Posts Tagged 9 months
9 months of pregnancy
Posted by in Pregnancy on February 12th, 2010
These months are designed to be generic and may or may not specifically relate to your pregnancy. Please direct any questions you have about your baby’s growth or your progress to your doctor or midwife. Pregnancy is a normal process and questions are a natural part of that process.
2 of 10Prev NextFirst Month of Pregnancy
Photo © K. Harrell
The beginning portion of what we consider the first month of pregnancy is actually your period until you ovulate. You are not actually pregnant during this time frame, but knowing the first day of your last normal period (LMP) we are able to more accurately calculate your due date.
Conception usually occurs within 24 hours of ovulation, about 14 days before the start of your next period. The egg and the sperm meet in the outer third of the Fallopian tube and travel over the course of the next seven to ten days, down the tube to the uterus. Once in the uterus, the fertilized egg will implant into the fluffy, nutrient rich lining of the uterus. Immediately chemical signals are sent to your body that pregnancy has occurred. Ovulation will halt. Your period will not come.
Your baby is called a blastocyst as it implants. The baby measures about 0.1-0.2 mm. At the end of the fourth week of pregnancy, the chorionic villi are formed. The yolk sac is helping to sustain the pregnancy until the placenta is fully formed. You might even begin to suspect you’re pregnant
The second month of pregnancy is a critical month in fetal development. Your baby goes from being a blastocyst to an embryo. Early on in this month your baby’s heart will begin to beat. First it beats slowly, then very rapidly, later in pregnancy the heart rate will slow a bit more.
In the beginning of this month it’s hard to tell which way is up on your baby. As this month progresses it becomes very easy to tell which end is your baby’s head is and which end is your baby’s bottom. By the end of the month your baby’s upper and lower limb buds will also appear. And the primordia of the liver, pancreas, lungs, and stomach are evident. While your baby is a girl or a boy, it is not yet apparent without genetic screening.
Your baby is now measuring between 8-11 mm from crown to rump (CRL). By the end of this month heart activity is always present on ultrasound. Toe and finger rays are present, though not quite enough for you to count yet
During the third month of your pregnancy, your baby’s bones begin to ossify or harden. Your baby is already moving spontaneously, but you usually can’t feel these movements for awhile yet. Your baby’s eyes are large and open. Eyelids will form later. External ears have formed.
External genitalia begin to differentiate, though it’s still very difficult to tell whether your baby is a girl or a boy without genetic screening. Your baby moves from being an embryo to the fetal period, now called a fetus. S/he also loses their tail!
Your baby’s head is the biggest part of their body. It is about 1/2 the size of the rest of the body. While the head is large, the brain’s structure is similar to what it will be at birth. S/he weighs about 14 grams and is approximately 3.54 inches in total length. By the end of this month you should be able to hear your baby’s heart beat with a Doppler.
The placenta has taken over production of the hormones needed to sustain your pregnancy. Your baby is also making some of its own insulin and bile. Your baby even urinates into the amniotic fluid in small amounts every 45 minutes or so.
Your baby’s heart pumps about 25 quarts of blood a day. This will increase to be about 300 quarts by the end of your pregnancy. All of the teeth have formed and you even have a scalp hair pattern!
Your baby is about 3 ounces (85 grams) and 6.3 inches (16 cms). The gender may be detectable by ultrasound. Though gender predictions at this point are much harder to rely on
No new organ structures are really forming at this point in pregnancy. Though the pads of the fingers and toes are forming. Your baby is also developing his or her finger prints. Your baby is also forming permanent teeth buds behind the baby teeth that are already formed. A baby girl will also begin to develop primitive eggs in her ovaries. Gender is usually visible by ultrasound, though accuracy varies.
Your baby’s movements may be more apparent. Loud noises may even cause your baby to startle. It’s still pretty unusual for your to be able to feel your baby move at this point unless this is not your first pregnancy. You may be aware of sleep wake cycles in your little one.
Your baby is also covered in a fine hair called lanugo and may begin to develop a lotion like substances on their skin called vernix. The weight is now up to 10 ounces (283 grams) and the baby measures about 25 cms total length, about 9.8 inches.
Eye brows are forming now and the lanugo darkens in color. Your baby is moving and practicing breathing for when he or she will be born. The practice contractions that you may or may not notice don’t bother your baby one bit. Your baby may or may not be head down, because of the amniotic fluid your baby can move all around still.
Your baby is also depositing brown fat. The brown fat will help him or her regulate body temperature at birth. This brown fat will continue to be laid down until birth.
S/he weighs in at 1 lb 5 ounces (595 grams) and 30 cms or 11.8 inches total length. A few babies are born this early. They do have some chance of survival depending on many factors.
Baby’s movements at this point in pregnancy have gone from wild kicks and flurries to smaller movements as the room becomes crowded in the uterus. At about week 28 babies begin to start turning head down. This is automatic in most babies and they seem to like it that way.
Your baby can sense light and dark in the uterus. This may also effect the pattern you notice of sleep and wake cycles. The uterus is also not a silent environment. While the baby can hear your heart beat, your digestive system, etc. your baby can also hear your voice as well as others close by. Think of what you can hear in a pool.
Your baby’s eye lashes are developing, as subcutaneous fat is deposited. If you have a baby boy, his testes will probably begin descending. Your baby is about 13.8 inches long (35 cms) and weighs about 2 pounds 4 ounces (1 kilogram)! A baby born at this time has a good chance of survival with the help of medical technology.
Your baby is really getting ready to be born. Every day in the uterus is said to be two less days your baby would spend in the hospital at this point. Red blood cell production is done entirely by your baby’s bone marrow. Amniotic fluid is still present and your baby urinates into it daily, about a half a liter of urine a day.
The baby’s irises can now dilate and contract in response to light. He or she opens and closes their eyes at will. Even the finger nails reach the end of the fingers. Some babies might even need a nail trim at birth! Your baby may have a lot of hair on their head or none, both extremes are normal.
The weight gain has been fairly incredible recently. Your baby has put on about 2 pounds of weight, mostly fat and muscle tissue, since last month, bringing the total to an average of three pounds eleven ounces (1.7 kilograms), and measurements to 40 cms or 15.8 inches!
Your baby’s organs have been finished forming for a long time. Now is the time for finishing touches. For example, the lungs make final preparations for birth by secreting surfactant to help them expand at birth. Your baby’s kidneys are still producing lots of urine every day, helping to make up the almost two pints of amniotic fluid.
While your baby may be putting on half a pound a week up until about week 37 at which point weight gain slows drastically. The average birth weight is still about seven and a half pounds. Your baby will measure between 18-22 inches at birth.
Your due date is a guess as to when your baby may arrive. The majority of babies will show up from two weeks before this date to two weeks after this date. Labor is caused by the baby’s signals to the mother’s body that he or she is ready to be born. Good luck and good birth!
Article Source: 9 months of pregnancy
Anxiety During Pregnancy – Acknowledging This New Feeling Might Help You in Your Future Pregnancies
Posted by in Pregnancy on January 19th, 2010
Anxiety during pregnancy is a very common feeling during the all 9 months. Even when a baby is very much wanted, pregnancy is a time when women experience a whole variety of emotions, one of the most prominent of which is anxiety. Women who have had problems in conceiving a baby may be extremely anxious about whether they will be able to hold on to this pregnancy.
Women who have had previous miscarriages are fearful until they are well beyond the last date at which they previously lost a baby. You may feel frightened all the time because of your previous miscarriage or miscarriages, and you may feel worried about whether you are going to have another miscarriage or not. So previous miscarriages can cause mixed reactions with your current or future pregnancies.
Women who have given birth to a baby who afterwards died or who was disabled can spend nine months is a in a strained state of wondering whether the same thing might happen again, anxiety during pregnancy might be a very common feeling for this category of women also. If you are baby died during labour or after he is born, maybe because of some heart defects or similar reasons, your current pregnancy might be incredible worrying for you and you might lose your confidence at all in having a healthy new baby. Acknowledging this might be the first step in taking measure precautions for your current or future pregnancies to actually develop without any other similar problems.
Some women really enjoy being pregnant, sail through it with no problems and anxiety during pregnancy is a completely absent feeling for them; others are surprised by no heightened their emotions are and how the sense of responsibility is overwhelming.
Your outlook on life changes and ordinary everyday activities take on a new importance.
Shirley M. Duran is a mother of two and an author of a variety of related lifestyle issues and topics with which has helped hundreds of mothers become pregnant. For more information on related issues, it is recommended to visit: http://protectyourbaby.info/
Article Source: Anxiety During Pregnancy – Acknowledging This New Feeling Might Help You in Your Future Pregnancies
What a new mother needs to know
Posted by in Babies on January 15th, 2010
Usually there is very little or no information known to most of the parents at the time of the arrival of their first baby. There are many new questions that come to the mind of the parents of a newly born baby like how to handle their babies first cold, how to make babies sleep, what kind of food is good for them till the age of 6-9 months, how to soothe babies teething pain, signs that tell if the baby is ready for the solid food and why the solid food is not good for them in the initial few months and so on. The list of such questions is endless.
We get a bunch of different advice and opinions on such questions from everyone we talk to and since babies don’t come with a “manual” – it’s hard to know what the right thing to do is. Thus, it is very important that the parents should educate themselves with the right ways or techniques to take care of their newly born babies.
As an example, we’ll talk about a common problem – “Potty Training”. There are seven stages of potty training. They begin with showing signs of potty training readiness and conclude with being able to use the toilet away from home.
Signs of Readiness – The first stage of potty training begins when your child shows the following signs of potty training readiness:
- Express the need to go potty (verbally or through body language)
- Expresses an interest in the potty
- Uncomfortable in wet diapers
- Able to dress and undress
- Imitates family members
- Stays dry for two hours
- Has regular bowel movements
- Interested in big kid underwear
Introduction to the Idea of Potty Training – When your child shows a majority of the signs of potty training readiness, it’s time to introduce him to the concept of using the potty. This can be done by reading a potty training book as a bedtime story or watching a potty training video or DVD together. Purchase a potty chair and let your child watch you use the potty. Children will often imitate family members.
Sit On the Potty – When your child has been introduced to the concept of potty training, he will probably imitate family member and sit on his potty chair while you use the bathroom. This is a good time to teach good hygiene such as wiping and washing hands after using the potty.
Use the Potty Sometimes – Be sure to give your child plenty of liquids and take him to the potty every 30 minutes. This will help build muscle memory. The first time your child uses the potty, make a big deal of his huge accomplishment. A hug, encouraging words, or a small reward can be good motivational tools and help your child feel proud of his or her accomplishment.
Use the Potty Alone – As your child gets more comfortable with the potty and his ability to control his bodily functions, he will go to the potty by himself. He will then come tell you about it. Again, this is a time for lots of praise and encouragement.
Transition to the Toilet – When your child is comfortable using his potty seat, it’s time to transition him to the toilet. Many children are afraid of falling in, so you may need to purchase a toilet seat adapter such as the Flip-N-Flush or the PRIMO’s Ducka toilet adapter. These devices reduce the size of the toilet hole, thereby making you child feel more secure.
Use Potty Away From Home – The last stage of potty training occurs when your child is able to use the potty away from home. Thankfully, there are many portable and disposable toilet seats available to keep your child from coming in contact with public toilet seats. Many public bathrooms have auto-flush toilets with electronic sensors. These sensors often fail to detect that a child is seated on the toilet and cause the toilet to flush repeatedly, scaring the child. Devices such as the Flush-Stopper prevent auto-flush toilets from flushing while your child is seated.
Some children breeze through the seven stages of potty training in a matter of weeks, while other children take several months to complete potty training. Your child’s progress depends on his or her stage of development, your potty training knowledge, and the potty training products you have available.
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Article Source: What a new mother needs to know
How To Get Pregnant – Trying to Get Pregnant with No Success? Learn How to Get Pregnant Fast
Posted by in Pregnancy on December 20th, 2009
You want to be holding a baby as soon as you can – 9 months from now would be great! So how do you get pregnant fast?
Knowing exactly when you’re ovulating can help you time intercourse perfectly for conception. The best way to get pregnant fast is to know when you’re ovulating and to make the most sperm-friendly environment possible.
Charting your cycles is a great way to figure out when you’re ovulating – but if you’re trying to get pregnant really quickly you may not want to learn the in’s and out’s of charting. That’s ok, because in-home tests can help you determine ovulation even without charting.
Now, if you’re having problems getting pregnant you may want to chart – charting can help you identify fertility problems and correct them naturally so you can conceive.
You can determine ovulation at home using an ovulation predictor kit – or using a fertility monitor.
Ovulation predictor kits, or OPKs are test strips that detect luteinizing hormone in your urine. You dip the test strip and compare the line that appears to the control line. If it’s as dark as the control or darker, you’re having your luteinizing hormone surge. What does that mean to you? You’re probably going to ovulate in the next 12 – 48 hours. It’s time to start trying to make a baby!
If no new line appears or is lighter than the control that’s a negative result and it’s not time to start trying yet.
Fertility monitors tend to give even more precise results and can be as accurate as fertility clinic blood tests in identifying your ovulation. Different monitors work in different ways. The three most popular monitors on the market right now each work differently.
One monitor works by detecting the changing hormones in your sweat, and another in similar ways but with your saliva. The final monitor, the ClearBlue Easy fertility monitor, detects both luteinizing hormone and estradiol (the major estrogen in your cycle) in your urine. It’s very, very accurate – just about as accurate as the feritlity clinic. All three types of monitors track changes across your cycle.
By using an OPK or fertility monitor you can quickly pinpoint exactly when you’re ovulating without much of a “learning curve.” This will help you time intercourse for optimal conception.
Another thing to try after you’ve pinpointed ovulation is adding a sperm-friendly lubricant into your baby dancing fun. This can compliment your natural fertile mucus or, if you don’t have much, give sperm a real boost on their way to their goal.
Using these ideas in conjunction with proper nutrition and preparation for conception is the best approach – that way you’ll not only conceive easily – you’ll also be able to carry your healthy baby to term.
Increase your chances of getting pregnant naturally! My FREE 7-part mini-course goes over tips on how to identify your most fertile period, what to eat for your future baby’s health (and your fertility), best positions for the “baby dance,” and more – so you can conceive quickly and carry your healthy baby to term.
Article Source: How To Get Pregnant – Trying to Get Pregnant with No Success? Learn How to Get Pregnant Fast
How to Prevent Skin Rashes for Baby
Posted by in Babies on October 27th, 2009
Presence of skin rashes, especially during the first few weeks of your baby’s delicate skin is something avoidable. The first few weeks of your baby’s skin are so dedicate and careful handling is necessary for any parents out there. It is during this period wherein you’ll baby will try to adapt on the outside environment, since she has been living in your womb for 9 months. At these first few weeks, your baby’s skin is so soft and tender that you would not dare to even let rashes be visible. These rashes will not cause any harm to your child, however, it is still advisable to visit your pediatrician.
Natural fiber cloth is best for your babies. Cotton tops are also one of the top favorite. Soft colors are equally ideal. Natural fibers and cottons are also best in avoiding rashes for your baby.
Avoid buying lacy dress also. Many parents would want to dress their baby with lacy dress as they appear more feminine and stylish. But, try to avoid this. Your baby’s fingers may get caught in the lace adorning the dress. Stitching on cloth should also be soft so she won’t feel itchy while wearing the dress, thus, developing into rashes later on.
Also, when you are trying to wash your baby’s clothes, the use of disinfectants is highly recommended. However, some disinfectants may cause skin irritation, so be sure you get to by one that is hypoallergenic.
Avoid using baby powders that are not known to be hypoallergenic. Ever since the old times, powders have been blamed to must have caused rashes for babies. Fortunately, hypoallergenic powders are now available in the market. So you should grab one.
I strongly believe that appropriate baby dress shoes and other baby toddler shoes that are guaranteed to be hypoallergenic and non-skin irritating are one of the best ways to give your child the comfort and love they need.
I strongly believe that to buy baby dress shoes that are appropriate and other baby toddler shoes that are guaranteed to be hypoallergenic and non-skin irritating are one of the best ways to give your child the comfort and love they need.
Article Source: How to Prevent Skin Rashes for Baby
Breast is best for our Children (so far…)
Posted by in Pregnancy on October 25th, 2009
Today I read about a recent study into infant formula. The results implied quite strongly that formula fortified with essential fatty acids (in this case DHA) improved the cognitive brain development of the baby. This is yet another piece of evidence to support the far reaching benefits of essential fatty acids for the brain, from infant through to the elderly.
The experiment involved 229 infants. One group were given formula from birth and were split into two groups – one given a traditional formula and the other given a formula with added DHA. A second group split in the same way were given formula from 6 weeks (after breastfeeding) and a third group from 4-6 months. At 9 months the babies were given a problem solving test. In both the “from birth” and the “from 6 weeks” groups, the babies from the DHA supplemented groups performed better in the test.
This certainly suggests that if you do choose to formula feed over breastfeed for either health or logistical reasons (for example, many mums are unable to breastfeed) it is worth choosing a formula that does supplement with essential fatty acids (and probiotics too, based on the results of other studies). However, as a mum who breastfed both my children for 9 months, what about the mums who do choose to breastfeed? Is there anything they can learn from study and other studies like this?
Of course there is. Their diet is our diet, and we must make the right choices in what we eat to ensure our children get the optimal start in life nutritionally. Breastfeeding is currently known to be the best option for the pre-weaning stage, but as infant formulas improve every year in what they have to offer, is there a competition on?
Yes there is, and so there should be! Anything that means our children get an improving nutrition has to be a good thing. So if you choose to breastfeed, that is brilliant, but don’t rest on your laurels. Make sure you have a well balanced and healthy diet that includes lots of essential fatty acids through oily fish, seeds and vegetable oils. Limit your saturated fat but ensure your diet is high in calcium. Unlikely high sources of calcium include broccoli, bok choy and oranges.
But my advice would be to also take a high quality supplement that is formulated specifically for breastfeeding women. Of course we want to eat healthily, but the truth is we’re often tired, usually in a rush and regularly eating on the hoof between feeds, sleeps and so on. I can’t emphasise enough how important it is to steer clear of high, refined sugar foods such as biscuits and chocolate, as much for the mother’s energy levels as for the child’s health, but I understand that sometimes a healthy, home-cooked meal is hard to come by.
When I was breastfeeding I took a Pregnancy & Lactation Formula but many friends had recommended that i did. Of course I will never know if it made a difference to my children’s’ development with nothing to measure it against. But at the time it was nice to know that I had a buffer, on those nights I fell into bed after just a bowl of cereal.
Sam worked in the health and fitness industry for over 15 years and became more interested in the role diet and nutrition plays in people’s health, so her studies took her in a more nutritional direction. She now works at a company who sell health products such as Pregnancy & Lactation formula, as well as, breastfeeding supplements. For more information please visit, http://www.totallynourish.com.
Article Source: Breast is best for our Children (so far…)
C Section Recovery – Dont Do These 3 things If You Want An Uncomplicated C Section Recovery
Posted by in Pregnancy on October 24th, 2009
The number of people giving birth by cesarean section is increasing all the time, unfortunately, the amount of information on the best way to heal from this surgery is not. Many Moms are sent home with little idea on how to look after themselves properly. This is why many moms end up with complications, are on pain relief for far longer than they should be and have problems regaining both their figure and their confidence.
Let me guess, you have done you 3-5 day stint in hospital, you have a newborn babe to contend with as well as the instructions to ‘take it easy for the next 6 weeks’ right?
That’s all very well, but what exactly is the definition of ‘take it easy’ and how come other c-section Moms seem to be healing an awful lot faster than you think that you are? Chances are you may be breaking one of the 3 important Do NOT rules when recovering from a c section.
1 – NO twisting, NO straining and NO lifting anything heavier than baby for the first 4-6 weeks.
A Cesarean Section is major abdominal surgery, so you need to give the wound time to heal before putting any stress on either the tissues or internal organs. So don’t try and rush into those sit ups, rejoin your basketball team or even dust the cobwebs from the ceiling until this minimum period is over.
2 – Don’t Push It.
Just because you have finally had baby it does not mean that your energy and fitness levels will automatically bounce back to what they were previously. You have effectively had 6-9 months ‘off’. Combine this with the physical strain that pregnancy puts on the body, add the sleep deprivation and emotional roller coaster that having a newborn brings and it is little wonder that you need at least 6 weeks to start to building both your physical and emotional fitness from scratch.
3 – Don’t Just Sit There Either!
I know, now I’ve confused you. But it’s OK. Just as it is important not to overdo it, you do need to do gentle exercise to increase the blood flow to the wounded areas and increase circulation. When I say gentle, I mean gentle. Pelvic tilting exercises, pelvic floor exercises and small walks are essential to starting back on the road to a full c section recovery.
Did you know that there are certain things that you can do that will speed up your c section recovery, enable your body to heal properly, lose that extra fat around your middle – I know it wasn’t there before – boost your energy and confidence levels and avoid any further pain from your cesarean section? www.csectionrecovery.info
Article Source: C Section Recovery – Dont Do These 3 things If You Want An Uncomplicated C Section Recovery
Tips For Calculating Your Pregnancy Due Date
Posted by in Pregnancy on September 26th, 2009
One of the most common questions for any woman who hears she is pregnant is “what is my due date?” For anyone who already has children, you know what I mean. It’s only natural, but for what should be a fairly straightforward date, in many cases can become confusing. Here are a couple of different methods used to calculate any pregnancy due date.
Regardless of your potential due date, did you know that out of every 100 pregnancies only 5 women deliver on their exact date? Keep that in mind when trying to nail down an exact date because the bottom line is that you will deliver when the moment comes no matter what any calendar may say.
One of the most common methods to determine when you will deliver is using the gestational age. Basically, this method involves using the date of your last period and adding 40 weeks to it. Let’s use an example of July 15 being the date of your last menstrual cycle. Now add 280 days to it, or 40 weeks, and you would have a due date of around April 21.
Another simple method you can use is to take 9 months and 7 days and add it to the last day of your menstrual cycle.
Knowing your pregnancy due date is important for your doctor on several accounts. They need to know the approximate date in order to do prenatal tests and monitor the growth of the fetus to know if things are coming along normally so that you will be delivering a happy and health new baby.
Susan has been writing online for several years now. Come visit her websites at Cheap Tires and Photo Printers where you can find all sorts of helpful tips and information.
Article Source: Tips For Calculating Your Pregnancy Due Date
