Pregnancy causes numerous physical, emotional and lifestyle changes. Many changes begin occurring right after you become pregnant, alerting you to the possibility of impending motherhood. New sensations, including your expanding body and possible mood swings, can make you feel like a stranger in your own body. Even the responses of others may surprise and overwhelm you during your nine months of pregnancy. Knowing what to expect during this exciting phase of your life helps you prepare for these changes.
While many mothers give birth vaginally, some pregnancies require surgical delivery. Cesarean section deliveries, commonly referred to as C-sections, allow the surgeon to remove the infant from the mother's uterus. While some pregnancy conditions may cause doctors to schedule a C-section delivery beforehand, the need for a surgical delivery may not arise until after labor starts. Knowing what to expect during this process may help reduce the stress and anxiety of having your baby by C-section.
As soon as you know you are pregnant, schedule your first pregnancy appointment with your family physician, obstetrician or with a midwife. You will want to start your prenatal care as soon as possible. Most doctors schedule the first appointment at around the eighth week of pregnancy, according to the Baby Center website.
Even women who are overweight before getting pregnant need to gain at least some weight during their terms, according to both Women's Health and the March of Dimes. But gaining too much weight can hurt both mother and baby, even if the expectant mom was underweight before conception. Learning more about the average weight gains during pregnancy can greatly help expectant moms before, during and after delivery of a new son or daughter.
During pregnancy, week 14 is at the end of the first trimester and the beginning of the second trimester. The second trimester is what some consider the easiest time during pregnancy, according to the Mayo Clinic. For many women, this is a time when the discomforts of the first trimester decrease, and the baby hasn't grown so large as to cause the discomforts experienced in the third trimester. There is much going on with the baby and to the mother.
Children grow very quickly; just ask any mother or grandmother. By the time you reach your 23rd week of pregnancy, you may begin to agree with this common sentiment. Your baby is rapidly changing and preparing for life outside your womb. Although some days may seem to drag, changes are occurring within your body as it adjusts to the growing size and increasing demands of your baby. By 23 weeks, your pregnancy is past the halfway point and you may be eagerly anticipating your due date.
Congratulations, you've made it almost to the halfway point of your pregnancy. By the 18th week, your baby will have had his first growth spurt. You may start to be able to feel him moving inside your uterus. Changes are occurring throughout your body as well--some of them good, some of them rather unpleasant.
You will see plenty of exciting changes to your body and to the fetus growing inside you during the 25th week of pregnancy. The 25th week comes near the end of the second trimester, so your baby is beginning to grow and develop more rapidly than before. You may experience changes in your body, both unpleasant and pleasant, during week 25.
The first trimester is full of questions and a few answers. You wonder if that queasy feeling signals pregnancy and find out it does. You determine your due date and decide who to tell first. During these first three months, you start laying the foundation for a lifetime with your new family member.
After the initial excitement of being pregnant calms down, you may start to wonder when you will start showing your pregnancy. Every woman's body handles pregnancy differently, and each pregnancy can be different, which can make it difficult to predict. While you may notice a difference in your body before anyone else does, it can still take weeks before you look pregnant to others.
