Pregnancy

Pregnancy

Pregnancy… one word that endlessly changes your life. If you are pregnant or still discerning conception, this is a time of excitement, joy, and possibly anxiety.

Pregnancy is generally 40 weeks long or 10 months. Your due date is calculated from the first day of your last period. You may, however, deliver three weeks early or up to two weeks late.

What exactly should you expect from your OB-GYN during pregnancy?

In a normal pregnancy, your visits to the obstetrician should entail every three or four weeks at first, with an increase of frequency in visits as your pregnancy advances, until you begin weekly visits in the last month.

The pregnancy is charted in three trimesters:

First Trimester-

Vitally important for assessing any history that may prove forewarning for the duration of the pregnancy, consistent analysis of blood pressure, weight and urine levels and the growth of the fetus. Considerations and alert is heightened to miscarriage scares.

Second Trimester

Generalities of maternal and fetal health and appropriate fetal growth are observed. Fundal height and fetal heart tones are recorded each visit.

Third Trimester

The fetus is completely developed. Rhythmic breathing occurs. Baby is born!
Every pregnancy is different, and there's wide variation in the length of labor. For first-time mothers who are at least 37 weeks along, labor frequently takes between 10 and 20 hours.

Symptoms

As your body changes, you may experience certain symptoms, many of which are common during pregnancy. Symptoms include a common cold, headache, hemorrhoids, constipation, contractions, joint pain, varicose veins, nausea, and heartburn.

There are approximately 6 million pregnancies every year throughout the United States. Just over 4 million of these pregnancies result in live births; while nearly an astonishing 2 million contribute to pregnancy losses.
Being a parent can be defined as one of the most challenging and rewarding experiences in life. Understanding your pregnancy is the most important step along your journey.