A woman’s pregnancy is filled with many distinctive and significant changes. When counting from the first day of a woman’s last period, the entire pregnancy lasts approximately 40 weeks. Although there are pregnancy week by week changes, the stages of pregnancy are categorized into three trimesters.
First Trimester: Pregnancy week by week changes for the first trimester are week 1 to week 12. This stage of pregnancy includes such symptoms as a stopped period, extreme fatigue, sensitive and swollen breasts, unusual food cravings or aversion to certain types of foods, mood swings such as irritability, frequent urination, constipation, nausea, heartburn, headaches, and an increase in weight. For the fetus, the nose, ears, eyes, and digestive system begins to develop.
Second Trimester: Pregnancy week by week changes for the second trimester are week 13 to week 28. Many of the early symptoms from the first trimester tend to go away during this period. However, one will see other changes such as an expanding abdomen. An expectant mother will also start to feel the baby move. Symptoms during this stage of pregnancy can include: lower back pain, abdomen aches, breasts, abdomen, thighs, or buttocks stretch marks, numb or tingling sensation in the hands, itchy skin, dark skin patches in such places as the upper lip, cheeks, nose, and forehead, and swelling of the ankles and fingers.
Third Trimester: Pregnancy week by week changes for the third trimester are week 29 to week 40. Some symptoms during this stage of pregnancy include shortness of breath, difficulty sleeping, breast may leak a watery pre-milk, heartburn, hemorrhoids, and contractions. The baby will be moving lower in the abdomen. The baby is also getting larger and putting more pressure on the body’s organs.
The week by week pregnancy period involves a lot of changes, both physically and hormonally. As an expectant mother’s body changes, she will have to modify her daily activities. Throughout the pregnancy, various discomforts will arise, but they will eventually diminish. Because each woman is different, the pregnancy symptoms will be different and vary in intensity. It is important to maintain regular check ups throughout the entire pregnancy period. If anything unusual is taking place, especially week by week, see your doctor immediately. Because pregnancy is both a wonderful and stressful time for a woman, it is important for her to take care of herself and the baby through all stages of the pregnancy to ensure a healthy delivery.
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