Introduction
A pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks, starting from the first day of your last period until the baby is born. Pregnancy is divided into three phases called trimesters.
The first trimester refers to week 1 through week 13 of pregnancy.
The second trimester is the start of week 14 through the end of week 27.
The third trimester is the start of week 28 until you deliver your baby.
During each trimester of pregnancy, certain signs and symptoms may indicate a problem. Talk with your health care provider about your current health and any medical conditions you have. Make sure you know the symptoms you should watch for and report.
How does this affect me?
Warning signs in the first trimester
While some changes during the first trimester may
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You have diarrhea for longer than a day.
You have a fever or other signs of infection, such as:
Pain or burning when you urinate.
Foul smelling or thick or yellowish vaginal discharge.
Warning signs in the second trimester
As your baby grows and changes during the second trimester, there are additional signs and symptoms that may indicate a problem. These include:
Signs and symptoms of infection, including a fever.
Signs or symptoms of a miscarriage or preterm labor, such as regular contractions, menstrual-like cramping, or lower abdominal pain.
Bloody or watery vaginal discharge or obvious vaginal bleeding.
Feeling like your heart is pounding.
Having trouble breathing.
Nausea, vomiting, or diarrhea that lasts for longer than a day.
Craving non-food items, such as clay, chalk, or dirt. This may be a sign of a very treatable medical condition called pica.
Later in your second trimester, watch for signs and symptoms of a serious medical condition called preeclampsia. These include:
Changes in your vision.
A severe headache that does not go away.
Nausea and vomiting.
It is also important to notice if your baby stops moving or moves less than usual during this
By day 22, the child’s heart begins to pump with their own blood. By week 5 the child’s eyes, legs, and hands begin to develop. By weeks 9 and 10 the baby is able to turn its head and frown. This article also shares with us that by the 20th week gestation, the baby can recognize its mother’s voice. And lastly it gives us the last steps before the baby is born; 7 to 9 months gestation is when the baby is using four of the five senses. He knows the difference between waking and sleeping and can relate to the moods of the
Pam Jenkins is a 36 year-old woman that is 30 weeks into her third pregnancy. Since her pregnancy began, Pam has gained 20 pounds. Although Pam has reduced the amount that she smokes, she continues to smoke 5 cigarettes per day, which may cause some issues with her worry of another preterm birth. Another factor that could also cause complications is her delayed prenatal vitamin use. After logging her dietary intake within a 24 hour period into SuperTracker, I will be making recommendations on how she can alter her diet and lifestyle to ensure that Pam receives the nutrients she needs for herself and for her baby.
The length of a normal and healthy pregnancy is 38 weeks since conception. During the 38 weeks (9 months) the baby is developing in stages in the utero. The 38 weeks are divided into three periods of development, the period of the zygote, the period of the embryo, and the period of the fetus. The period of the fetus begins during the ninth week and is fully developed by 38 weeks. Weight gain slowly occurs at the start of the fetus period, and
The first stage of labor actually has two phases itself. The first phase is called early labor. During early labor you should start to feel something like light cramps. It is also common to feel pressure in your lower back. This is the start of what is called “contractions”. Contractions help your uterus (female reproductive organ) stretch and relax, along with moving the baby's head down into the birth canal. Another thing that happens during early labor is your cervix (narrow neck like passage forming the lower end of the uterus) will start to get shorter, also known as “thinning out”. Your cervix will go from about three to five centimeters to looking as if it could be part of the uterus. You will also start to dilate (make or become wider, larger, or more open) during this phase. When your contractions get closer together, about four to five minutes apart, you should call your doctor or midwife and go in to get checked. They tell how far dilated you are in centimeters, zero to ten. The next phase to this stage is active labor. This phase will consist of you dilating more rapidly as well as your contractions getting harder and closer together. You may also begin to feel nauseous during active labor. At this point you will probably be in quite a bit of pain and want pain medication. Though it may be too late for an epidural (an injection in...
This procedure takes about ten minutes. The second trimester abortions are called D&E, which stands for dilation and evacuation. These are performed up to the twenty-fifth week of pregnancy, and usually take ten to twenty minutes. The way they are performed is the woman is given absorbent dilators which open up the cervix and absorb the fluids. After this is left overnight, the woman is ready for the evacuation stage.
The exact cause of pica is not known, but there are a number of theories that might explain this kind of obsession and behaviour. Nutritional deficiencies like iron or zinc may trigger specific cravings, although the craved items generally do not make up for the lacking minerals. People who diet sometimes tries to calm their hunger by eating non-food items, which do not contain any carbohydrates, fiber, fat, or other important parts for a healthy diet, but still acquire a feeling of fullness. Children who live in poverty and are deprived from food will sometimes be so desperate for nutrition that they will start eating anything they find, like dirt and clay, which are most commonly found in poor areas. When in the process of pregnancy, some women may start craving foods, and every so often, nonfoods, but this is ...
These factors include history of PPD, depression during pregnancy, family strains, anxiety, and lack of support. The biggest issue effecting PPD outcomes is that patients are often unaware of signs and symptoms of PPD, so they do not seek timely medical care (Camp, 2013). Common signs and symptoms of PPD are similar to depressive disorders. Patients may experience a few of the symptoms from exhaustion of childbirth and having a newborn. Bringing a new life into the world can bring out both good feelings and ones of uncertainty and fear (Camp, 2013).
As for the concern with genetic abnormalities a process called Amniocentesis can be performed before the sixteenth week into pregnancy. It is suggested that this screening be done sooner in the pregnancy. Amniocentesis is a fetal screening process in with they take fluid from your amniotic sac and derive cells from the fluid and make a culture out of the cells. You should consider this as the doctors can then examine the culture to indicate genetic or chromosomal abnormalities. I will forewarn you that it does contain the risk of causing a miscarriage however. Do to the fact that you are conceiving at this age it is recommended that you have some sort of screening done and in fact its quite the norm for women approaching towards their forties to have it done. There is a procedure that can be done later on in the pregnancy but it has a higher miscarriage risk. If you and your doctor come to the conclusion that this is not the route you want to go there is a blood test that can be done on both of you to detect neural tube defects like Spina Bifida and certain chromosomal abnormalities. This process is called alpha-fetoprotein. If you want to eliminate any extra miscarriage risk added from amniocentesis then you should opt to talk to your care physician about the latter of the two
It is important to understand what women commonly experience during pregnancy. With a better understanding of what happens during prenatal development and childbirth, physicians can competently develop the best plan for the mother and baby. I interviewed two women who have been previously pregnant in order to evaluate how the ideas in the book translate into real-life experiences.
Signs and symptoms according to Mayo Clinic: painful vaginal bleeding, rapid uterine contractions, uterine tenderness
As the age of fetus or gestation period prolongs, there are lesser chances of safe abortion (for mother) and increased chances of various complications. The soon a female realizes she might be pregnant or there are chances of pregnancy, she should immediately go to her doctor or take a home pregnancy test. For complete verification, a visit to a good gynecologist is more preferred as the results of home pregnancy tests are not completely
According to Medline Plus, “Signs of a miscarriage include vaginal spotting, abdominal pain or cramping, and fluid or tissue passing from the vagina. Bleeding can be a symptom of miscarriage, but many women also have it in early pregnancy and don't miscarry” (Medline Plus). Some women can bleed throughout their pregnancy and it doesn’t necessarily mean that they are at risk of a miscarriage. If a woman is bleeding and experiences other symptoms, then it is best to see a healthcare provider for further information, guidance, and observation for her particular
Nausea and vomiting are especially common during early pregnancy, particularly within the first trimester. Most women experience nausea and vomiting, commonly referred to as “morning sickness”, which is often attributed to the mother’s reaction to the spike in pregnancy hormones. Although feeling ill is considered normal within the first few months of pregnancy, there are instances of nausea and vomiting that continue on to the second and third trimesters and are then considered more severe. When dehydration, electrolyte imbalances, weight loss, acidosis, or even hepatic and renal damage occur as a result of the hyperemesis, it is then determined to be hyperemesis gravidarum.
...side begins to grow and develop at six weeks the baby is only five eights of an inch in measurement. As the months go on the baby goes thru many changes as well as the mother and her body. The mother may tend to get ill at times or may be fine during her pregnancy. There are also reports that the father may become ill at times as well along with the mother, this is common in men.
woman this period is up to the birth of the child, while for a newly