Pregnancy Information

The Stages of Pregnancy


There are three distinct stages of pregnancy, called trimesters, each about 13 weeks. The stage of pregnancy, or trimester, is important to your baby's growth and might be uncomfortable for you. As your body adjusts to the raging hormones of a new pregnancy, you might experience morning sickness and moodiness. Your breasts will swell and you will miss your period. Your baby will grow from a small cluster of cells to an embryo with the beginnings of eyes, ears, fingers and toes. The baby will be able to move his arms and legs. At the end of the first trimester, you may notice that you are "showing" and your doctor may be able to tell you what sex the baby is.

During the second trimester, your belly will grow as the baby does, and you will begin to feel the baby move. You may experience headaches, dizziness and backaches from the changes happening to your body. Luckily, morning sickness has disappeared, but you may begin to retain water. Your baby's bones are developing and he is covered with a fine layer of hair called lanugo. As your belly expands, you continue to gain weight. Despite this, the second trimester is the time most pregnant women enjoy the most.

The baby's growth slows by the end of the third trimester. Vital organs are developed and fat begins to develop under the baby's skin. During the last weeks of the third trimester, the baby begins to descend into the birth canal. You will have gained 25-35 pounds (ideally) and you may experience some fatigue and numbness in the pelvic area. Urination is more frequent and your breasts may start to feel heavy and leak. Of course, the third trimester ends with the birth of your baby!

Maria writes for Pregnancy Due Date, a site that tries to information for expectant mothers. For more great pregnancy articles, visit our Pregnancy articles archive.


MORE RESOURCES:

ABC News

Elizabeth Davies: Pregnancy not to be taken lightly
Norwich Bulletin, CT - 14 hours ago
By Elizabeth Davies I could hardly believe it when that plus sign began to form on the pregnancy test. A baby, I thought. Cribs and bottles, onesies and ...
Mass. pregnancy pact stirs debate over child care The Associated Press
Mayor: Pregnancy numbers may violate privacy Gloucester Daily Times
Column: Mayor Kirk talks about teen pregnancy issue Wicked Local Manchester
Uptown - Gloucester Daily Times
all 708 news articles


ChattahBox

Predicting pregnancy odds
San Jose Mercury News,  USA - Jul 2, 2008
By Vianna Davila Stanford University researchers said they are one step closer to accurately predicting if in vitro fertilization will result in pregnancy, ...
Predicting In Vitro Success TIME
Four Combined Factors Predict Success of In Vitro Fertilization Medscape (subscription)
New Method Better Predictor of In Vitro Fertilization Success U.S. News & World Report
eFluxMedia - TheMedGuru
all 66 news articles


Zap2it.com

ABC Family Launches 'Cautionary' Television Series That Addresses ...
Medical News Today (press release), UK - 21 hours ago
ABC Family on Tuesday premiered a "cautionary" television series that plans to address issues including teenage pregnancy, and abstinence, ...
Karen Heller: Teen pregnancy as a TV series? Philadelphia Inquirer
Television Review A Teenage Pregnancy, Packaged as a Prime-Time ... New York Times
Art imitates life in teen pregnancy drama Boston Herald
Washington Post - TheCelebrityCafe.com
all 118 news articles


Gloucester plans teen pregnancy forums
Boston Globe, United States - 5 hours ago
Two weeks removed from the eye of a media firestorm over the spike in teen pregnancy at Gloucester High School, city officials plan to address the situation ...


US teenage pregnancy cult to feature in BBC3 documentary
guardian.co.uk, UK - 4 hours ago
The 60-minute special, which has the working title American Pregnancy Cult, will investigate whether the 16-year-old Massachusetts schoolgirls made a pact ...


Concern at Maori women smoking during pregnancy
New Zealand Herald, New Zealand - 12 hours ago
Te Hotu Manawa Maori manager Irene Walker said the rate of Maori smoking during pregnancy must reduce. "Even when pregnant Maori women quit smoking while ...


Angelina's pregnancy notes
Galatta.com, India - 8 hours ago
Pregnancy is quite an emotional roller-coaster for the moms-to-be, and Angelina Jolie does not want to forget the ride; hence she keeps a diary! ...
Angelina Jolie 'has secret pregnancy diary' NEWS.com.au
Doc: 'Everything is normal' with Angelina Jolie's pregnancy New York Daily News
Angelina Jolie Pregnancy Update The Gossip Girls
The Associated Press - AFP
all 2,127 news articles


Oneindia

Yoga For Pregnancy
Oneindia, India - 5 hours ago
By :Health & Yoga A lady about 25 years old came to the maternity Hospital severely dejected and feeling hopeless. She had a very bad obstetrical history ...


Asthma In Pregnancy: How Does It Affect Mother And Child?
Bernama, Malaysia - 2 hours ago
During pregnancy, a woman is likely to show signs of having a short fuse like feeling irritable, petulant and ill tempered. But on other occasions, ...


BBC News

Junk food during pregnancy can harm unborn baby
Times of India, India - Jul 1, 2008
Smoking and drinking in pregnancy are known to harm the baby, but new research indicates that junk food may also sow the seeds of heart disease and diabetes ...
Poor diet during pregnancy does 'irreversible damage' Telegraph.co.uk
Diet & health: Women warned over junk food in pregnancy guardian.co.uk
Moms Eat Junk Food, Kids Get Fat CBS News
MedHeadlines - Mirror.co.uk
all 80 news articles

Pregnancy - Google News

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