Get pregnancy information you can trust. We’ll help you track your pregnancy week-by-week, including how big your baby is today and how your pregnant body is changing. Consult our due date calculator to learn when your baby will arrive. We’ll also help you have a healthy, happy pregnancy with our pregnancy-safe workouts and meal plans. You’ll learn how to write a birth plan, and we’ll tell you what to expect when it comes time to give birth.
Overview
A typical pregnancy lasts 40 weeks from the first day of your last menstrual period (LMP) to the birth of the baby. It is divided into three stages, called trimesters: first trimester, second trimester, and third trimester. The fetus undergoes many changes throughout maturation.
How to know when spotting or bleeding during pregnancy is serious
Vaginal bleeding during pregnancy is not uncommon, but it’s also usually not normal. It can indicate many things, depending on whether it’s heavy or light, how long it lasts, what color it is, and at what point in the pregnancy it occurs. Signs that bleeding is due to serious conditions such as miscarriage, problems with the placenta, or preterm labor, include heavy bleeding (similar to menstrual bleeding), bleeding in conjunction with cramps and/or fever, or bleeding and passing some tissue. The color of the blood is also important: Blood that’s bright red is usually more worrisome than blood that’s brownish.
How Soon Can You Tell If You Are Pregnant?
A missed period is often the first sign that you may be pregnant, but how do you know for sure? Many women use home pregnancy tests to tell if they are pregnant; however, these tests are more likely to be accurate when used at least one week after a woman’s last period. If you take the test less than 7 days before your last menstrual period, it may give you a false result. If the test is positive, it is more likely that you actually are pregnant. However, if the test is negative, there is an increased chance that the test is wrong. Your doctor can do a blood test to detect pregnancy sooner than a home pregnancy test can.
Pregnancy Weight Gain?
The amount of weight a woman should gain during pregnancy depends on her body mass index (BMI) prior to becoming pregnant. Women who are a normal weight should gain between 25 and 35 pounds. Women who are underweight prior to pregnancy should gain more. Women who are overweight or obese prior to pregnancy should gain less. The recommended caloric intake for a normal weight woman who exercises less than 30 minutes per week is 1,800 calories per day during the first trimester, 2,200 calories per day during the second trimester, and 2,400 calories during the third trimester
Honestly, it often feels a bit like the flu, except with sore boobs and crying.
You’re so tired you might want to sleep standing up. You may not want to eat. You may just generally feel under the weather. Hormones are flooding your body. It’s a lot to handle.
I cried when I couldn’t decide what to eat. I cried when I heard the Katie Perry song “Firework.” I cried a lot, and when I wasn’t crying, I was just exhausted.
The second trimester is a lot more like what pregnancy looks like on TV.Accordion Sample Description
This is probably the most commonly asked question, and one that may be asked before the baby is even conceived. Women who are anxious to start their family will be patiently (or not so patiently) waiting for those two pink lines, so they likely will already be ‘harassing’ their doctor with what is the earliest symptom of pregnancy so they can know even sooner.
The hard thing is that there is no white or black answer to this question, as every woman and every pregnancy is different. Some women experience little to no of the ‘normal’ early pregnancy symptoms, such as; headaches, extreme fatigue and nausea. The best and most likely answer you are going to get from your medical team is to wait for a missed menstrual cycle, or test 14-days after intercourse.
This one may shock some people as we think that everyone knows that prenatal vitamins are very important. Well, some people do not think they are that important if they already have a healthy lifestyle, and some just don’t want to take any un necessary medications. This is a common question that doctor’s are asked, and they have a simple response; yes, they ARE that important.
Growing another human being is not easy on your body, and you (the mom) need additional vitamins and minerals that you just won’t find in your food. They can be even more important if mom is suffering from some pretty serious morning sickness, as she will not be able to take in as much food and vitamins as normal. Talk to your doctor about finding one that works for you!
It is sometimes a very hard thing for a woman to go through; gaining the pregnancy weight. Some women embrace it and know that it is just a part of growing a little baby. Others can become very insecure about the weight they are gaining, and with so much fat-shaming happening it is easy to see why. They will often as at every prenatal appointment if they have gained too much weight. There is no set ‘right’ amount of weight for a women to carry, but be rest assured that your weight is something that is checked at every single appointment.
The doctor will go over with you any concerns they may have about your weight and don’t be shy to discuss it with your doctor. You can even ask your doctor what kind of exercises you can partake in when pregnant so that you can try and keep any weight gain at a comfortable level for you.
This one goes along with all other body-image issues that women struggle with when they are expecting. The appearance of that first stretch mark can have anyone concerned and start running to the drug store to buy any and all supposed stretch mark removing creams. A lot of women will ask their doctor this early on their pregnancy, desperately searching for a way they can avoid getting these marks.
The truth is that 75-90% of women have some stretch marks one some spot of their body. This is a natural occurrence that occurs when a part of the skin is stretched, such as the belly and possibly boobs during pregnancy. The skin has to stretch to accommodate for the growing baby, so until they come up with a way that the belly doesn’t have to stretch to carry a baby women will probably have to deal with stretchmarks. The best advice I can give is to wear them with honour and pride!
