Trimesters of Pregnancy
Trimesters of Pregnancy“Hey there!” ”Hi!” “Congratulations your test is positive.” “Thank you!”The journey of pregnancy begins. No two women will experience it the same way.“You talk to some moms and they have nothing, and they feel like regular and everything is normal andfine just as if they weren’t pregnant at all. And you get a mom like me, you know, you’re floored andyou’re hugging the toilet seven times a day.”Tatum Morris knows what the journey is like as someone who is in her second pregnancy and teaches aprenatal water aerobics class.“Nice big jumps, we’re going to work on those lower abs, guys.”Your first trimester is your first twelve weeks of pregnancy. Hormonal changes can trigger a variety ofsymptoms.“Your body is spending a lot of energy to build a baby. You’ll feel some pelvic pressure. Maybecramping. Your uterus is stretching and growing. Often there’s an ovarian cyst to make hormones forthe baby.”That ovarian cyst can cause pain or discomfort.“A lot of women notice breast soreness and tenderness as your breasts are getting used to all thehormones that are going around in the body, and also women may start to notice that they’re feelingkind of puffy. You may actually start to keep some extra fluid and all those are very normal healthysigns.”Another common symptom is nausea. Frequent small meals and snacks can help, as can ginger tea. Duringprenatal visits your doctor will make sure the pregnancy is progressing normally and discuss medications youmight be taking. You’ll also learn how to stay healthy.“Drink plenty of fluids to stay hydrated, especially if you’re exercising. Try to get plenty of rest. Yourbody heals and repairs itself, and also your baby probably grows better when you’re taking it easy andresting, so make sure you’re getting plenty of sleep.”“Hugging your baby nice and tight works on your abs, keeping your muscles nice and tight, okay?”Your second trimester is weeks 13 to 28.“By the time you finish the first trimester, the fetus has formed. Everything has come together and thatis really a time where the baby continues to develop and grow.”Most women will find the second trimester is easier than the first.“The second trimester is good because it’s an absence of bad symptoms from the first trimester andyou haven’t quite reached the weight gain and the swelling the discomforts of the third trimester.”“Well, I am actually six months today, so we’ve hit that six-month mark and feeling great. Really feelingenergized.”This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.PRG51374B EN TrimestersOfPregnancy.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 1 of 3Trimesters of PregnancyIf you haven’t felt good enough to exercise, this is a great time to start. Women who are in shape tend to haveshorter labor and a lower risk of needing a C-section.“This is the cardio portion of class and I want you to work as hard as you can.”Being physically active can also help you manage weight gain.“We’re going to ask you to try and keep your weight gain to a minimum.”Gaining too much weight early in pregnancy can lead to Gestational Diabetes.“When you have Gestational Diabetes, you’ve got a 25% chance of developing something calledpregnancy induced hypertension.”Also called Gestational Hypertension, it can lead to a life-threatening condition called Preeclampsia later inpregnancy.“Elevated blood pressure, excess swelling, more than a 6-pound gain, weight gain in a week, those areall signs that you should be watching for.”By the end of your second trimester your baby will be about 12 inches long and weigh about two pounds. Thethird trimester is 29-40 weeks.“Most of the growth for the pregnancy is going to be in the third trimester. That is where the mom willgain about a pound a week, and the baby will literally gain about a half a pound a week.”As your baby grows to its full delivery size you may feel some discomfort including: Hemorrhoids; Lack ofbladder control; Varicose veins; Lower back pain and Braxton Hicks contractions, which are practicecontractions.“The treatment for all of them is going to end up being delivery.”“Early labor in general is that labor you do at home.”Third trimester is the time to educate yourself about labor and delivery.“The majority of women who are going to go into labor spontaneously are going to deliver in a threeweek period between 38 and 41 weeks. There is a message that the baby’s body transmits to themother that says, ‘I’m ready’ and it triggers the mother’s body to go into labor.”“With a first-time mom average dilation in active labor is approximately a centimeter an hour. So, your cervix isactively changing.”Unless there is a medical reason for inducing labor, it’s preferable to wait for labor to occur on its own. Inducinglabor before 39 weeks can lead to complications for both the mom and baby.“We know that over 39 weeks that baby will be fine, but that’s not the only thing we look at. We wantthe baby to be mature, but we also want to limit the risk to the mother. Now if you induce someonewhose body is not ready to go into labor, they have an increased risk for C-section. So, it’s really atwofer. Baby’s got to be well and mom should be in a position where she has a high chance for asuccessful labor and vaginal delivery.”This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.PRG51374B EN TrimestersOfPregnancy.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 2 of 3Trimesters of PregnancyLearning about labor and delivery and working with your care provider will help ensure a safe and healthyarrival for your baby.This program is for informational purposes only. Publisher disclaims all guarantees regarding the accuracy, completeness,or suitability of this video for medical decision making. For all health related issues please contact your healthcare provider.PRG51374B EN TrimestersOfPregnancy.pdf© The Wellness NetworkPage 3 of 3
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