PREGNANCIES
Pregnancy is a very anxious and exciting journey that every expectant mother experiences. It's very important for them to be prepared and aware of all the symptoms they will be dealing with. When she starts to feel dizzy or even faint means that the expectants mother's uterus compresses major arteries in her legs which causes the blood pressure to drop making her extremely light headed. The reason of feeling this symptom is because she might be skipping meals or going too long without eating which is what makes her feel dizzy or even faint. It's not healthy when the expectant mother does not eat frequently enough because it causes low blood sugar. Blood sugar is the primary source of food for your baby so it will be depleted much more quickly.
There are many government agencies that help expectant mothers and their newborns throughout the pregnancy by giving them food and helping them along the way.
The U.S Depart-ment of Health hand Human Services is a good example because this program improves the health of well being girls in the United States.
The pregnancy is divided into three trimesters each trimester is three months long. Each trimester of pregnancy brings new changes. The expectant mother experiences different emotions and have different physical signs of advancing pregnancy. The fetus will grow and develop with each passing month.
During the first trimester the expectant mother may feel increasingly focused on herself and on the changes that are happening in her body. She will start to notice that her breast may be changing by becoming more larger and tender. Her nipples may start to darken in color, and of course will become more sensative. She will also start to have menstrual periods. The reason why they have a missed menstrual periods. She will be experiencing nausea and vomiting. This symptom will usually happen during the first week in the pregnancy, some experience this during morning sickness or the entire day. She may also have to feel the need to urinate more frequently the reason for this is because the uterus will swell enlarging the growing fetus and the uterus will put pressure on the bladder. Fatigue, increased basal temperature is also a very common symptom.
In the first month (1-4 weeks) the embryo's implants are attached to the wall of the uterus and it begins to develop rapidly, the heart begins to beat on the 25th, the arm buds appear on the 26th day, the leg buds appear on the 28th day. At this time the primitive digestive system develops and the embryo is 1/5 of an inch long.
In the second month (5-8 weeks) the face of the unborn is forming the ears are covered by a thin membrane and continue to develop, the back bone begins to develop which is also known as the spine. The brain, liver, kidneys, bloodstream, and digestive system are developing as well as the arms and legs. During this month it's very hard to tell which way is up on the baby. But later on in the month becomes very easy to tell which end is the baby's head and which end is the baby's bottom. By the end of the second month, the embryo has become a fetus which is about 1and 1/8 inches long and weighs 1/30th of an ounce. The baby's upper and lower limb buds will also appear.
In the third month (9-12 weeks) the fetus' eyelids are fused and facial features such as the nose and outer ears are formed. The nail beds will also be established. There will be movement such as head turning or sucking begins, teeth buds will also be forming as well as the internal organs. By this time the fetus is three inches long and weighs one ounce. The placenta is fully developed and also weighs about an ounce. One to three ounces of amniotic fluid are present. The baby's head is the biggest part of their body at this moment. It is about 1/2 the size of the rest of the body.
During the second semester, the pregnancy becomes more obvious to others and the expectant mother becomes more aware of the changes that are happening in her body. It's very important to receive support and encouragement from her partner and others. It's possible that during these first months the expectant mother feels the movements of the fetus and become more focused on the development. It's also very possible for the expectant mother to have dreams about her child. The changes the expectant mother will be experiencing by this time is the nipples may begin to get darker and the areolas will get larger, the uterus will continue to grow, the colostrums also known as a yellowish liquid (pre-milk) may be in the expectant mother's breast, changes in the foods that her body can digest may also be noticed and recognized, pressure may be found on the blood vessels in the lower part of the body when that increases it will result discomforts like hemorrhoids or varicose veins, skin changes may also occur on the face and the fetus will continue to grow and begin to respond the the environment.
In the fourth month (13-16 weeks) the heart beat of the unborn begins and the lanugo (downy hairs) or fine body hair develops. The baby will be able to urinate into the amniotic fluid in small amounts every forty-five minutes. By this time all the teeth have been formed the baby's heart pumps about twenty-five quarts of blood a day. At the end of this month the fetus is about six inches long and weighs four ounces.
In the fifth month (17-20 weeks) it may be possible to be able to hear the heartbeat if the expectant mother uses a stethoscope which is an instrument used in auscultation to convey sounds in the chest or other parts of the body to the ear of the examiner). The finger and toe nails are formed as well as the finger prints, the unborn may also suck his or her thumb, the unborn will also respond to any noise, hair in the eyebrows will be found and the unborn will also start to move becoming more vigorous or strong and active. Loud noises may cause the baby to startle. At the end of the fourth month, the fetus is about ten to twelve inches long (half its length at birth) and weighs eight ounces to one pound.
In the sixth month (21-24 weeks) the eyes of the unborn begin to open, a creamy substance called vernix will cover the skin, the skin is wrinkled and the fetus appears very thin. The baby is also depositing brown fat which will be very useful to regulate body temperature at birth. This brown fat will continue to be laid down until birth. At the end of the sixth month, the fetus is about 11-14 inches long and weighs 1 1/2 pounds.
During the third trimester the expectant mother will unfortunately experience backache, leg cramps, heartburn. She will notice a dark line known as linea nigra funning down from the naval. The expectant mother will experience shortness of breath, the need to urinate more frequently and the loss of bladder control when sneezing or coughing. By this time the expectant mother should give a call to her doctor or midwife because she might begin to experience the early signs of labor.
During this period, the most dramatic change in the fetus is its continued growth.
By the seventh month it weighs about two and a half pounds and is around 15 inches in length. By this time the baby will begin to start turning his or her head down. The baby will also be able to hear voices of the expectant mother and who ever is around her and sense the light and the dark in the uterus. The baby's eyelashes will also be developing.
By the eight month the fetus weights about 5 pounds and is 16 to 48 inches long. At this point the baby is really getting ready to be born. The red blood cell production is done entirely by the baby's bone marrow. Amnotic fluid is still present and the baby urinates into it daily, about a half of litere of urine a day. The baby's irises can now dilate and contract in response to light. The baby will be able to close and open his or her eyes and the finger nails reach th end of the fingers.
During the last month of pregnancy the fetus weighs seven or eight pounds and may be more than 20 inches long. The fetus skin will wrinkled and become less pronounced as body fat accumulated and begins to smooth out the body, the eyes will be able to open and close responding to the light. The lanugo will disappear by this time and stores iron will be experienced followed by the skeleton being build. The head (or whatever part will be born first) settles into pelvic canal between 37 and 40 weeks. This is called engagement or lightening. The expectant mother will be more likely to notice that the fetus's position has changed and she may feel increased pressure on her bladder.
Health before pregnancy can certainly have a negative or positive effect on the expectant mother's bodies. It's very important for her to take care of her body and her diet before and during the pregnancy so then the baby and she will be in a safe and healthy condition.
Smoking or taking drugs greatly diminishes the chances of getting pregnant and also leads to miscarriages, premature birth, and low-birth weight babies. That's why quitting smoking it's very important. It affects the fertility and lowers the expectant mother's partner sperm count. Even secondhand smoke may affect your chances of getting pregnant. It's also very recommended to avoid alcohol when trying for pregnancy.
Cutting down on caffeine can prevent the reduce of the ability to absorb iron and increased the risk for stillbirth. Avoiding coffee, tea, and colas or switching to decaf increases the chances of getting pregnant. If the expectant mother uses coffeine a lot, it can help if she just takes a cup a day. Switching to milkshakes can also help and in the same time boost up the calcium.
Healthy weight women have an easier time getting pregnant than overweight or underweight women. Women whose body mass index (BMI) is below 20 or above 30 have a harder time getting pregnant, that's why is a good idea to try to get yourself into 20 to 30 range before getting pregnant. It is never save to try to lose weight during pregnancy both the expectant mother and the baby need all the proper nutrients in order to be healthy.
Depression may occur diring pregnancy because of tiredness, trouble sleeping, emotional changes, and weight gain. It's very common for the expectant mother to feel like this during pregnancy as it is after giving birth. However is also well known that women who suffer from depression are twice as likely to have problems than as women who don't. Getting a mental health check will help if there are signs of depression. Also trying stress management techniques, such as yoga and meditation, can also help during pregnancy.
As you can see getting pregnant is a huge responsibility; everything you do or take through out the pregnancy period will depend on weather it will or will not affect the baby's health. This job is basically twenty-four hours a day and seven days a week.
Pregnancy may be different in other countries because it might be that others don't provide as much help as other countries.
If the expectant mother is experiencing a severe leg or chest pain, a severe headache or changes in vision, severely elevated blood pressure, sudden or rapid weight gain, abdominal or vaginal pain, bright red vaginal bleeding and vomiting more then three times a day or vomiting blood she should contact her doctor immediately.
It's very important for the expectant mother to pick a practioner she is comfortable with and trust. Because if you have questions or concerns you will feel free to ask them. It's also necesary to get check ups throughout the pregnancy. It will be a good idea if the expectant mother asks her doctor how much weight she should gain and if she's at risk for any genetic diseases. She should also ask how she should alter her diet, if she is a high-risk patient and what tests should she take and when should she schedule them.