The 3 Trimesters of Pregnancy

Are you planning to get pregnant? Or you just found out that you’re about to become a parent and it is scaring you because you were not prepared? Fear not! Here is everything you need to know, according to the chronology of the pregnancy. The most basic thing to know about pregnancy is the duration of it. A pregnancy usually lasts for about 40 weeks, grouped into 3 trimesters. Now, let’s take a look at them one at a time.

The First Trimester

The first trimester begins the moment the ovum (the egg) is fertilised by the sperm and up to the 12th week of the pregnancy. During the first trimester, a woman’s body will go through a lot of changes, and they are probably worried about what they should be eating, how much weight they are going to gain, and how to keep the baby healthy and safe.

Firstly, the changes that may happen to a pregnant woman’s body are tiredness, stomachaches, throwing up, unstable moods, tender breasts, headaches, and food cravings. It is important for you to make sure that you get enough nutrients for your body to keep yourself and the baby healthy. Consider taking folic acid almost everyday. Folic acid helps you to make new body cells, including red blood cells. The main function of red blood cells is to transport oxygen all over your body. For a pregnant woman, it will help the foetus grow and develop.

Other things that you need to pay attention to while you are in your first trimester and throughout the whole pregnancy is what you should eat when you’re pregnant. You need to avoid some food such as raw fish, smoked food, not even sushi! Avoid fish with high levels of mercury like sharks, swordfish and mackerel.

The Second Trimester

The second trimester begins from the 13th week up to the 27th week of the pregnancy. During this period, the baby grows at a rapid pace, and the little baby bump is now much more visible! And you might not be able to fit into your old clothes anymore. On the bright side, you get to go shopping! With the big belly, you probably need to shop for comfortable belly lifting pants for pregnant women in Malaysia.

But, aside from all the shopping fun, a big belly means your uterus expands to support your baby which can cause stretch marks on your stomach that can be prevented or reduced with stretch mark cream for pregnancy. Since the belly is really heavy, it may cause body aches but, the upside is you get to feel the baby moving around in it! It can be a very exciting and memorable memory to feel your baby move around and kick for the first time! 

The 3rd and Final Trimester

Only the last few weeks of the baby in your belly! It’s the time of great anticipation as the baby is almost ready to enter the new world. You should already start preparing to welcome the baby! It’s time to shop again and buy newborn baby products in Malaysia!

Since you are in the last trimester, the most common symptoms you will experience are insomnia and pain (abdominal, lower back and hip). Gas, constipation, and Braxton-Hicks contractions (false labour) are all possible causes of stomach discomfort during the third trimester. However, although they may produce some stomach discomfort, they should not result in significant abdominal pain.

The hormone levels in your body rise as your body undergoes more changes in preparation for delivery, causing your connective tissue to become looser. This increases the flexibility of your pelvic, allowing your baby to travel through the delivery canal with more ease.

Pregnant women commonly complain of hip discomfort when the connective tissue loosens and expands during pregnancy. Lower back pain may arise in conjunction with hip discomfort, as a result of changes in posture that force you to lean more to one side than the other.

Sleeping on your side with a cushion between your legs may assist to alleviate and relieve this ache since it expands the hips a little bit more while you are sleeping on your side. You may also look for a pre-natal physiotherapy program from a professional.

Pregnancy can be a stressful and painful process, but in the end it all becomes worth it when you hear the cry of your baby for the first time. There are also a lot of fun things you can do while you are pregnant! You can make journals, or go for a fun photo shoot! Remember to enjoy all the beautiful parts of your pregnancy journey!