“The most powerful creation is to have a life growing inside you”
- Beyonce Knowles
A baby grows and develops an amazing amount in just nine months. Pregnancy takes about 40 weeks from the very first day that the last menstrual period took place to the day that the baby is born. The last menstrual period is about two weeks preceding the period when the conception took place.
The process itself is magical! The moment a mature egg is released from one of the ovaries, it is pushed down the fallopian tube ready to be fertilized through a process called ovulation. Depending on the length of your menstrual cycle, ovulation occurs 12-16 days before the onset of the period. At this point, a woman starts experiencing, wetter, slippery, and clearer cervical mucus. This is to help the sperms make their way fast to the egg.
The 40 weeks of pregnancy is usually divided into three pregnancy stages which are also known as trimesters. The three trimesters are the first, second, and third trimesters.
While the first trimester entails the day the conception took place up to the 12th week of the pregnancy, the second trimester begins when the pregnancy clocks 13 weeks up to the 27th week. Then, the third trimester begins at about week 28 of the pregnancy until the time the baby is born.
Each trimester lasts up to 12 or 13 weeks of pregnancy. And then, at each of these trimesters, some changes take place in the body of the pregnant woman. Some changes take place in the developing fetus as well. As the changes take place, it shows in the pregnancy week by week. The pregnancy stages come with various noticeable changes in the woman as well as the baby in the womb.
THE MOST COMMON EARLY SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF PREGNANCY MIGHT INCLUDE:
Missed menstrual periods
Breasts soreness /tenderness
Extreme fatigue
Nausea
Cramping / slight bleeding
Heartburn
Cravings
Sensitivity to smells
Mood swings
Headaches
Constipation
Frequent urination
The First Trimester of Pregnancy:
Not many women know what to expect during the first trimester of pregnancy. A woman should visit the medical center as soon as she misses her menstrual periods or tests pregnant.
It is normal for a woman to experience various pregnancy symptoms during the first trimester. The woman may find herself urinating more than usual because of the growth in her uterus which is pressing on her bladder. Her breasts will also be tenderer and even swollen, and her digestive system may also slow down to increase the rate at which she absorbs beneficial nutrients. The beats of her heart have to increase to pump more blood into the uterus where the blood will be supplied to the fetus.
Many first-time mothers experience some strange feelings in their lower stomachs. By the end of the first trimester, the uterus is the size of a grapefruit and at this stage, the doctor can be able to feel the top of it.
For those women whose body image is a big concern, learning what to do to love and accept the pregnant body is important at this level because, in the remaining two trimesters, huge changes in the body are to be expected. Proper feeding, exercise, rest, and decent sleep are essential for a healthy pregnancy.
The Second Trimester of Pregnancy:
In the second trimester of pregnancy, the weight of the woman will also increase as the fetus grows. This is due to factors like increased fluids in the body, increased blood volume, and the combination of the growth of the baby and the uterus.
As the abdomen expands to accommodate the growing baby, the baby bump starts showing. A pregnant woman in her 13-27 weeks experiences back, groin, or thigh pains and aches. Stretch marks might appear on the breasts, abdomen, buttocks, or thighs. There’s also the common darkening of the skin of the nipples. A visible line that cuts through the belly bottom through the pubic hairline shows up. It gets darker and thicker as the pregnancy progresses.
The Third Trimester of Pregnancy:
By the third pregnancy stage, there would have been lots of changes in the physical outlook of the woman. She will also feel more backaches and pains in the hips and pelvis. She may also feel short of breath as a result of the low space for the lungs to expand. Then, the fetus would be responding to light and sound by this time; he/she will also be stretching and kicking. And by the ninth month, the fetus would be ready for birth, so he/she would have turned head-down in the woman’s pelvis. The lungs will be fully mature by then and preparing to function on their own.
Every woman is unique and so is her pregnancy. While some women will go through all the stages of pregnancy without major issues apart from the normal symptoms, several pregnant women will experience certain symptoms and complications. These symptoms are capable of putting the mother and the baby at risk. It is therefore important for every pregnant woman to see a doctor and begin her prenatal care as soon as she realizes she is pregnant.
Pregnancy is such an exciting time for mom and baby. Getting plenty of rest, maintaining a healthy, balanced diet, and avoiding stress are especially important for you and your baby.
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