Pregnancy By Trimester
The nine months that you are going to be pregnant are going to mean big changes for your body. These months are broken up into three trimesters. Each trimester carries its own symptoms, tests and scheduled doctor’s visits. To learn more about what to expect during the different trimesters continue reading.
Your first trimester will last for the first thirteen weeks or the first three months. This time could be the most difficult time for you to make it through. You will likely experience morning sickness, exhaustion and mood swings. During this time, you will need to be seen by your OB for a thorough exam.
Your doctor will order blood work and urinalysis. You will also be sent for an ultra sound for what is called the viability scan. Your doctor will be looking into the measurements of the baby to determine the estimated due date and to learn if the baby is developing healthily. You will only need to be seen by your doctor once a month during this time as long as everything is looking good.
Your second trimester includes weeks fourteen through twenty-six or the third through six months. For most women, this is the most enjoyable time of the pregnancy. For many, morning sickness is becoming a thing of the past, energy levels are increasing and the risk of miscarriage are reduced drastically. During this trimester, you will continue to see your doctor only once a month unless you run into any problems.
Your doctor will order another ultra sound to check the measurements and anatomy of the baby. This is the ultra sound that will allow you to learn the gender of your baby. This test is often ordered between eighteen and twenty-two weeks. There is a good chance that you will have to repeat this ultra sound. Your baby may not be in a good position for the technician to get good images of all of the organs and structure of the baby. If this happens, you will be called to schedule another ultra sound.
Your third trimester is probably the most exciting and yet the most uncomfortable. It includes weeks twenty-seven through forty or months seven through nine. It may seem like the longest three months of your pregnancy. You will be carrying around a lot of extra weight, suffer from heartburn and back aches, have a difficult time sleeping and just be all around achy. Your appointments with your doctor will change to bi-weekly until you reach thirty-six weeks and from then on will be weekly.
Expect a glucose test to be ordered around twenty-nine weeks. You will go to the lab, drink a bottle of orange flavored liquid and wait an hour before a blood draw. This test helps the doctor determine if you have developed gestational diabetes and will be able to treat you if you did. At week thirty-six, your doctor will begin doing pelvic exams to learn if your cervix is readying for delivery.
You now know what to expect during the three trimesters of your pregnancy. Do your best to enjoy the time you are forming a new life inside of you. It is one of the biggest events of your life and will remember it forever.
