Congratulations! You are having a baby! That is wonderful news! I remember when I got pregnant with our 1 year old daughter. I was scared, nervous, and fearful - you name it! When I first found out, I made myself sick I was so scared. But the truth is pregnancy is a beautiful and special part of a woman's life. This blog is just to lead you on the way, in layman's terms - and to help dispel any fears you may have.
Now, obviously, every pregnancy is different, but the 3 stages (trimesters) of pregnancy have roughly the same elements. The first trimester can be anything from no change to sickness the whole the first 3 months. To be honest, the first and third trimesters are usually the hardest. The second is when you feel almost like yourself again. I, personally, was pretty much nauseous the whole first trimester. I never got sick - but when you are nauseous 24/7 there are times you wish you would get sick if it made the nausea go away! At this point, your body is undergoing many changes, and quickly! Even from 8 weeks on, your baby already looks like a baby and is getting webbed fingers and toes. Their lungs are even developing! The brain is already forming primitive neural pathways! He/she is about the size of a kidney bean. Around 12 weeks when you are leaving the first trimester, your baby's reflexes are beginning to kick in and they will begin opening and closing their fingers, their toes will curl, their eye muscles will clench, and their mouth will make sucking movements. In fact, if you were to push on your abdomen, your baby would respond, though you wouldn't be able to feel it yet. Their kidneys are even producing urine now! Synapses are forming rapidly in your baby's brain. The face is unquestionably human: the eyes have moved from the sides to the front of the face, and the ears are right where they belong. Now, baby is about the size of a lime. With so much going on in these 12 weeks, it's no wonder some women's bodies are put through a huge ordeal dealing with sickness. But, fear not, these 3 months will be over sooner than you think; and again, you may not deal with any sickness at all. Count yourself blessed! :-) Try and exercise every day, at least by walking.
The second trimester is just as busy, but our bodies begin to adjust to all the changes inside of us, and most women are the most active now. Your baby goes from the size of a lemon to over a foot long in these 12 weeks. He/she has started growing toenails, and the heart is pumping about 25 quarts each day! Soon after, their sense of hearing is also developing. Blood vessels are beginning to appear beneath the thin skin. If you are having a girl, her uterus and fallopian tubes are formed and in place. If you are having a boy, his genitals are noticeable, but he may play hide and seek with them during an ultrasound. The brain begins designating specialized areas for smell, taste, vision, hearing, and touch. During this trimester, at around 20 weeks, you usually will have the anatomical ultrasound to see if you are having a boy or a girl. Now they begin to swallow as well, though they normally won't produce their first stool until after birth (called meconium -you will hear that a lot after your baby is born). At the end of this trimester, your baby is a pretty lean figure, but also very proportionate. The skin is thin, translucent and wrinkly. The brain is developing rapidly, and the taste buds are forming.
Now, the move into the third trimester is hardly noticeable. It isn't until around the last 6 weeks or so that your body will just start getting really uncomfortable, and you will be ready (trust me!) to have this baby born. Baby is now about 13 1/2 in. long and about a pound and a half. Over the next 3 months, he/she will grow to about 20 in. long and about 7 or 8 lbs. At this point, your baby is focusing putting on the baby fat we all love. They are practicing breathing in the amniotic fluid to prepare them for their first breath of oxygen. If you are having a boy, his testicles will begin to move down into the scrotum - usually takes 2 to 3 days. Your baby will now go through periods of sleeping and awakening. Baby is opening and closing their eyes at regular intervals and they may even be sucking on their fingers. The brain is very active at this point, and the lungs, though still immature, would be able to function with medical help if born now. Any rhythmic movements you may be feeling are probably hiccups. Your baby will continue to grow and develop and soon will be born. The uncomfortableness is your baby pushing against your pelvis and your back. Keep walking as much as possible, if able.
Around 20 weeks or so, make sure you and your spouse/significant other (if applicable) take a child birth class to prepare you for labor and birth. These classes are very helpful and will answer any questions you might have. They also relieve any anxiety you may be feeling towards labor and delivery. I hope that this helped you understand a little bit about your pregnancy and everything that is happening inside you. You obviously, still need to go to a doctor or midwife and have prenatal checkups to make sure you and baby are OK.
Enjoy this time! It really does go by incredibly fast! God bless and good luck!
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