Content

• Steps
• Method 1 of 4: What Happens in the First Trimester
• Method 2 of 4: What Happens in the Second Trimester of Pregnancy
• Method 3 of 4: What Happens in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy
• Method 4 of 4: How your baby develops

The life span of an embryo is usually counted from the moment of ovulation or fertilization.On the other hand, the gestational age is usually counted from the first day of the last menstrual cycle. Forty weeks of pregnancy are grouped into three trimesters of three months each. During the period from the first to the third trimester, many changes occur in the body. Knowing about these changes will help you understand what to expect and help you prepare for your baby.

Steps

Method 1 of 4: What Happens in the First Trimester

1. 1 You will feel tired. Fatigue occurs because the body's metabolism accelerates during pregnancy. Try lying or sitting with your legs above body level during the day. This will help reduce stress on the legs and restore the strength of the body.
   • Pregnant women, especially if they are working, should lie or sit in this position for at least 30 minutes a day, for example, during a break.
2. 2 You will feel the heaviness and swelling of the mammary glands. During pregnancy, the breast swells and becomes painful, which is quite uncomfortable. This is due to the increase in estrogen levels caused by pregnancy.
   • Wearing a bra with wide straps can help reduce chest discomfort. However, you should see your doctor right away if your chest pain persists or even gets worse over time.
3. 3 You will feel nauseous in the morning. It is still not known exactly what causes nausea in the morning. One of the possible reasons is that during pregnancy, intestinal motility slows down, so the body can no longer digest food properly. This can cause morning sickness.
   • To cope with morning sickness, you need to eat small meals throughout the day, but often, rather than stick to the usual three meals a day. Eating small meals will make it easier for your body to digest food.
   • Holding a bag of salty crackers by your bed and eating a few before getting out of bed in the morning can help calm your stomach.
4. 4 You will be unbearably drawn to certain foods. This is because your body signals which nutrients, vitamins, or minerals it is lacking so that you can make up for the deficiency. If your body needs something good, you should listen for these cues, but if you crave something inedible, like eating paper or chewing your hair, it could be a symptom of an eating disorder and you should see your doctor. ... # Constipation. Constipation occurs because the fetus and the gradually increasing size of the uterus compress the intestines. This pressure on the intestines can slow down the digestion of food.
   • Eat a diet rich in fiber to help relieve constipation. Fiber-rich foods include oatmeal, apples, whole grain bread, and brown rice. Drinking a liter of water for an hour will help you fight constipation.
5. 5 You may have frequent urination. One of the unpleasant symptoms of the first trimester of pregnancy is that you often feel like using the toilet. This is because the growing uterus is putting pressure on the bladder.
   • Trying to drink less caffeinated beverages can help alleviate the problem of frequent toilet visits. Caffeine is a diuretic, so it makes you go to the toilet very often.
6. 6 Sometimes women experience headaches. During the first trimester, many women complain of headaches. A headache is caused by an increase in the volume of blood in the body, which puts increased pressure on the arteries in the brain. To deal with headaches:
   • Place a cold compress on your forehead.
   • Talk to your doctor who will prescribe headache medications for you.
7. 7 You may feel heartburn. It is caused by the fact that slowed digestion causes food to leave the stomach more slowly.
   • Again, we remind you, try to eat fractional, small portions, and not adhere to three meals a day. This helps the body digest food better.
   • Talk to your doctor about prescribing medications to help fight heartburn.
8. 8 Take care of proper nutrition. What you eat during the first trimester is very important as it lays the foundation for the entire pregnancy process. Try to eat fresh, wholesome, wholesome foods when you are pregnant. Choose foods rich in fiber to help fight constipation.
   • Check with your doctor or dietitian to develop a diet that suits your current condition.
9. 9 Take folic acid. Folic acid is vital during the first trimester of pregnancy because it helps prevent many developmental disorders of the baby, such as neural tube disorders. Ask your doctor for advice on vitamins that will allow you to get 400 micrograms of folate daily.

Method 2 of 4: What Happens in the Second Trimester of Pregnancy

1. 1 What happens in the second trimester of pregnancy? It is believed that the second trimester of pregnancy is not as difficult for a woman as the first. Morning sickness and fatigue gradually diminish, but other changes occur in the body. You may notice that your belly begins to grow due to the fact that your baby is growing inside.
2. 2 You need to make lifestyle changes to manage your back pain. As the baby continues to grow in the abdomen, your body is forced to develop a new posture to maintain balance. There are several ways to help you deal with back pain, which can get you a lot of trouble. For example:
   • Don't wear high-heeled shoes. If you wear high heels it will have a negative effect on the curvature of your spine, so save those shoes for later.
   • When walking, try to keep your back so that your shoulders are tilted back and your pelvic spine arches forward to maintain balance.
   • Place a warm compress on your back.
   • If you need to lift something off the floor, it is better not to bend over, but to squat down.
3. 3 Varicose veins can occur during pregnancy. When the uterus enlarges, the load on the veins increases, which interferes with the flow of blood to the lower extremities. When this happens, the veins can become painful, inflamed, and look swollen.
   • In order to avoid varicose veins, doctors advise lying on your back every day, with your legs raised high on the back of a chair or resting on a wall.
   • When sitting for a long time, try not to cross your legs.
   • Walk 30 minutes daily to increase circulation.
   • Eat foods rich in vitamin C to help your veins. Good sources of vitamin C are citrus fruits such as oranges or lemons, and green leafy vegetables.
4. 4 Your breasts will change during the second trimester to prepare for milk production. During the second trimester, the halos of the mammary glands darken and increase in size. This happens because your breasts are changing for the upcoming milk production.
5. 5 Your hands may start to itch. You may experience itchy palms during the second trimester of pregnancy. This phenomenon is called palmar erythema and is caused by the increase in the level of estrogen in the body.
   • In order to reduce the tooth, apply to the skin a cream or lotion containing.
6. 6 During the second trimester of pregnancy, the ankles may swell. During the second trimester of pregnancy, blood pressure may begin to rise. At the same time, an intensive blood supply to the growing baby occurs in the body, so less blood flows to the lower extremities, so the legs swell.
   • Sleeping on your left side will reduce the stress on your lower limbs. Try to keep your legs elevated often to improve blood flow in problem areas.

Method 3 of 4: What Happens in the Third Trimester of Pregnancy

1. 1 You may have difficulty breathing. As your baby grows, the uterus gets bigger and puts pressure on the diaphragm. This pressure can make you feel like it is difficult for you to breathe. This sensation can increase significantly at night.
   • One way to help with breathing difficulties is to sit upright so that the uterus stops squeezing the diaphragm. Try to use two or three pillows under your head as you sleep to avoid shortness of breath.
2. 2 Hemorrhoids may appear during the third trimester. The enlarging uterus puts pressure on the veins in the abdominal cavity, causing hemorrhoids to form. Fortunately, there are ways to deal with this problem.
   • Lie on your back more often with your legs raised with an emphasis on the back of a chair or wall.
   • Ask your doctor to prescribe a laxative for you.
   • Try to deal with constipation as we described in the first part.
3. 3 Braxton Hicks contractions. During this stage of pregnancy, you may experience false contractions called Braxton Hicks contractions. They occur because the uterus begins to contract and relax periodically. The pain during these contractions is similar to the pain during menstruation. These contractions are one of the signs of an impending birth.
   • Tell your gynecologist when you started having these contractions. Write down how strong they are and how long they last.

Method 4 of 4: How your baby develops

1. 1 What happens from the fourth to the twelfth week of intrauterine development. During the first trimester, in the body of the unborn baby, the laying and development of internal organs, for example, the heart, takes place. At this stage, the embryo does not yet look like a human being, it looks more like a seed with a long tail, from which legs will later develop. On ultrasound, the ovum can be seen at a period of 8 weeks. At the end of the twelfth week of development, it is already possible to distinguish the sex of the unborn child.
   • During this period, the embryo grows from one centimeter to eight. Its weight increases from 40 micrograms to 45 grams.
2. 2 What happens from the sixteenth to the twenty-fourth week of development. During this period, the fetal heartbeat becomes distinguishable first with the help of Doppler (a special device that can distinguish the heartbeat of the unborn baby), and by the end of the second semester it can be listened to with a stethoscope. An ultrasound scan can determine the sex of the unborn child. At this time, the liver and pancreas begin to function. Other interesting features - the baby's body is covered with vellus hair - lanugo, which allows to regulate heat exchange, a layer of brown fat is laid under the skin, which promotes thermoregulation. The body is covered with caseous grease that regulates heat transfer. At this stage of development, periods of sleep and wakefulness are already beginning to alternate.
   • During the second trimester, fetal growth increases from 10 to 36 centimeters. Its weight increases from 55 grams to 550 grams.
   • If a woman has a premature birth and the baby is born more than 24 weeks, he can survive with constant monitoring and therapy in a special equipped box in the premature ward.
3. 3 What happens to the baby in the period from the twenty-eighth to the fortieth week of development. Since the baby's lungs have already formed, the pulmonary alveoli are already functioning. At this time, the baby's eyes are already completely open. Now the fetus already looks like a baby. Subcutaneous fat deposits have formed on the arms and legs. During this time, you can start reading books out loud and listening to classical music, because your little one can already distinguish sounds.During the third trimester, the baby takes either a head (head forward) or pelvic (feet forward) position. By the end of this trimester, the number of vellus hairs covering the baby's skin decreases.
   • During this period, during the period when the child is awake, you may feel him kicking, and sometimes these sensations may even cause a little discomfort.
   • Now the child's height is about 35 centimeters.