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Stages of Pregnancy
Congratulations on your pregnancy! You have been chosen to bring a new life into this world. The changes that are about to take place in your body and mind may scare you at times: You may feel like you are loosing control of your own body, even loosing your mind. Not to worry, creating a baby is exactly what the female body was designed for. You will endure, and you’ll show the world what you are truly capable of – creating life! Take pride at every turn, and realize that your body is a powerhouse, capable of miracles! Even though pregnancy is as old as the beginning of time, don’t take it for granted. Take care of yourself and your baby, and enjoy the miracles that your body performs throughout the next nine months. Most of the unpleasant changes in your body in the coming months are temporary, but the wonderful changes in your life are permanent for years to come. Every woman is unique and every pregnancy is different. The following information is a timeline of possible changes that can happen with your body and mind. Don’t be alarmed is you don’t experience everything listed below. If you don’t get morning sickness or hemorrhoids, be grateful. If you experience it all, you’ll have a lot to talk about with family, friends, neighbors, and anyone standing in front of you at the grocery store. First Month In this first month, most likely your menstrual period has stopped and you are testing positive with a home pregnancy test. You may experience fatigue, frequent urination, and nausea (with or without vomiting). Your stomach may be more sensitive to your regular foods resulting in heartburn, indigestion, flatulence and bloating. This is the time for food cravings or aversions, as well. You may notice that your breasts are a little fuller (Yeah!) and your stomach a little rounder. Emotional levels are high creating possible mood swings and weepiness. Second Month These five to eight weeks into your pregnancy you will likely continue feeling tired and need to urinate frequently. The nausea and stomach sensitivities will continue and you may become constipated. Food cravings and aversions are likely: Bring on the pickles and ice cream! You may have occasional headaches, faintness and dizziness. Your breasts may become more sensitive and your areola may darken. Third Month Adding to the previous months symptoms and bodily changes, you may develop bluish veins around your breasts. Veins may appear more pronounced in legs and abdomen, as your skin is stretched tighter and weight gain becomes more apparent. Increased appetite is likely if you are not plagued with morning (afternoon or evening) sickness. Moodiness may increase, along with possible irrationality. Fourth Month Hopefully, nausea is coming to an end. Constipation may increase due to the slowing of your metabolism. Even though your breast may still be enlarging at this point, the tenderness may be decreasing. Dizziness is more prevalent; especially will abrupt changes in position. Ear stuffiness, nasal congestion and occasional nosebleeds may occur. Your gums may bleed slightly while brushing. Mild swelling of ankles and feet, as well as hands and feet are possible. Varicose veins may appear on legs, and you could develop hemorrhoids at this point. A slight vaginal discharge may be present. Frustration at being "in-between" wardrobes is very likely. Continued moodiness, irritability and scatter-brained behavior may be apparent to others. Fifth Month This is the month that fetal movement becomes apparent. Stayed tuned-in for feelings of fluttering, gurgling or twitching...it could be your baby moving around! Many previous symptoms will likely exist with the addition of leg cramps, lower back soreness and skin discoloration on abdomen and/or face. Don't be alarmed with absentmindedness. Sixth Month Definite fetal activity as your baby does somersaults in your belly. Increased achiness in the lower abdomen and back are a sure thing. Your abdomen may become itchy, and your navel will start to protrude. Your breast could enlarge even more! Boredom with pregnancy, and anxiety about the future is likely now that reality is setting in. Seventh Month More of the same in this seventh month. You may have increased vaginal discharge, shortness of breath and difficulty sleeping. Your breast may leak in preparation for future breast feeding - practice makes perfect! You could experience "Braxton Hicks" contractions, where your body performs "practice" contractions in preparation for the birthing process, as well. Eighth Month Pelvic pressure, more breast leakage and "practice" contractions are likely. Eagerness for pregnancy to be over. Ninth Month More of the same this month with increased stress on your body due to weight gain and pressure. Sleeping may be difficult since all of your favorite positions are currently unavailable. It's hard to get around without bumping into everything. You may need a forklift to get in and out of the car. Feeling extremely clumsy could be due to the fact that you can’t see anything that exists below your waist: Suddenly you’re the one asking where your shoes are when they’re right under your nose. Your abdomen skin is stretched as far as you think it can go. Let's face it; you want your body back. Whew! That’s a lot for your body to go through. Let your body do its thing, and concentrate on keeping the stress levels low and the love levels high – your baby can feel it all. Oh no, it doesn’t end here. Once your baby is born, she will need your body as much as when you were pregnant. Breastfeeding… |
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