Archive for January, 2008

If you are woman in a normal state of health having regular periods previously and fail to menstruate for ten days after your due date, it can be presumed that you have become pregnant.

The first sign of pregnancy is your breasts undergo considerable changes in shape and size. The blood vessels of the uterus dilate to increase the supply of nutrients to the fetus.

The blood supply to your brain therefore decreases to some extent. This can cause fainting or dizziness sometimes.

From second or third week of pregnancy, you can experience nausea and vomiting in the morning and it can continue up to twelve weeks which is a sign of pregnancy.

The other sign of pregnancy is, in the first three months, the uterus development exerts pressure on the urinary bladder causing urination frequency to increase.

Later on, this problem decreases, though it recurs later when the baby descends to the lower parts of the abdomen in the final stages of pregnancy.

Skin color changes due to the shift in the hormonal balance which is a sign of pregnancy. Your skin color becomes darker from the breasts to the lower abdomen, thighs, genitals and the area surrounding the nipples, which often does not revert to normal even after the delivery.

If you are in normal state of health, then the delivery will be normal usually.

In some cases, deliveries fail to be in normal pattern. Here are some of the unusual deliveries described for your knowledge.

Unusual deliveries:

Breech delivery: This unusual delivery does not specifically have problems. But, this type of delivery is some what difficult than normal delivery.

In this type of delivery, baby will be in breech position and the baby’s head will be the last to emerge. If there is any interruption of the oxygen to the baby, the baby’s survival will be difficult.

If the baby’s head is larger than normal or the position of the baby is wrong, it will be more difficult for delivery. In this case, delivering the baby can cause harm to the baby.

Cephalic delivery: In this unusual delivery, baby’s head emerges from the uterus slowly. When the baby begins to come out, the shape of baby’s head will be changing continuously. It is due to the pressure on the soft bones of the skull in the passage through the pelvis.

Due to the change in the shape of the head, baby can slide out of the vagina easily. This unusual delivery takes long time.

Being pregnant is an exciting experience in one’s life.

However, it will be more exciting if you understand the prenatal development at each stage from the time of conception to childbirth.

The prenatal development in the first month of your pregnancy starts from fertilization, a process where the sperm combines with the ovum in one of the fallopian tubes to form a new egg called zygote.

After fertilization, the new egg descents from the fallopian tubes to the uterus.

Simultaneously, it divides and forms a cluster of cells where the cells separate into three layers: the ectoderm, the mesoderm, and the endoderm.

The inner group of cells forms the embryo and the outer group of cells forms the membranes, which nourish and protects it.

The placenta also starts forming to carry nutritive substances to the baby as well as to eliminate the wastes all through the pregnancy. Even the amniotic sac starts forming which surrounds and protects the developing embryo.

Also, the nervous system starts developing. At this stage, the embryo will be one-fourth inch long.

In the second month of prenatal development, the embryo will be 1½ inch long where the sides of body indicate the embryo’s arms and legs.

Pregnancy weekly will give you information about the changes that takes place during your pregnancy.

The first two weeks are counted as a part of 40 weeks although the baby has not conceived yet.

In 28-day menstrual cycle, the best period of conception is between 12-16 days from the first day of menstrual cycle.

When the fertilized egg implants into the uterus wall, you may experience spotting.

During fourth week of pregnancy weekly, you may experience heaviness and soreness in your breasts.

In fifth week, you can take a pregnancy test. You may not have morning sickness yet although your pregnancy test is positive, but you may have sense of smell.

By sixth week of pregnancy, many women experience morning sickness. The uterus swells and put pressure on bladder. Because of hormonal changes in your body, you will feel completely exhausted during seventh week and you may notice decreased appetite due to nausea.

In eighth week, you will experience fatigue, as your body needs to work hard to cope with your baby’s development. There will be watery discharge from your vaginal wall.

During ninth week, you can see the thickening of waistline. As the womb presses on uterus, you suffer from frequent urination.

If it is your first delivery, you may not analyze the time of labor correctly and delivery can take place suddenly.

You can be aware of the child birth by the following three signs.

• Pain in pelvic region while urinating
• A blood like fluid discharges from the vagina suddenly
• You will experience intermittent pain in the abdomen due to the contraction of the uterus.

If you notice any of the above signs, you can become alert that child birth can take place at any time and immediately join the hospital without delay.

In the child birth process, baby is pushed out of the uterus by contractions and relaxations of specific muscles. The child birth process from labor pain to delivery is divided into three stages.

Stages of child birth:

Stage one: In stage one, upper part of the uterus muscles begin to contract. As a result, the cervix begins to thin out and dilate due to the pressure on the cervix blood vessels.

Contractions occur with intervals of five minutes. When the cervix is dilated, contractions occur at every three minutes that means the frequency is increased.

During pregnancy, it is very common that a little quantity of bleeding also makes you feel worry.

The spotting during pregnancy, in some cases, indicates a complication.

Pregnancy spotting is the most common pregnancy symptom that may develop at any time of your pregnancy, especially during the early stages.

Spotting is nothing but light bleeding close to your menstrual periods.

Pregnancy spotting also occurs during the embryo implantation process, a process where the fertilized egg implants into your uterus.

This kind of pregnancy spotting is very negligible. The possibility of having this pregnancy spotting is more from seven to nine weeks of pregnancy.

However, if you find any spotting that leads to feeling of fear, immediately watch it closely for related symptoms, such as cramping and abdominal pain.

It is always good to understand the common causes that result in pregnancy spotting, as it helps determine the condition easily and at what time to consult your doctor for help.

Remember that pregnancy spotting is not always scary; instead it is an indication of some problem that could lead to very serious condition.

Normally a pregnancy lasts for 38-42 weeks. Some pregnancies will end early (pre-term) and others can occur late (post-term).

The occurrence of delivery before pregnancy due date is known as pre-term pregnancy, a pregnancy where the labor begins before two to three weeks of your pregnancy due date.

Pre-term pregnancy generally occurs due to excessive amniotic fluid or infections that lead the membranes to become weak and break, which in turn result in early uterine contractions.

The occurrence of labor before pregnancy due date is very rare and it is found in two out of every hundred pregnancies.

On the other hand, going beyond your pregnancy due date is common and harmless. The condition where a pregnancy lasts more than 42 weeks is called post-term pregnancy or prolonged pregnancy.

Your pregnancy due date can be estimated easily when you know the date of your last menstrual period. The doctor usually calculates estimated date of delivery (EDD) by adding nine months and seven days to the date of your last menstrual period (LMP).

It is found that only five percent of all estimated pregnancy due dates has come true. Remember that the pregnancy due date will be accurate only if you have regular menstrual periods and your ovulation process is always in the mid of your menstrual cycle.

Giving birth to a child is one of the most exciting experiences in a woman’s life.

During pregnancy, your body undergoes several changes due to hormone fluctuations.

The huge fluctuations in hormone levels results in several pregnancy symptoms.

The good news is that pregnant guide can help ease your pregnancy symptoms.

A pregnancy guide provides all the essential tips to maintain a healthy pregnancy.

One of the most common pregnancy symptoms is morning sickness. It is characterized by nausea and vomiting. To reduce this symptom, avoid intake of extremely fatty and spicy foods. Stay away from strong odors. Have small meals several times a day. Increase carbohydrate foods in your diet.

Also, increase your intake of vitamin B6. Taking 10-25mg of this vitamin thrice a day can help ease the symptom fastly. Ginger can help reduce nausea quickly. So, take ginger in tea or chew directly, but use only fresh ginger for effectiveness.

Constipation is one more pregnancy symptom that can develop due to several reasons: changes in hormone levels and increased iron levels. To reduce this symptom, it is better to follow pregnant guide.

Are you pregnant? Know pregnancy week by week and gain knowledge about your baby’s progress.

The first two weeks of your pregnancy in pregnancy week by week are considered to be the period of ovulation, in which ovum will be produced.

In third week, if fertilization takes place, fertilized egg will get implanted into the uterus.

By the end of fourth week, your urine pregnancy test will likely be positive. In fifth week of pregnancy week by week, your baby will be 5mm long and heart starts beating.

During sixth week of Pregnancy, umbilical cord starts developing, eyes and ears are forming, and other body organs will be under construction.

By seventh week, your baby measures about 7-mm in length by crown-rump length. Hands and legs continue to develop, but fingers have not formed. Brain starts to develop. Lenses of eyes and nasal pits are forming.

In eighth and ninth week, elbow starts forming. The arms and fingers (webbed) develop. There is appearance of eyes, ears, and tip of the nose. Teeth start developing under gums.

Twin pregnancy is a pregnancy of two fetuses that can be identical or fraternal.

It is found that twin pregnancy occurs in three out of every 100 pregnancies.

It is also known as multiple-pregnancy.

Twin pregnancy usually develops from the fertilization of two separate ova or of a single ovum that splits into two embryos at the early stages of pregnancy.

The twin pregnancy that develops from the fertilization of a single egg is known as identical twins where the twins share the same placenta, but develops in different amniotic sacs in the uterus.

It is very rare that identical twins share single amniotic sac. Identical twins always have same sex type and blood type.

On the other hand, the twin pregnancy that develops from the fertilization of two separate eggs is referred to as fraternal twins. The fraternal twins usually develop in separate amniotic sacs, also have separate placenta. The blood type and sex type can vary in the twins.

There are certain factors that increase your chances of having twin pregnancy. Age is the most common factor. Having pregnancy at an age more than thirty years, increase your possibility of giving birth to twins.