Counting from the first day of your last period, a pregnancy typically lasts between 37 and 42 weeks. There are three trimesters in it. The length of a trimester is three months (around 12 to 13 weeks). Your body goes through a lot of changes during pregnancy to support the development of your unborn child and prepare for delivery.
Obtaining pregnancy
To become pregnant, one of your eggs must be fertilized by the male partner’s sperm. This is referred to as conception.
One of your ovaries releases an egg each month. Ovulation is the term for this. It typically occurs 10 to 16 days following the beginning of your most recent period. If you’ve had sex, your partner’s sperm may have fertilized the egg in your fallopian tube. After fertilization, the egg travels via your fallopian tube and into your womb (uterus). It rapidly multiplies and develops, forming a ball of cells.
When the cell ball enters your womb, it buries itself in the lining. The term for this is implantation. Around six days after conception, it typically occurs. Your child is an embryo at this young age. Every month, your womb typically sheds its lining, which results in your menstruation. This occurs approximately 14 days following ovulation. Your womb won’t lose its lining when you’re pregnant, so your periods will stop. Often, the first indication that you are pregnant is missing a period.
Maternity tests
Pregnancy tests are available at any pharmacy or grocery store. Additionally, some organizations, sexual health and contraception clinics, and general practitioners may be able to provide one for free.
The beta-human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG), a pregnancy hormone, is what pregnancy tests look for in your urine. The majority of pregnancy tests can tell you’re expecting as early as the first day of your missed period. However, certain tests are more sensitive than others and might provide you with a result even sooner.
Usually, pregnancy tests are fairly accurate. However, performing the test too soon can occasionally result in a bad outcome.
It’s worthwhile taking the test again a few days later if you get a negative result but are still convinced you are pregnant. Your hCG level rapidly rises during the first few weeks of pregnancy. You can be quite confident that a pregnancy test’s result is accurate by the time your period is around one week late.
How far along am I in my pregnancy?
Your last period’s first day is the day you start counting your pregnancy. As a result, on the day your next period would have been due if you have a 28-day menstrual cycle, you are considered to be four weeks pregnant. You will be five weeks pregnant if a week has passed from the start of your period.
Your due date will be determined by your doctor or midwife using the day that your most recent menstruation began. It will be 40 weeks till your due date. However, giving delivery up to three weeks prior to or two weeks following your due date is common.
Initial trimester (one to 12 weeks)
Pregnancy’s effects on you
Early in pregnancy, your body goes through a lot of changes.
- The first indication that you are pregnant is frequently missing your period.
- You can experience larger and tenderer breasts. Your areola, which includes your nipples, may darken.
- As your womb grows and starts to put pressure on your bladder, you could discover that you need to urinate more frequently.
- You might feel drowsy and exhausted.
- You might be ill or feel ill. Despite being referred to as “morning sickness,” this can occur at any hour of the day. Early on in pregnancy, it happens frequently. If you eat frequently and frequently while sticking to blander meals, you might find that your symptoms improve. You might experience hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) if your illness is severe, in which case you might require hospital care.
- Because food moves through your digestive tract more slowly, you could get constipation. Make sure you are receiving plenty of fluids and fiber in your diet.
Numerous of these signs and symptoms will subside as your pregnancy progresses. However, some conditions, including constipation, may persist or worsen. It’s crucial to communicate if you experience any pregnancy-related issues.
Be as healthy as you can before, during, and after your pregnancy. You might need to adjust your way of living. These modifications could involve:
- If you smoke, give it up
- Stopping alcohol consumption
- Being watchful of your diet
- Taking folic acid and vitamin D pills for the first time
How your child grows
Your baby is created from a little ball of cells that develops swiftly. The placenta, which forms a lifeline between you and your unborn child, is formed by some of the cells, some of which develop into an embryo. The placenta joins your womb and is connected to your unborn child by the umbilical cord. Your baby receives oxygen, nutrition, and hormones from your blood via the placenta and umbilical cord.
All of your baby’s organs and significant body parts begin to form during these initial weeks. Your baby’s heart’s developing cells begin to beat at a very young age. Around the sixth week of pregnancy, an ultrasound usually reveals the heartbeat of your unborn child.
Your baby’s lungs are already building the tubes that will carry air in and out once they are born by the time they are eight weeks old. Their fingers and toes are beginning to protrude from their hands and feet, and their eye, nose, and mouth muscles are beginning to form. Your kid will even develop little fingernails by week twelve. Their pancreas now begins to produce insulin, which will regulate their blood sugar, and their kidneys now begin to produce urine.
Second quarter (13 to 27 weeks)
Pregnancy’s effects on you
Your body continues to change as your baby’s organs develop and grow during the second trimester.
- Once you’ve reached your 20th week of pregnancy, the majority of people will start to realize that you’re expecting. During the second trimester, a lot of additional changes take place. The more your child grows, the more weight you’ll begin to gain. You may gain between 10 and 12.5 kilograms (22 and 27.5 pounds) during your pregnancy, while every pregnancy is unique. Your growing child, the placenta, the fluid in your womb, your breasts, and excess fluid and fat storage all contribute to this increased weight.
- You can see stretch marks when your breasts and tummy expand. These are risk-free and typically disappear following the birth of your child. Although there isn’t much proof that anyone moisturizer or lotion prevents stretch marks, you can try them.
- By the time you reach 16 weeks pregnant, morning sickness typically subsides.
- Your ligaments and tendons will relax due to pregnancy hormones, which will loosen your joints. Consequently, you could experience back pain. The additional weight you are carrying may potentially be the reason for this. Your pelvis may hurt, making it more difficult for you to walk. To assist you to manage this, physiotherapy may be suggested.
- Around 18 to 20 weeks into your pregnancy, you might feel your baby move for the first time. If you have had children before, this can occur a few weeks early.
How your child grows
Your baby’s bones begin to stiffen around 16 weeks, and its digestive system begins to function at 20 weeks. From roughly 16 to 20 weeks, your midwife will be able to use a stethoscope to hear your baby’s heartbeat. By 16 weeks, your baby may hear some sounds as their ears develop.
The skin of your newborn will be wrinkled and coated in lanugo, a fine layer of hair and slimy substance. They’ll sleep and wake up on schedule, and they might even start to kick and stretch. If their hand reaches their lips, infants may even suck their thumb as their sucking reflex matures. By the time they are about six months old, their eyelids will be open. An ultrasound scan can typically reveal the gender of your unborn child by the fourteenth week of pregnancy.
Your baby begins to have a better chance of surviving if they are born preterm after 24 weeks. But if they were born this early, they would require long-term intensive care. Every week they spend within your womb increases their chances of survival. An ultrasound scan can typically reveal the gender of your unborn child by the fourteenth week of pregnancy.
Your baby begins to have a better chance of surviving if they are born preterm after 24 weeks. But if they were born this early, they would require long-term intensive care. Every week they spend within your womb increases their chances of survival.
Trimester three (28 to 40 weeks)
Pregnancy’s effects on you
Your baby continues to grow while your body prepares for delivery throughout the third trimester.
- As your baby grows, the additional weight you’re carrying may leave you feeling out of breath. This can occasionally be brought on by iron-deficient anemia. At your initial prenatal visit and again at 28 weeks, blood tests to monitor your iron levels should be made available to you.
- You might be having trouble falling asleep. This might be the case if you get up during the night to urinate or if you have trouble finding a comfortable sleeping posture.
- From around 30 weeks, you may experience Braxton-Hicks contractions, in which your womb begins to contract. Although uncomfortable, these shouldn’t be painful.
- Your stomach may be upset. Try to eat frequently, in small amounts, and with bland meals. Don’t eat after midnight. You can check whether taking an antacid helps by giving it a try.
- In particular, swelling in your ankles, feet, legs, hands, or fingers may become apparent later in pregnancy.
How your child grows
Your baby gains weight quickly and deposits fat beneath their skin throughout the third trimester. They begin to shed their fine-haired coat as their skin begins to smooth out. Gradually, their body becomes more proportionate. Despite being fully developed, their lungs won’t function correctly until they are born.
Numerous movements, including stretching, kicking, and clutching, will be made by your baby. They’ll also be startled by loud noises and notice changes in the lighting. By week 36, they normally assume a head-down position and are prepared to give birth. They tend to sink further into your pelvis throughout the past few weeks.