Sometime during the second trimester you will begin feeling your baby move. The first movements will feel more like butterflies in your tummy, or light tickling coming from the inside. As your baby gets bigger you will start feeling light taps and kicks letting you know that your baby is awake and is playing inside his little world.

As you go through the third trimester, the movements become more definite and more detectable. You are able to detect a kick from a punch as well as feel your baby flip and roll. As the baby gets bigger you start to guess what it is you see moving along your belly. Is it an elbow? Is it your babies foot?

Eventually the baby gets too big to do the flips and rolls, so he tried to stretch and play in other ways. He may start head butting you in your bladder, making you have to visit the bathroom constantly and find that nothing is coming out. He may stick out his elbow, poking you in the side as to say, “Mommy, I am here!”

If he is head down you might feel him stretching into your ribs, using his feet to push against your bones and muscles. You might feel pressure at the top of your uterus from the baby pushing on the inside. If you put your hand and push back you may feel a little ball. It makes you have to ask, is that his knee or his heel? You can start playing a game with your baby because he will probably move this body part to another position in your belly, which you can follow him and gently push back. You will be telling your baby, “I know you are there, I am here too.”

The movements of your baby are definitely the best part of pregnancy and as they get stronger in the third trimester, they make up for all the aches and pains you may have had in the first trimester from the morning sickness and fatigue you probably felt. The movements are normally the first thing a woman says that she MISSES about being pregnant, if not the only thing.

Once you get pregnant you may feel like you are never getting out of the bathroom. Almost immediately in your first trimester you will have the unmistakable urge to sit on the toilet all day and empty your bladder. Even at night, while you are trying to sleep, you may be woken up several times by your body telling you it is time to visit the bathroom. This can be frustrating and tiresome for pregnant women who are already not getting enough sleep from either excitement or morning sickness.

But why does it happen? Your uterus is not that big to begin with. Once the egg implants in the uterus, the uterus starts to grow and to expand in order to make room for that egg that is going to be multiplying in size rapidly to grow for the next few months. As the uterus grows it pushes down on the bladder causing the frequent urges to pee. This can be made even more frequent if you increase your water and fluid intake once you find out you are pregnant, as is recommended by your provider.

Once you get into the second trimester, the early growth of the baby and uterus slow down some, and your bladder and body readjust to the lack of as much room, the urge to go to the bathroom will probably slow down. You will feel more like your old self. But be prepared, it is only temporary.

By the time the third trimester starts, your baby’s organs and limbs are all formed. All that is left for your baby now is to get stronger and grow bigger so that they can survive outside of the womb. Most of the weight your baby will gain will be gained during the third trimester. Because of this your uterus begins to grow quickly again, putting more pressure on your bladder. The weight of the baby also puts more pressure on your bladder, causing it to scream out to you more often.

Probably one of the most frustrating parts of this is the urge to pee, without being able to go. During the third trimester you may often feel like you have to go NOW, and if you don’t get to a bathroom, that you will not be able to hold it. However, once you get to the toilet you sit there and as hard as you try, nothing comes. When something finally does come, it is just a little trickle, making you wonder why you had to race to the bathroom. After all, it has only been 10 minutes since you went the last time.

You may also find that you are waking up more often during the night again to pee, making an already uncomfortable and broken night of sleep, that much more impossible. Thankfully, pregnancy only lasts 9 months, so there is an end in site. Eventually you will be back to your old self, not visiting the bathrooms as much, and only waking because the baby is crying next to you.

During pregnancy, your body creates a temporary organ called the placenta. The placenta is necessary during pregnancy in order for your baby to grow and be healthy. After the birth of your baby, your doctor or midwife will also have you deliver the placenta, as it is no longer needed.

The placenta is created during the first trimester but is not fully functional until the second trimester when it takes over all the nutrient production and waste management for the baby. The placenta is both genetically and biologically composed of two equal parts from the fetus and the mother. It is connected to the uterine wall and connected to the baby through the umbilical cord. It receives nutrients and oxygen and filters out any waste from the mother’s blood before delivering the blood to the baby via the umbilical cord.

Until the placenta takes over, a woman naturally produces progesterone to keep the baby viable. As soon as the placenta takes over it starts creating its own progesterone to sustain the pregnancy. After delivery of the placenta the cord is clamped near the baby and cut off permanently disconnecting the baby from the placenta. The entrance of the umbilical cord into the baby’s body later becomes the baby’s belly button.

Some cultures practice placentophagy which is the eating of the placenta. Those who do this believe that eating the placenta helps prevent postpartum depression and other complications. However, modern doctors and midwives do not believe that eating the placenta will actually help reduce the occurrence of postpartum depression.

In some pregnancies, placenta previa can occur. Placenta previa is a condition where the placenta covers at least part of the cervix, which is the opening that the baby will come through when born vaginally. This happens in about one of every 200 pregnancies. There are 3 types of placenta previa.

• Complete
  Complete placenta previa is the placenta covering the entire cervix. This can cause bleeding throughout the pregnancy, growth retardation and congenital defects in baby. It will also mean that a woman will need a c-section when it comes time to deliver her baby.
   
• Partial
  Partial placenta previa is a partial covering of cervix is covered. This can be anywhere from 1/4 to 3/4 of the cervix. This can also cause bleeding and may lead to a c-section.
   
• Marginal
  Marginal placenta previa occurs when just a small portion, or just the edge of the cervix, is covered. In this case, as the pregnancy progresses, the placenta will generally move up and out of the way, allowing a clear passage for the baby to be born vaginally.

If you experience bleeding during your pregnancy, you should talk to your doctor and rule out the possibility of any bleeding being caused by placenta previa.

One of the first tests that your doctor or midwife will do early in the first trimester, is to check blood iron levels. This test is generally run again during the second trimester to determine that iron levels are staying normal during the pregnancy.

Low iron levels in pregnancy are a common problem for women of childbearing age across the world. Many times if a woman’s iron levels are low, her doctor or midwife will prescribe an iron supplement for her to take during pregnancy.

There have been some studies done over the past few years which suggest that low iron levels in a mother during pregnancy can affect the child’s mental development in negative ways. Children who are born to anemic mothers tend to score lower on a series of tests given to them, than the children who were born to mothers that had normal or high iron levels in their blood.

Besides the iron suppllement pills, a woman can eat more foods that are naturally high in iron during her pregnancy in order to increase the iron levels. Foods high in iron include meats, egg yolks, dried beans or peas, green leafy vegetables, dried fruits, nuts and grains.

If you are trying to get pregnant and have low iron levels, or are afraid that you will have low iron levels, there are things you can do prior to pregnancy to try to increase your iron. If you are planning on getting pregnant, you should start taking prenatal pills immediately, versus waiting till you are already pregnant. Also, start eating more iron-rich foods, remembering that foods coming from animals (the meat and eggs) have higher levels of iron in them than the foods coming from vegetables. If you are not a big meat eater, eating just a small amount of meat with your iron-rich vegetables will dramatically increase the amount of iron that is absorbed from those vegetables.

Adding Vitamin C to your meals will also help increase the amount of iron that is absorbed into your body. If you are consuming mostly vegetables to get your iron, avoid tea while eating them because the tea can prevent or reduce iron absorption. Also, try cooking food in an iron skillet, as the iron from the skillet adds to the iron levels in the food.

If you are worried or unsure about your iron levels during your pregnancy, be sure to ask your doctor or midwife if they have any additional suggestions for you to help you raise the levels while you are pregnant.

During pregnancy it is likely for your appetite to wax and wane. You may find yourself overeating, or under eating on any given day. While this can be the “norm” during pregnancy, it isn’t necessarily good for you or your baby.

During the first trimester, especially if you are dealing with morning sickness, you might find that you don’t have any appetite and can go hours without eating. You might find that unless you force yourself to eat, you could go all day and it wouldn’t bother you. This is not healthy as your body needs food for energy to help your baby grow.

The opposite can be true in early pregnancy as well. If you are one of the lucky ones, feeling fantastic and enjoying the pregnancy glow with very little or no morning sickness, you might find that your appetite is huge, or at least, that it is bigger. You may find yourself wanting to eat everything in sight. It is important to watch how much food you eat, especially the amount of sweets as you do not want to gain an unhealthy amount of weight during your pregnancy.

A pregnant woman should eat extra calories during her pregnancy, but contrary to popular belief, she should not “eat for 2” or double the amount of calories that she normally takes in. A woman only needs an extra 300-500 calories a day to have a healthy pregnancy and a healthy baby, and most experts say these extra calories aren’t needed until after the first trimester.

As the second trimester begins you may find that your appetite comes back (if you lost it during the first), and that you are more interested in food again. Use this time to eat healthy and gain back any weight you have lost. If you had a large increase in appetite during the first trimester you may find that it normalizes and stabilizes during these 13 weeks.

As you enter the third trimester when your baby will do most of its growing, you are likely to feel an increase in your appetite. Your baby will put on the majority of his weight during these last 13 weeks and your body will need more food to feed your baby. Try to make sure you are making healthy choices, and try to stay away from desserts and sweets as much as possible.

As the end of your pregnancy nears, you may once again see a decrease in your appetite. The baby has gotten so big he is probably pushing on your stomach and not giving it as much room to expand. You may find that you are getting fuller faster, and that certain foods once again do not appeal to you. If this happens try to eat smaller, healthy meals as a way to get the calories and nutrients to your baby, while not making yourself fill up so much that you want to skip meals.

What exactly is your fundal height, why is it important and how does your doctor or midwife measure it? Many first time moms hear this phrase and wonder what it means, if it is normal, and if their baby is ok.

The fundal height is the measurement from the top of your pubic bone to the top of your fundus. Your doctor or midwife will normally start measuring this during your second trimester, possibly around the 20 week mark, or when you start showing if it is later in pregnancy.

The fundal height is used to assess your baby’s health while in the womb. Your fundal height should be equal to the number of weeks you have preogresses in your pregnancy. So if you are 30 weeks pregnant, your fundal height should measure around 30 centimeters. A couple of centimeters in either direction normally isn’t much of a worry. However, if you are measuring quite a bit different it could be a sign of a problem.

If you are measuring bigger than normal, it could be a sign of a baby that is also bigger than normal, or a sign that you are having twins if it was not previously discovered. If you are measuring smaller than normal, it could be a sign that your baby is not growing properly, or has perhaps stopped growing. If either of these is the case your doctor or midwife will most likely order an ultrasound to further check the health and development of your unborn baby.

As you reach the end of your pregnancy, the fundal height can become less accurate. As your baby grows and fills out your uterus, his position can change and the measurement of your fundal height can change as well. If your doctor or midwife shows no concern over your fundal height, it isn’t something that should concern you either.

When you are pregnant, your baby starts moving around as early as six weeks, into the pregnancy, about the time the heart starts beating. As the legs, arms, hands and feet are formed, you can actually see this movement during an ultrasound long before you can feel it in your body.

There is no set rule as to when you will first feel your baby move. The first movements that a woman can feel are generally referred to as fluttering. Some women say it feels like butterflies in their stomach. Others say it feels like gas. In reality it can be hard to tell if this fluttering is in fact your baby moving.

Some women claim that they can feel this fluttering as early as 12 weeks. Other women don’t feel anything until 20 weeks or even later. There are many reasons for this wide timespan.

Women who are very thin, or have had previous pregnancies, often start to feel their baby earlier than women in their first pregnancy. If a woman is overweight, the extra pounds around her belly could shield some of the movements as well.

Another thing to consider is the position of the placenta. If the placenta is positioned in the front of her uterus, it functions as a pad as the baby kicks. It will take longer for the mother to feel her baby kick. The baby will have to get bigger and stronger in order for his movements to penetrate through the placenta.

If you haven’t felt your baby move, do not worry. As long as your doctor says all is fine at your appointments, and you hear the heartbeat, you know all is ok. By the time you get to the third trimester the baby will be moving, kicking, tossing and turning so much that it may sometimes be painful, and you will be asking him to settle down and go to sleep!

Besides a woman’s breasts being tender and swollen early in the first trimester of pregnancy, a woman may notice changes to her areolas and nipples. New hormones running through her body may cause your nipples to become bigger and darker than they normally are.

As your breasts get bigger, your nipples naturally get bigger as well. The darkening of the nipples is caused by a temporary increase of melanin, the natural pigment that your body produces that gives your hair, skin and eyes their color. For most women, within a few months of having their baby, the nipples will return to their normal color and size. If a woman is breastfeeding, the nipples may not return to their normal size until after she weans her baby.

Another change in the nipples that a woman may discover once she gets pregnant are the Montgomery’s tubercles (glands or little bumps surrounding the nipples) getting bigger, elevating and becoming more prominent. Not all women experience this, and some may not experience it till the second or third trimester.

If you do not believe you are pregnant, there are other things that can cause these changes in your nipples. Weight gain can cause your breasts to enlarge, therefore causing your nipples to enlarge. If you like to tan, your nipples may become darker. A hormone imbalance may cause your nipples to get darker, or left over melanin from a previous pregnancy may cause this darkening. If you are not sure what is going on with your body, be sure to ask your doctor.

During the first trimester a woman often feels very fatigued. Shortly after she gets out of bed, or even right upon waking, she may have the urge to just lie down and go back to sleep. Many women will begin taking naps during the day because they are so tired, or going to bed hours earlier than normal to try to fight the fatigue.

Why is being so tired so common in the first trimester? When a woman first gets pregnant, and the egg implants in the uterus, the body starts working twice as hard. The egg is multiplying in size daily, the uterus is growing, the breasts are growing, and the body is left feeling tired and worn out. Because pregnancy is a huge change for a woman’s body, feeling tired is expected.

During the second trimester however a woman generally gets a break. At this point, the baby’s organs and limbs are formed, and the heart is beating, so the body doesn’t have to work quite as hard to sustain the pregnancy. A woman gets her energy back and doesn’t feel as tired anymore. It is definitely a stage of pregnancy a woman should enjoy.

With the third trimester in full force, a woman starts to feel tired again. By this point the baby is just growing and the uterus starts growing more rapidly, putting a lot of strain on the woman’s body. Normal everyday activities can leave a woman feeling tired, as well as the extra last minute preparations and shopping she will be doing as the baby gets closer to its due date. She will find that she is back to taking naps daily, or at least wanting to take naps daily, as well as going to bed earlier, and sleeping in later.

It gets worse! If you think you are tired now, just wait until after the baby arrives! Try to rest as much as you can before the baby is born, because sleep may become a distant memory for the first few months of a baby’s life.

If you feel extremely tired and do not believe you are pregnant, there are other reasons why you may feel fatigued. Stress and depression can cause a woman to feel like she wants to sleep all the time. Physical exhaustion can also be a cause. If you are sick, or are getting a cold, you might find that you are more tired as well. If you are unsure, contact your doctor.

Most of us have heard of post-partum depression. Sometimes called baby blues, this is the depression that can affect women anytime during the first year after their new baby is born. The statistics show that 10-20% of women will experience some form of post-partum depression after their baby is born. Most of these cases are easily controlled by medication that can be prescribed by the mother’s doctor or midwife.

What About Antenatal Depression?
Antenatal depression is less widely known and is depression that some women feel while they are pregnant, and it is more common than we think, but not nearly as common as post-partum depression, and generally not as severe. It can appear during any trimester of the pregnancy and can last until after the baby is born. But what causes it?

Any number of things can contribute to a woman being depressed during pregnancy. Hormones can be a factor, and the pregnancy can often leave her feeling overwhelmed, and unable to handle things. A woman’s current life situation and/or stress level might also be a contributing factor to her depression.

What Are Some Signs of Antenatal Depression?
There are many signs of antenatal depression, so always ask your provider for help in dealing with any problems you may feel you re facing. Some women might find it hard to get excited about their pregnancy and their baby. They might feel disconnected or feel like it is someone else who is having the baby, not them. They may not be able to feel a bond with the baby growing inside of them, even as the baby starts to move and kick.These are all feelings that many women experience, and it is always best to talk about how you are feeling with someone you trust.

Some outward signs that family, friends and co-workers might notice are the mother’s stress level going up, and her lack of patience increasing as well. Small things that used to not bother her may now be causing tears, shouting, or temper tantrums. She may pick fights with her family and friends, she may yell more and get frustrated at her previous children, for things that shouldn’t matter, or become frustrated by things that those around her may not even notice.

How Can You Help?
If you are the mother-to-be, and you experience any od these feelings, you should talk to your doctor, explain what is going on, and ask what can be done about it. There are anti-depressant medications that can be taken while pregnant, which may help reduce your feelings of anxiety.

If you are a family member or friend, try to offer patience and support to the mother as she goes through this. If you aren’t sure she realizes it, ask her how she is feeling and suggest she talks to her doctor. If you attend her appointments with her, casually bring it up as a concern when you both talk with her doctor, and see if they have advice on what can be done. Let the doctor help the mother-to-be, as he or she may offer solutions to help the mother-to-be enjoy the experience of her pregnancy.