YOUR BABY:
For the first eight weeks your developing baby is called an "embryo."
Your baby, still called an embryo, is developing quickly. The arms and legs are growing and fingers and toes have begun to develop. By the end of the second month, all of the major systems of the body continue to develop and function. This includes the circulatory, nervous, urinary, and digestive systems and the wrists, ankles and ears are formed. The embryo has grown to approximately one inch in length and weighs less than an ounce. It is beginning to look more like a human being and not so much like an amphibian like a tadpole. Spontaneous movement begins, although the mother is not able to feel it yet.
The embryo still does not look human yet, but it is beginning to assume a certain shape and characteristics recognizable as those of a mammal. When the menstrual period is just over a week overdue, a head is barely perceptible surrounding the brain, with a large gaping mouth opening. Immediately below the head, the embryonic heart is forming and beginning to beat by the 25th day. The lower part of the embryonic body still resembles a pointed tail. The cells continue to become specialized more and more.
At four weeks, the basic human design is beginning to emerge. The embryo is now 6 mm (about 1/2 inch) in length and weighs less than an ounce. On each side of the neural groove, 40 small blocks of bone called somites are formed from the middle layer. Thirty-two or sometimes 33 of these blocks become vertebrae, while the tail gradually regresses. From the 12 thoracic vertebrae, located at the level of the chest, the ribs start to grow around the rudimentary lungs. Tiny limb buds form, which will grow into arms and legs, appear. The embryo looks like a tadpole. Between the mouth opening and the heart, six projections grow outward from the cervical (neck) section of the vertebral column. They resemble fish gills. One of these projections will become the lower jaw, while others form the neck and face. During this phase, the embryo is very sensitive to influences which could cross the placenta, such as drugs or certain infections.
You have missed your period twice by the end of the 2nd month. A pregnancy test will confirm your suspicions that, indeed, you are pregnant. Your morning sickness may continue into the second month as your body adjusts to the hormones that are being released in your body. Hormones can cause dizziness, light-headedness and possibly a fainting spell in some women. Not all women experience early pregnancy symptoms. It is considered normal if you do experience them and normal if you don't. Breast soreness and tenderness continues and the nipple area darkens in color. Your skin may react to your hormones by breaking out in blemishes. The total amount of blood in your body will increase to help you supply the required nutrients and oxygen to your baby. The growing uterus pressing on the bladder may cause you to urinate more frequently and the extra activity of your kidneys will help you to rid your blood stream of extra waste products from the baby.
There are many type of over-the-counter pregnancy tests to choose from, but they all work on the basic simple principle of detecting the presence of hCG in urine or serum by the use of specially treated paper that will change color if hCG is present making the result positive for pregnancy.
MoonDragon's Conception Information:
Conception Kit Pregnancy Test
Eliminate any bad habits, such as alcohol consumption, smoking, drug use, unneeded medications and schedule a check up with your health care provider or midwife. You should be tested for any possible STDs or other infections and be treated before becoming pregnant. You should be checked for any other disorders (simple blood tests) such as thyroid or glucose problems. Your blood count (hematocrit, hemoglobin, WBS, RBC) should be taken to see if you are anemic.
You should be getting daily moderate exercise, such as walking, swimming, bicycling or other active, but non-stressful exercising. Optimize your diet and obtain a quality prenatal vitamin-mineral supplement with sufficient folic acid. Discuss with your midwife before taking any supplement, herbal remedy, over-the-counter or prescription medication while you are trying to get pregnant or after you become pregnant.
If you have problems with morning sickness, try eating crackers, drink peppermint leaf or ginger root tea. You may have cravings (food or otherwise - the pica syndrome, or hate foods you usually like. Your sense of taste and smell become more sensitive.
Before you get pregnant, supplement your diet with the B-vitamin folic acid (it's found in most multivitamins) to reduce the risk of birth defects of the brain and spine. Visit your midwife or health care provider for your first prenatal care check-up as soon as you think you are pregnant. Often a prenatal vitamin supplement may be recommended in addition to a good prenatal nutritional program with adequate protein, vitamins, minerals (including sodium) and calories. Ask your midwife or health care provider before taking any prescription drugs or over-the-counter products. Stop smoking and drinking alcohol. Stop doing street drugs.
If you haven't done so yet, you will need to schedule a prenatal visit with your midwife or health care provider that will be handling your prenatal care. Your initial visit with your midwife will usually be longer than your subsequent visits as you fill out health histories, discuss nutritional and dietary recommendations, finances and prenatal and birth plans. Some of the things you may expect at your prenatal visits will include weight measurement, blood pressure checks, urine testing to check for the presence of sugar and protein, urine pH, cellular presence in the urine as found in blood or urinary track infections, specific gravity of the urine to determine if you are getting enough water in your diet as well as other things that the usual dipsticks may check for. If you haven't had a pregnancy test, your midwife may perform on now using either a blood or urine test.
After your initial prenatal visit, your subsequent visits will be shorter. Your weight and blood pressure will be recorded. Urine testing is also performed to check for the presence of sugar and protein. The height of the uterus (fundal height) will be measured to evaluate the overall growth of the baby. You can discuss any symptoms or discomforts you may be experiencing. A fetal ultrasound can be performed as early as the fifth week of pregnancy. Fetal ultrasound can be done to predict a woman's due date and estimate the age of the fetus. If fetal ultrasound is done during the 7th to 14th week of pregnancy, the age of the fetus can usually be determined to within 5 days.
You should make a list of questions to ask your midwife. Don't be afraid to ask, no matter how trivial the question might seem. Although you are not yet showing, now is a good time to start browsing for maternity clothes. It's also the time to start your pregnancy journal.
MoonDragon's Pregnancy Information: Pregnancy Calendar Index
Photos obtained from A Child Is Born by Lennart Nilsson
and Pregnancy - in anatomical illustrations by the Carnation Company
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