Understanding the different stages of your pregnancy and developments of the baby and your body will help ease your concerns and better prepare you for motherhood:
First Trimester (Conception to 12 Weeks)
The first trimester is a time of many firsts. There will be signs of morning sickness, tender swollen breasts, visiting the toilet more frequently, weight gain, food cravings or dislikes, tiredness and so on. You can discuss with your doctor on managing these changes. Your doctor can also carry out an ultrasound scan to check on the heart rate, whether there is more than one baby, the estimated development of your baby, and your expected delivery date so that you can plan towards it. Towards the end of this trimester, screening is available to find out if your baby is healthy or if there are any anomalies such as Down's syndrome.
While most pregnancies are smooth, others may not. If you encounter pain or bleeding between 6 and 10 weeks and have had a miscarriage before, your obstetrician may get you to do an early scan to assess how best to manage your pregnancy and the risks.
This stage of your pregnancy requires changes to your lifestyle habits such as sleeping earlier to prevent tiredness, eating small meals often to meet your cravings while managing your weight gain, cutting down on caffeine, taking prenatal vitamins as prescribed by your obstetrician, and so on. Every woman is different, and some may have more hormonal changes than others, making every pregnancy a unique experience.
Your baby, too, will undergo developments. Your baby starts out as a cluster of cells to measuring about 8 – 9cm in length where the vital organs start to develop, together with the eyes, teeth buds, ears, fingers and toes. By the end of this trimester, you can determine your baby's gender with the help of your obstetrician.
It is also time to start exploring maternity care choices. To help you understand what our hospital maternity care and services are all about, we welcome you to join us in a maternity tour of Gleneagles Hospital.
Second Trimester (13 – 26 Weeks)
Signs like morning sickness and tiredness that you have experienced in the first trimester will go away as you reach the second trimester. Other new challenges arise – your baby bump becomes more obvious as your womb expands. You may start developing stretch marks and water retention, leading to swollen fingers, legs, ankles and legs. Other symptoms like backache, headaches and giddiness are all part of the normal process. It is also a time when you may receive more comments on having a 'pregnancy glow' or radiance.
There are steps to take to manage a healthy pregnancy. It is important to follow a healthy diet, drink plenty of fluids and water and take your prenatal vitamins as prescribed by your doctor to maintain a healthy weight gain and have enough nutrients. You can start using a stretch mark cream to address your stretch marks, if any. If you notice sudden or extreme swelling or rapid weight gain, you should call your obstetrician as soon as possible as this can could be a sign of pre-eclampsia.
As you move from the first to the second trimester, your obstetrician may ask you to go for an ultrasound scan and other tests to determine your baby's health. During this stage, fine hair will start to cover your baby's body. As your baby's bones get stronger, you may feel your baby's movement, kicks and even sleeping patterns. It is a time to learn more about your pregnancy through antenatal classes and ParentCraft sessions.
Third Trimester (27 Weeks – Birth)
At this stage, your baby bump will grow even more and it is common to feel tiredness and backache. Your breasts may begin to leak breast milk and you should get plenty of rest and avoid lifting heavy items and other physical exertions. You will need to visit your obstetrician every 2 weeks, and start developing your birth plan: when, where, the type of delivery and who to help you in your delivery.