Pregnancy

General information about pregnancy

Welcome to the world of eminent parenthood. The miracle of birth starts from the moment the sperm fuses with the egg forming a single cell. Within the next nine months this single cell divides millions of times changing from an embryo to a fetus (also spelled as Foetus) and eventually forms a baby.

A Pregnant women's body goes through many changes. Though most healthy pregnancies last for approximately nine months, not all babies are born within this exact time frame of prenatal care. The time of delivery is dependent on several factors.

1. Whether the mother is carrying twins or triplets (multiple births).
2. The health of the fetus
3. The health of the pregnant woman.
4. The method used to calculate the due date of the baby's birth.

a. The Naegele's rule - assumes that the woman has a regular menstrual cycle. The due date is calculated at 40 weeks after the first day of the last period cycle. Hence if your last period started on July 1st 2009, for e.g., your baby would be born on approximately the 7th of April 2010, with a week to give or take.

b. An Ultrasound scan - can be used to measure the growing baby to calculate your due date.

Neither of these two methods are always 100 percent accurate and hence babies can be born a bit early or late. Babies born between the window of 39-41 weeks are considered normal births.

The first time you go for your ultrasound towards the end of second or third month of your pregnancy the doctor or the Sonologist may show your baby on the screen and you will be able to make out the shape. Request him for a picture and most would oblige.

Pregnancy and birth are supposed to be the most amazing events in any couples life. With a lot of information to absorb and several decisions to be made it can sometimes be quite an overwhelming experience.

For convenience, the stages of pregnancy have been roughly divided into three different parts. These are the first, second and third trimester. In this article, we will have a general look at these 3 stages of pregnancy and try to answer some of the immediate questions that arise in the minds of an expecting parent.

What is New in Pregnancy?

"All the time we wondered and wondered, who is this person coming/growing/turning/floating/swimming deep, deep inside" - Crescent Dragonwagon

What's that on the telly?
It's an angel sent from God...
Growing in my belly...
Like a sweet pea in a pod! - Melissa Hatcher

References:

1. Pregnancy - Version (II) Dec. 2009.
2. Conception pregnancy and birth, by Dr. Miriam Stoppard, Revised version 2008
3. Practical Parenting Pregnancy and Birth � Gill Thorn
4. The best Friends Guide to mother hood � Vicki Lovine
5. Ask A midwife � Catharine Parker Littler