Stages of Pregnancy: Week by week - Wetin dey happun to babies and pregnant women for di three trimesters
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Di first symptoms of pregnancy dey different from pesin to pesin. For most part, na di first month wey dem sabi, not sake of any specific sign, but wen you notice say your period no dey and confam wit a positive pregnancy test.
To create new human being, di body and mind, no doubt, go pass through many changes - not to mention all di stages of di fetus, wey dey grow from one single-celled organism to a fully formed baby, wey dey ready to live for outside im mama womb.
Every stage of pregnancy dey bring different feelings and changes, and e fit worry - especially for first-time moms and dads – wey dey try to figure out wetin normal and wetin no normal.
Below, we describe di stages of pregnancy month by month (and also by weeks, as obstetricians do), to explain wetin to expect as di baby dey develop and di changes for di pregnant woman body.
E dey important to remember say, although expected, dem fit no experience all of di symptoms wey we describe for di report - every body dey react differently.
Di ogbonge tin to do na to maintain constant tok-tok wit your doctor and to consult am in case of doubt.
First trimester
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1st month (1 to 4 weeks)
During di first medical visit, e dey common for di health professional to ask you many questions about your family medical history.
Dem dey also do internal pelvic exam to check di uterus, vagina and cervix, and dem fit request one pap smear (for cervical cancer prevention) if di pregnant woman neva get one or neva get one, within about a year.
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Routine blood and urine tests also go take place at dis first time, in addition to general health assessment checks, including height, weight and blood pressure.
Vitamins and folic acid, wey contribute to di proper formation of di baby, dey recommended for pregnant women for dis initial phase.
Changes for di pregnant woman
Di production of hormones during pregnancy, wey dey begin in di first month, na very complex matter, as Rodrigo Buzzini, gynaecologist and obstetrician and director of di Santa Joana group explain.
"Di production of hormones, especially HCG (wey serve as indicator of pregnancy), dey very intense. To get a parameter, at di beginning, di levels dey double every 48 hours and continue to increase until di twelfth week. “di specialist explain.
Dis change fit cause drowsiness, nausea, and make di pesin wan dey on im own, without participating for many activities.
"But dis go depend on di individuality of each patient, taking into account dia biological characteristics and dia psychological environment", di doctor tok.
Some pipo also experience changes for appetite - wey fit include increase hunger, but also dem fit no want some food.
E dey however necessary, according to di doctors wey follow BBC tok say pregnant woman continue dey chop normally, di same way pesin wey no get belle dey chop, as to consider di baby wey go receive di effects positive or negative depending on di supply.
Baby development
At dis stage, di fetus na only 0.1 to 0.2 millimetres long and dem dey call am blastocyst. For three weeks of gestation, di genetic material don already develop and dem dey naturally determine di sex, although e no dey possible to identify am by medical examinations.
Folic acid supplementation for up to 12 weeks fit reduce di risk of problems like anencephaly, spina bifida, neural tube closure and problems wit fetal formation.
2nd month (5 to 8 weeks)
If dis na your first visit to di doctor - some women no dey discover pregnancy for di first month – dem go order you for di test dem mention above.
Dem go measure and monitor your weight gain and blood pressure.
"For di sixth week, e don already dey possible to perform one transvaginal ultrasound, wey be to see di gestational sac and to see di structures wey indicate whether di pregnancy dey progress well", na so Ellen Freire, gynecologist and obstetrician for Fleury Medicina e Saúde tok.
Changes for di pregnant woman
According to Freire, di woman fit no feel anything, but for some pregnant women, na in dis phase wey di "typical" symptoms of pregnancy dey increase.
"E fit come wit one drop for pressure, constant nausea and vomiting. We recommend to take extra care wit diet and no be to use self-medication."
Baby development
"Between five and six weeks, di tiny 'seed' don already reach five millimetres long. Some pregnant women wonder how tiny change fit get such effect dem dey see? na sake of di body don go into pregnancy mode," doctor explain.
Facial features go continue to form, plus fingers and eyes. Di neural tube, di embryonic structure wey go give rise to di brain and spinal cord, don already dey form well by now. Di digestive tract and sensory organ don also begin dey develop.
From di sixth week, di heart of di embryo don begin beat. We fit capture am on di ultrasound and na very emotional moment, na normally wen parents "see di light". E go sweet di belle of di couple, na di sign of good pregnancy”, Oga Freire tok.
3rd month (9 to 12 weeks)
Time to return to di doctor office, wia di doctor go listen to any complaints and answer di questions of di pregnant woman.
"We dey ask for di first trimester morphological ultrasound wey show us very important details of di fetus in relation to di placenta, di shape and growth of di baby – e go don already dey two times as big as di first ultrasound - and for di risk assessment of possible syndromes", Buzzini explain.
Changes for di pregnant woman
Pregnant woman breast dey big and di areolas go dark. According to di pre-existing tendency of some women, pimples fit show. Appetite fit begin to return and di first "pregnancy cravings" go appear.
"Di belly go also start to show and e dey hard not to notice di pregnancy," Freire tok.
Baby development
For di end of di third month, di fetus dey about 10 centimeters long and usually dey weigh about 28 grams.
Di arms, hands, fingers, toes and toes don already dey fully formed. Nails appear and teeth begin to form under di gums.
Di reproductive organs dey also develop, but e still dey difficult to tell di sex of di baby for ultrasound. Di circulatory and urinary systems dey function well and di liver don already dey produce bile.
For dis phase, di fetus go begin explore im surroundings a bit, dey do tins like to dey open and close im fists and mouth: "e don already get good movement and e dey possible to see limbs, depend on whether di sonographer go dey capable of reproducing di image and position of di fetus", doctor Rodrigo Buzzini point out.
Second trimester
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4th month (13 to 16 weeks)
Di mom-to-be dey almost halfway through her pregnancy. Dis period na important stage of pregnancy: e dey possible to sabi di biological sex of di baby thanks to ultrasound.
Sake of di more advanced formation of di fetus, di chances of miscarriage go decrease significantly.
Changes for di pregnant woman
Di mother heart dey pump blood faster to fuel her and di baby body, so signs like dizziness and shortness of breath dey common. She fit also suffer from constipation and back pain sake of di growing fetus.
Baby development
"Di organs don almost fully form and you fit now hear di fetal heartbeat as dem dey use di instrument dem call doppler," Ms Buzzini add am.
Eyelids, eyebrows, eyelashes, nails and hair go appear. Teeth and bones don form better.
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Di fetus fit don already perform actions like thumb sucking, yawning, stretching and dey make funny faces. Di nervous system go slowly begin to function.
"Di genitals don already form, depend on di position of di foetus for di ultrasound, e dey already possible to discover di sex. Di foetus also get possible sensitivity to light and sound", di gynaecologist tok.
5th month (17 to 20 weeks)
For di end of di fifth month, di pregnant woman go do di second examination of how di pikin dey form – dis dey important as di first to assess di proper development of di foetus.
Changes for di pregnant woman
Most women don gain between 2.5 and 6.5 pounds by dis time, and di uterus na di size of a melon. As di belly dey increase, di navel fit come out.
Appetite fit increase and some women suffer from memory loss, wey dem dey call "pregnancy brain" for English. During dis phase, pregnant women fit no fit remember details or concentrate on tasks.
Baby development
"Di foetus fit dey feel and hear, so we recommend listening to music and talking, to make di extra-uterine environment interact," na di comment wey Buzzini give.
During di ultrasound, di specialist dey check di organs, wit details of di heart, bladder, kidneys, plus others, and count di baby fingers, wey fit move as di mother also dey feel di extension movements of di limbs .
6th month (21 to 24 weeks)
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"As di pregnant woman near di end of di second trimester, e dey important to listen to her so she no go feel overwhelmed - and to always promote pregnancy as a rich, natural, beautiful and healthy process," Ms Buzzini add.
Changes for di pregnant woman
“E dey well documented say e get high frequency of hypertension and thyroid disorders at dis stage, so we do one check-up,” di doctor tok.
Dem also test most women for gestational diabetes, one pregnancy-specific metabolic disorder wey dey increase insulin resistance sake of pregnancy hormones.
Baby development
For utero, dem dey perform one fetal echocardiogram, one specific ultrasound of di heart of di fetus. Di baby don already gain weight wey pass one kilo, and di pregnant woman go feel di movement more.
7th month (25 to 28 weeks)
Discussions dey happun between di pregnant women and health professionals on family planning and warning signs.
Changes for di pregnant woman
As di fetus wey weigh around one kilo, di mother don already dey heavier, and e fit dey tire.
"Some patients say dem dey feel some rhythm for dia belle. Na di baby hiccups, and e dey completely normal," Rodrigo Buzzini comments.
Baby development
Di fetus go continue to mature and develop body fat. Amniotic fluid go begin dey decrease. In case of premature birth, di baby chances of survival dey increase afta di seventh month.
Third trimester
8th month (29 to 32 weeks)
Families begin di countdown to di baby arrival as di pregnant woman dey undergo di classic routine checkups - like blood and urine tests, weight and blood pressure checks.
Changes for di pregnant woman
Di mother go continue dey gain about half a kilo per week and fit feel discomfort wen di baby move.
As di baby fit don already weigh up to two kilos, e dey possible say na di movements put pressure on di rib cage of di pregnant woman.
She fit find am difficult to keep up wit daily activities and become more into herself.
Baby development
Di lungs and di nervous system dey in di final stages of maturation and di risk of great prematurity no longer exist.
9th and 10th months (33 to 40 weeks)
Di consultation go become every two weeks. One pregnancy fit enter im tenth month - but afta 37 weeks di baby don already dey well formed and dem no dey consider am as premature again.
For dis final phase, doctors go order tests to prepare for di time of delivery.
Dem go test blood and urine and check for group B streptococci, di main agent wey dey cause early sepsis (one life-threatening infectious complication) inside newborns.
Base on di pregnant woman wishes, di healthcare professional go assess di chances of normal delivery - but di assessment no dey final , e mean say. E fit be changes over time. day of di baby arrival.
Changes for di pregnant woman
Wen di baby move into more favorable position for labour, di mama fit feel relief from di decompression of di organs and breathe more easily.
Baby development
Di baby lungs dey for di final stages to mature and di brain don already grow a lot and e don ready to start dey collect stimuli from di outside world. Dem go born di baby wit about about 50 centimetres for length and e fit weigh between 2.5 and 4 kilos.
