Pregnancy Development
Madysen Bresette and Erin Attebery
Pregnancy can be exciting and scary! This blog will help you care for your baby before AND during pregnancy, and will inform you of the development of mom and baby in the process!
CARE
- BEFORE- Find good medical care, have genetic testing done, aim for a healthy body weight and good physical fitness, avoid alcohol and drugs, as well as first AND second hand smoke.
- DURING- Have a good obstetrician or midwife and go to your first medical exam around 8 weeks of pregnancy, get full physical, have blood and urine samples taken
NUTRITION
- Have a well-balanced diet with lots of fruits and veggies!
- Take extra vitamins and folic acid supplements
- Remember that every meal becomes a meal for mom AND baby
- Avoid fish with high levels of mercury and undercooked foods
LIFESTYLE
- Will gain 25-35 pounds during pregnancy
- High stress = low birth weight for baby
WITH AGE COMES RISK
- TEEN MOMS- are more likely to have high blood pressure, could affect baby's brain/spinal development if using drugs/alcohol, more likely to have a preterm or low birth weight baby, mother's nutritional needs may not be met when eating for two, higher chance of social/economical disadvantage
- OLDER MOMS- 35+ years, more likely to have babies with birth defects, older eggs are more susceptible to genetic chromosomal abnormalities
TRIMESTER 1
- CONCEPTION - WEEK 12
- MOM- may not realize she is pregnant, tiredness, mood swings
- BABY- umbilical cord and nervous system develop, heart develops and beats, most body parts are identifiable
TRIMESTER 2
- WEEK 13 - WEEK 24
- MOM- bigger belly, breasts, and hips, morning sickness
- BABY- placenta forms, internal organs grow, movements become more coordinated, sex often determined
TRIMESTER 3
- WEEK 24 - WEEK 40
- MOM- physiological changes, less pressure on breathing
- BABY- develop fatty tissue, organs mature, baby becomes longer/heavier