting those kicks, as it means your baby is developing normally inside.

In the fourth month, your baby will have change a little bit. The fetus will be around six inches in length and five ounces in weight. Earlier the baby had bones primarily made of cartilage, but now these are forming into hard bones.

In the fifth month, you can actually feel the movements of your child. The heart beats can be felt with the help of a stethoscope. The skin of the baby is covered with a greasy material called “vernix caseosa” and helps to protect the delicate fetal skin from cuts and hardening which could occur due to the exposure to the amniotic fluid. The fetus weighs approximately one pound and is usually ten inches long. It starts getting its facial features. Now it will have eyebrows and eyelids. This is a great time for your baby. This is because it is now filling out with baby fat. At this point, your baby would resemble a human child.

During the sixth month, the baby can feel rapid eye movements and formation of the fingernails. A considerable weight gain occurs during this month. The fetus weighs approximately 1.5 pounds and is around 13 inches long.

She asked the doctor, “Why is it that sometimes I have a strong feeling for sex?”, The doctor then told her, “ During the second trimester of pregnancy, the blood flow to the sexual organs and breasts is increased. This increases the sensation, and reduces the fatigue and nausea, which makes many women enjoy sexual activity more during these months.”

She also wanted to know about her physical changes. The gynec then explained her,

Many noticeable changes can occur in your body. The size of the stomach is increased, and now you cannot hide that fact that you are pregnant. Some women may also encounter annoying or negative health side effects. Few women may experience hemorrhoids during this time. It is very much painful, and needs medical attention in order to fix. Some may also find changes with your sinuses. They may also experience frequent nose bleeds. But no need to be tensed. This is quite natural. Few expected mothers would always feel low back pain, headaches, and something called as round ligament pain caused by stress on the ligaments that support your uterus. Additional changes may include mild dizziness, growing appetite, constipation, and vaginal discharge.

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First Trimester of Pregnancy (courtesy : www.encarta.msn.com)

My friend missed her regular monthly periods. I asked, her to go and visit the gynecologist. And then, she told me, “I am pregnant”. The gynecologist, then explained, that the first week of the first trimester is too early to show any physical changes, but the body undergoes its internal changes. The would be moms generally, get very little time to be prepared mentally and psychologically for pregnancy, as the uterus is too low in the pelvis and there are no visible bumps.

The first trimester is the crucial time, when the development of the baby’s brain and nervous system begins. So, the gynecologist recommends you to take additional folic acid supplements, that may help to avoid problems such as neural tube defects during birth. You should always try to avoid any sort of medications that may hamper the baby’s development.

She always had a question in her mind. How does my baby look? How are its features? The doctor then explained her, all about the embryo development showing the picture of first stage of pregnancy. The gynec, then explained, that the first trimester changes the embryo to a fetus and then the major organ systems starts to develop. I liked the way, the doctor explained it to my friend. She described it in the following way:

In the first month (1-4 weeks), the embryo is attached to the walls of the uterus and starts developing. The heart created inside begins to beat on the 25th day. The arm bud appear on the 26th day, whereas the leg buds appear on the 28th day. The digestive system is in its developing stage. The size of the embryo is one-fifth of an inch long.

In the second month (5-8 weeks), the outlines of the face is formed. The ears are covered by a thin membrane. The spine, brain, liver, kidneys, bloodstream and digestive system are just developing.
The arms and legs are increasing in size. At the end of the second month, the embryo becomes a fetus, and its size is about one and one-eighth inches long and weighs almost one-thirty of an ounce.

In the third month (9-12 weeks), the facial features of the fetus are yet growing. The eyelids are fused, the nose and outer ears are forming, the nail beds have been established, the movement, such as head turning or sucking, begins, the teeth buds have started to come out, all the internal organs are formed. The fetus begins to swallows amniotic fluid. The size of the fetus is about three inches long and weighs one ounce. The placenta is fully developed and weighs about an ounce. Almost one to three ounces of amniotic fluid is found. At the end of two months, an umbilical cord is formed, that circulates blood and nourishment to the fetus.

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Stages Of Pregnancy(shinesa.org.au)

My friend came to know that she was pregnant, the first thing that came in her mind was how will the pregnancy continue for the next nine months? What will happen next? What changes are going to happen in my body? And many other such question disturbed her. She was excited to know about how to handle each stage of pregnancy. To get her problems solved, I asked her to go to a gynecologist. The doctor explained her all bout pregnancy. She gave her the following idea about the stages of pregnancy:

Pregnancy is the process of getting a developing fetus or embryo in the body of women. This occurs by the combination of the egg present in the female body with male’s sperm, referred to as conception which leads to the production of the embryo. It is categorized into different stages, known as trimesters. As we all know a pregnancy lasts for nine months or around 40 weeks. Each of the trimesters lasts about three months, or twelve weeks. Read about each trimester in detail, by going through the following links:

• The First Trimester

• The Second Trimester

• The Third Trimester

A would be mom should always know about the different pregnancy stages. Each stage varies from the other. The mother’s body as well as the fetus undergoes constant changes in every stage. You must always keep a track of the changes, so that it may help you know what changes are normal and what require medical intervention.

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