Written by Editorial Team
So you’ve decided to have a baby? Or maybe you’re already pregnant? That’s so exciting! Pregnancy is an incredible journey. Read on to understand everything you need to know about pregnancy.
Pregnancy is a fantastic period of your passage into motherhood. Your body will change; you’ll always be hungry, visit the bathroom more often, and sleep more. Once you embrace these with joy, you would sail through this time, armed with the right information.
In This Article
Pregnancy, or gestation, is the period when a baby develops inside the mother’s womb. It takes place after intercourse when the sperm from the man’s semen joins with the egg released by the woman’s ovary. If the egg fertilizes, it will attach itself to the lining of your uterus, and you will get pregnant.
Some of the early symptoms are similar to pre-menopausal symptoms (PMS), and you might ignore them till you miss your period. These common signs could be:
Take a home pregnancy test, or visit your doctor, to confirm if you are expecting a baby. The home pregnancy test is a urine test you can do in the privacy of your home. It checks for a hormone called human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). This is the pregnancy hormone and its presence confirms pregnancy. Home pregnancy tests, these days claim to be 99% accurate and can be taken 5-6 days before your period date.
The test at your doctor’s will be a blood or a urine test, which will also test the presence of hCG. The blood test can be taken within a week of ovulation and is more accurate. The doctor will also do a pelvic examination.
Once you’ve decided to start your family, here are a few things you can do to prepare your body for the next 9 months.
A woman’s fertility is at its peak in her early 20s, and the chances of getting pregnant easily are greater before she turns 35. However, if you’re fit and healthy, you can have a baby in your 40s too.
The pregnancy is counted from the first day of your last menstrual period (called LMP) and lasts about 38-42 weeks. This date is just an estimate, and most babies are born before their due date. The fetus, or the unborn baby, develops in the womb (the uterus) for about 37 weeks. A baby born before this is premature, while a baby is born after Week 42 is overdue.
There are three trimesters in a pregnancy:
Every woman’s pregnancy is different. Most are normal, though some may come with their own complications.
The various types of pregnancies are:
Pregnancy is a happy phase. But it does come with a lot of anxiety, and some annoying symptoms. Your body goes through a lot of changes, as well as discomfort -with backaches, swollen ankles, indigestion, morning sickness, high blood pressure, leaking nipples, vaginal discharge, and tiredness. These are all normal symptoms. However, you need to watch out for these signs, which may lead to complications:
Contact your obstetrician/gynecologist if you notice any of these symptoms – she will help you manage them.
Pregnancy can be different for each of us, and even from one baby to the other. If you’re healthy and fit, it should be a smooth and problem-free period. Cherish this time – help from your doctor and support from family and friends can make it delightful and fun. Enjoy time with your partner, do things that relax you, and look forward to the new phase of your life.
With a rich experience in pregnancy and parenting, our team of experts create insightful, well-curated, and easy-to-read content for our to-be-parents and parents at all stages of parenting.Read more.
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