The stage of pregnancy is divided into three trimesters. During pregnancy, the body of pregnant women will experience changes and adjust to the growth and development of the fetus in the womb. Then, what changes will be experienced by pregnant women? in every pregnancy stage the? Let's find out.
Women experience a menstrual cycle every month. When the monthly cycle stops, it could be an early sign of pregnancy. However, pregnant women can sometimes still experience symptoms similar to menstruation, it's just that the amount of blood that comes out is very small.
Stopping the menstrual cycle is just one of the many signs of pregnancy. As your pregnancy progresses, various changes will occur in your body and a number of symptoms will appear. Your symptoms and changes may not always be the same, depending on the stage of pregnancy. Sometimes, these changes or signs and symptoms of normal pregnancy can cause discomfort during pregnancy.
Get to know these stages of pregnancy
Each trimester or stage of pregnancy lasts between 12-14 weeks. As previously mentioned, pregnant women will experience symptoms and physical changes that may differ in each trimester.
Trimester pfirst
The first trimester of pregnancy is calculated from the first day of your last menstrual cycle to the 13th week of pregnancy. In this trimester, the physical changes are not very visible, but there are some symptoms that you may experience.
During the first few weeks of pregnancy, hormone levels will change significantly. As a result of these pregnancy hormones, you will experience several pregnancy symptoms, such as:
- The breast feels sore and looks swollen.
- The body feels tired easily.
- Nausea in the morning (morning sickness), but this nausea can appear in the afternoon, evening, or night.
- Emotions tend to fluctuate, for example from happy to anxious, or suddenly sad.
Some other symptoms that can appear during the first trimester are headaches, constipation, feeling like you need to pee more often, cravings, and changing sex desires.
If you are late for your period and notice any of the above symptoms, try taking a pregnancy test with test pack. If the result is positive, it's likely that you've had two bodies.
When pregnancy has been confirmed, it is recommended that you start seeing your obstetrician at least 6-8 weeks after the last day of your period. This examination aims to confirm pregnancy, examine the condition of you and the fetus, as well as determine when the next examination will be carried out.
Second trimester
The second trimester of pregnancy lasts from the 13th to the 27th week. Some women may feel more comfortable when compared to the first trimester of pregnancy.
During the second trimester, nausea usually begins to subside, emotions are more controlled, sexual arousal returns to normal, the body no longer feels tired easily, and sleeps more soundly. You will begin to feel the first movements of the fetus.
At this stage of pregnancy, physical changes begin to appear and body shape will change a lot. Your belly and breasts are getting bigger, and a black line appears on the belly. Stretch marks began to appear in several parts of the body, such as breasts, buttocks, thighs, and stomach.
Not only that, a number of other symptoms can also arise, including dizziness, back, thigh, or pelvic pain, leg cramps, and vaginal discharge. In certain cases, you can experience urinary tract infections or false contractions. Immediately consult a doctor if you feel these symptoms.
One pleasant thing you can experience during the second trimester, is when you can see and find out the sex of the baby through an ultrasound examination. Usually, doctors start running scan tests to check the condition of the fetus at around 18-22 weeks of gestation.
Third trimester
The third trimester is the last stage of pregnancy which lasts from the 28th week until delivery. This stage will test you more physically and emotionally than the previous stages of pregnancy.
At this stage of pregnancy, the doctor will recommend that you check your womb more often to monitor the condition of you and your fetus and to determine the appropriate method of delivery later.
At this stage, changes in body shape are more visible, because the stomach is getting bigger. Weight will increase by about 9-13 kilograms. As a result of this weight gain, the back pain that you have been feeling since the previous trimester may become more severe. You may even experience swelling of the legs.
The closer to delivery time, the fetus will grow bigger. This will make the uterus bigger and possibly put pressure on the chest cavity. As a result, you may feel less comfortable when breathing. Not only that, increasing the size of the fetus can also make you feel pain in the genitals and pressure on the bladder, so you will feel the urge to urinate more often.
You can also feel anxiety that is more severe than in previous stages of pregnancy. That anxiety can be triggered by fear of childbirth or doubts that you can't be a good parent. You are advised to consult a psychologist, if you experience this.
Other symptoms that can appear during this third trimester include:
- The body feels tired quickly.
- Insomnia.
- Leg cramps occur more frequently than before.
- Breast discharge.
- Dry and itchy skin, especially on the stomach.
- Varicose veins.
- Hemorrhoids.
- Sexual desire again decreased.
- Heartburn or a burning sensation in the chest and upper abdomen (heartburn).
- Voice change.
- Experiencing false contractions more often
Changes during pregnancy that are experienced do not always cause disturbing symptoms. Sometimes, pregnant women can have strange dreams while pregnant. In addition, one positive thing that can be experienced by pregnant women is skin that looks more beautiful and brighter or pregnancy glow. This phenomenon is also said to be related to the sex of the fetus, but it is just a myth.
During pregnancy, you should pay more attention to the health of yourself and the fetus in the womb. Regular exercise, eating good food for pregnant women, reducing stress, and avoiding unhealthy lifestyles, such as smoking or consuming alcoholic beverages, are things that need to be implemented. To feel more comfortable while on the move, you can also wear maternity clothes.
Not only that, make sure you always check the content regularly to the obstetrician. The doctor will help and give advice on how to maintain health during pregnancy. Handling will be done immediately if the doctor finds a devilish disorder or abnormality, both for you and the baby in the womb.