It is believed that there are only seven wonders of the world. But every woman will tell you that there is an eighth - the birth of a child. Of course, sometimes it happens that pregnancy is not very desirable, but, anyway, any member of the fair sex should know the features of this state of the body in order to diagnose it in time. First of all, the features of the course of pregnancy should be known to every woman who dreams of a healthy and strong baby.
Are you pregnant or is it a dream?
Let's look at some early signs of this condition. This is necessary so that the course of pregnancy in the early stages is not mistaken for a disease. One of the first signs of pregnancy is the cessation of menstruation. In some cases, the cessation of menstrual bleeding can provoke stressful situations, a sharp change in climate or various diseases, for example, hormonal ones.
The next item may be sudden nausea during the day, especially in the morning, and hypersensitivity to various odors. Typically, these symptoms begin in the fourth week after conception and resolve on their own by the fifth month.
Another fairly noticeable sign that a new life is developing inside you is the swelling of the mammary glands and the darkening of the paralosal areola. If the pregnancy proceeds normally, then with every month this symptom may manifest itself more and more. Over time, colostrum will begin to stand out from the nipples, so the body of the future mother prepares for breastfeeding.
In the early stages of pregnancy, frequent urge to urinate is noted, this is due to an excessive rush of blood to the pelvic organs, which leads to compression of the bladder. If, with all the previously listed symptoms, your mood also often changes, for no apparent reason you want to cry, or, conversely, the fun is raging over the edge, or maybe you have become especially sleepy, then most likely you are really pregnant.
We go to the gynecologist
So you assume you are pregnant. Regardless of whether this fact pleases you, you should definitely visit a gynecologist. Of course, now in every pharmacy you can buy various pregnancy tests. All of them are based on the fact that a specific hormone is produced in the body of a pregnant woman - chorionic gonadotropin, at a certain concentration of which in the urine the test will show a positive result. However, a visit to the gynecologist is required, since no test is able to recognize the nature of the course of pregnancy. The fact is that a normal pregnancy can only be considered when the fertilized egg has fixed in the uterus and develops there. But sometimes it can happen that it settles, for example, in the fallopian tube. Determining an ectopic pregnancy based on a test alone is not possible. It is worth remembering that the consequences of the development of such a condition are not comparable with the false embarrassment or probable unpleasant sensations that women often experience when visiting a doctor. Moreover, an ectopic pregnancy poses a direct threat not only to the health, but also to the woman's life.
Hassle-free pregnancy - the key to the birth of a healthy baby
To ensure the normal development of the little man, it is very important to carefully monitor your health and nutrition during pregnancy. A few simple rules will help you with this.
Rule 1. From now on, you need to monitor your diet. Food should be varied and rich in vitamins, because your baby eats the same as you. Vitamin D and omega-3 fatty acids are especially important during pregnancy.
Rule 2. Increase the amount of calcium in your diet. This is necessary for the proper formation of bones, teeth and nails of the unborn child. And your own little teeth will also say “thank you”.
Rule 3. If you do not want to lose weight long and painfully after childbirth, carefully monitor the amount of food eaten. The conventional wisdom that you need to eat for two is nothing more than a fiction. Your food must be varied, but not excessive. Remember, overeating is a direct road to problems not only in the mother, but also in the child.
Rule 4. One of the important elements in the body of a pregnant woman is folic acid. Therefore, be sure to consume it in sufficient quantities. Not only the condition of your nails and hair, but also the correct formation of the spine in a child depends on this.
Rule 5. Go in for sports. For example, you can go to yoga, Pilates, jogging or perform a set of exercises for pregnant women. Do not be lazy to do them regularly, because this will not only help keep your muscle corset and heart in good shape, but also saturate your body with oxygen, which will have a very positive effect on the health of the future baby. When embarking on sports activities, be sure to consult a doctor.
Rule 6. Enjoy your pregnancy, remember - this is not a disease, but the normal condition of every woman. Try to avoid stress and anxiety - this can negatively affect the course of pregnancy, and subsequently lead to problems with breastfeeding.
Pregnancy diary, is it needed?
Whether or not to have a pregnancy diary, each expectant mother decides for herself. In principle, this can be quite interesting, because much is forgotten in the daily bustle, and the diary will help to recall pleasant moments. Such a diary can be especially useful for first-born mothers, because they still do not have their own experience, and re-reading the diary of more experienced friends, you can clearly imagine the course of pregnancy from the first days and understand what changes will occur with the body in a given time period . In addition, the diary will help to more accurately describe your condition to the gynecologist. And this, in turn, can be very important if the course of pregnancy is complicated. So, what happens to the body of the expectant mother, depending on the term?
First trimester
Since gynecologists begin counting the gestational age from the first day of the last monthly bleeding, in the first trimester of your “interesting position” it will be one week less than in all the others. Considering the course of pregnancy by weeks, it will be easy to track how your baby is developing and that he already "knows" by a certain date.
In the first month, everything happens literally at the cellular level. So, on the fourth day after fertilization, your child consists of 58 cells, and only 5 of them are the fetus and the rudiments of the umbilical cord, and the rest will be used for nutrition and development. By the end of the first month (more precisely, the 3rd week), the embryo already has the shape of the letter C and a “height” of 2.5 mm.
At 5–8 weeks, the beginnings of the basic organs begin to be laid, both external and internal: the embryonic eyes, nose, ears, the base of the spinal cord and brain, intestines, liver, lungs, etc. At this stage, the baby has gill slots and little ponytail.
In the third month, the fetus acquires the appearance inherent in a person. During this period, the future mother is very important to move more, because the child forms the vestibular apparatus. The arms and legs are already well formed, the fingers harden, the first movements appear - the child opens his mouth, moves his limbs, makes the first swallowing and sucking movements. In the tenth week, sexual characteristics are already quite visible.
Second trimester
Starting from the fourth month, the fetus has an active growth of brain cells, the formation of the genital organs ends and their own hormones begin to be produced. By the end of the fifth month, all vital organs (respiration, digestion, nervous system and blood formation organs) are finally formed. During the 6th month, the fetus is actively gaining weight, facial features are formed. In addition, the baby begins to sleep.
But in a woman, the course of pregnancy in the second trimester is usually accompanied by excellent health, toxicosis goes away. Also often appears sexual attraction.
Third trimester
The normal course of pregnancy in the third trimester determines the formation of a full-fledged man: the baby can already see, hear, respond to external stimuli. Gradually, by the 36th week, the fetus ceases to freely change its position and is located in the uterus almost static, most often with its head down. The average child at this point has a height of 46-50 cm and a weight of 2.8-3 kg. Of course, various variations are possible, but too much deviation from the averaged parameters requires mandatory medical advice and constant monitoring.
Hazards, features and possible complications
The most dangerous and requiring immediate intervention by specialists is the flow of water. During pregnancy, especially in its later stages, such an unpleasant and rather dangerous phenomenon as partial leakage of the fetal bladder sometimes happens. This situation should not be treated negligently. After all, partial leakage of water can be associated with injuries or microcracks of the fetal bladder, and even a good gynecologist is not always able to determine the true cause of this phenomenon. Although this condition has not yet been adequately studied, it has been accurately established that most often it is a harbinger of untimely birth.
Finally
For the normal course of pregnancy, in order to avoid various complications, it is worthwhile to carefully follow the recommendations of specialists and listen to your feelings, then your baby will definitely be born strong and healthy.