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Under Pressure

Monday, September 21st, 2009

Stress.  What pregnant woman ever experiences stress?  Ha!

Extreme stress comes in examples like divorce, death in the family, loss of job, etc. but even day to day stressors can wreak havoc on a mom trying to grow a healthy, happy baby in her tummy.  Did you know mothers in a two miles radius of 9/11 gave birth slightly earlier than usual and to lower birth weight babies?  They contribute this to the stress from the tragedy.

Besides the emotional effects of stress, physically a mother can experience increased heart rate and increased stress hormones (cortisol).  Some studies show a greater risk of late miscarriage in the first trimester and more birth defects if there has been severe stress in early pregnancy.  Other findings indicate pre-term and low birth weight babies and lower IQ.  The baby can also be effected later in life with things such as high blood pressure due to that increase in Cortisol while in the womb.

What can a mother do to avoid the effects of stress on her pregnancy?

  • Talk to family and loved ones and make sure you have a supportive outreach.
  • Use massage, meditation, yoga, etc. to reduce anxiety and manage stress.
  • Eat healthy.
  • Get plenty of exercise.
  • Rest when you can.
  • Don’t take unnecessary risks and postpone things that induce stress like a move or job change.
  • Avoid stressful people and stressful situations.
  • Maintain prenatal check-ups (relief that baby is doing well goes a long way to reduce stress).

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Your body, your baby – 3rd trimester

Saturday, July 4th, 2009

The third trimester of pregnancy is termed as months 7 through 10 and weeks 26-40.  It is really important to continue to make smart choices for your baby including having good nutrition.  Too many women focus on weight gain and feel they’ve put on too much by the time they reach this trimester so they scale back.  THIS IS NOT THE TIME FOR A DIET!  Your baby’s brain grows the most rapidly around month 8 and it needs all it’s nutrients for healthy growth.

What your body is doing

Month 7:

  • Your ankles and feet may swell
  • Stretch marks may appear on the abdomen and breasts as they get bigger
  • You may have contractions. This is normal, but call your health care provider if you have more than five contractions in one hour,
  • As your belly gets bigger, you may lose your sense of balance

Month 8:

  • You may feel stronger contractions this month
  • You may have some leakage of colostrum (the fluid that will feed your baby until your milk comes in) from your breasts
  • You may have trouble sleeping because it is hard to get comfortable
  • You may have shortness of breath as the baby crowds your lungs
  • The baby may crowd your stomach
  • The top of your uterus lies just under your rib cage

Month 9 & 10:

  • Your belly button may stick out
  • Your breathing should be easier once the baby drops, but you’ll have to urinate more often because the baby is pressing on your bladder
  • Swelling of ankles and feet may increase
  • Your cervix will open up (dilate) and thin out (efface) as it prepares for birth
  • You may be uncomfortable because of the pressure and weight of the baby

What your baby is doing

 

Month 7:

  • The baby can open and close her eyes and suck her thumb
  • The baby exercises by kicking and stretching
  • The baby responds to light and sound
  • The baby is now about 15 to 16 inches long and weighs about 2 1/2 to 3 pounds

Month 8:

  • Rapid brain growth continues
  • The baby is too big to move around much, but he can kick strongly and roll around
  • You may notice the shape of an elbow or heel against your abdomen
  • Bones of the head are soft and flexible to make it easier for the baby to fit through the birth canal
  • Fingernails have grown to tips of fingers
  • Lungs may still be immature
  • Your baby is now about 18 to 19 inches long and weighs about 4 to 5 pounds

Month 9 & 10:

  • At 37 to 40 weeks, your baby is full term
  • The baby’s lungs are mature and ready to function on their own
  • The baby gains about 1/2 pound a week
  • The baby usually drops into a head-down position and rests lower in your abdomen
  • By the end of the ninth month, the baby is 19 to 21 inches long and weighs 6 to 9 pounds

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Your body, your baby – 1st trimester

Saturday, July 4th, 2009

The first trimester of pregnancy is termed as months 1,2 and 3 and weeks 1 through 12.  Many women experience pregnancy in different ways with different mental, emotional and physical responses.  Here are some things that you may encounter.

What your body is doing

Month 1:

  • Your body is making lots of hormones needed to grow a baby
  • Your breasts are slightly bigger and sore and may tingle
  • You may have morning sickness
  • You may crave some foods or hate foods you usually like
  • You may need to urinate more frequently

Month 2:

  • Your breasts are still sore and are enlarging; your nipples and the area around them begin to darken
  • You will urinate more often because your growing uterus is pressing on your bladder
  • Morning sickness may continue
  • You may feel tired and need to rest more as your body adjusts to being pregnant
  • The total amount of blood in your body increases

Month 3:

  • You may still feel tired and have morning sickness
  • You may have headaches and get lightheaded or dizzy. If these symptoms persist or are severe, tell your health care provider.
  • Your clothes may begin to feel tight around your waist and breasts

What you baby is doing

Month 1:

  • Your baby is about the size of a pea
  • The placenta is beginning to form
  • Tiny limb buds, which will grow into arms and legs, appear
  • The heart and lungs begin to form. By the 22nd day, the heart starts to beat
  • The neural tube, which becomes the brain and spinal cord, begins to form
  • At the end of the first month, your baby is about 1/4 inch long

Month 2:

  • All major body organs and systems are formed but not completely developed
  • Early stages of the placenta, which exchanges nutrients from your body for waste products produced by the baby, are visible and working
  • Ears, ankles and wrists are formed. Eyelids form and grow but are sealed shut.
  • Fingers and toes are developed
  • By the end of the second month, your baby is about 1 inch long and still weighs less than 1/3 ounce

Month 3:

  • Fingers and toes have soft nails
  • The mouth has 20 buds that will become baby teeth
  • Fine hairs begin to form on the baby’s skin
  • You can hear your baby’s heartbeat for the first time (10 to 12 weeks) using a special instrument called a doptone
  • For the rest of pregnancy, all body organs will mature and the baby will gain weight
  • By end of this month, the baby is about 2 1/2 to 3 inches long and weighs about 1 ounce

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Your body, your baby – 2nd trimester

Thursday, July 2nd, 2009

The second trimester of pregnancy is termed as months 4, 5 and 6 and weeks 13-25.  Some women refer to this as the dream trimester as all of their discomforts from the first trimester are gone, they’ve settled into their nesting and they actually look and feel pregnant.  You should continue to make smart choices for your baby including having good nutrition, doing regular and prenatal exercises and visiting with a health care professional.

What your body is doing

Month 4:

  • Your appetite increases as morning sickness goes away and will probably gain around 3 to 4 pounds
  • You should begin to feel more energetic
  • Toward the end of the fourth month (16 to 20 weeks), you might feel your baby move for the first time; tell your health care provider
  • Your belly begins to show—you probably will need maternity clothes and bigger bras now

 

Month 5:

  • If you haven’t already, you will begin to feel your baby moving. Tell your health care provider.
  • Your uterus has grown to the height of your belly button
  • Your heart beats faster
  • You may need eight or more hours of sleep each night. During the day, take rest breaks if tired. Don’t push yourself.

 

Month 6:

  • You may feel the baby kicking strongly now
  • The skin on your growing belly may start to itch
  • Your back may hurt. Wear low-heeled shoes or flats. Don’t stand for long periods of time. Exercise can help. You may feel pain down the sides of your belly as your uterus stretches the ligaments that support it.

What you baby is doing

Month 4:

  • By the end of the fourth month, your baby is 6 to 7 inches long and weighs about 4 to 5 ounces
  • Makes smacking movements with lips and may suck thumb
  • Has eyelids that are shut to protect the eyes while they are forming
  • The baby moves, kicks and swallows
  • The skin is pink and transparent
  • The umbilical cord continues to carry nourishment from mother to baby—but it also can pass along hazards like alcohol, nicotine and other drugs

Month 5: 

  • The baby becomes more active, turning from side to side and sometimes head over heels
  • Finger and toe prints can be seen
  • The baby sleeps and wakes at regular intervals
  • This is a month of rapid growth. At the end of the fifth month, your baby is about 10 inches long and weighs 1/2 to 1 pound

 

Month 6: 

  • The skin is red and wrinkled and covered with fine, soft hair
  • Eyelids begin to part and the eyes open
  • The baby continues to grow rapidly. At end of the sixth month, the baby is about 12 inches long and weighs 1 1/2 to 2 pounds

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It’s 40 weeks*, PEOPLE!

Saturday, May 2nd, 2009

One of my pet peeves regarding misconceptions of conception is that the duration of pregnancy is NOT nine months, it’s 40 weeks.

I don’t know why the terminology “back in the day” was to call it 9 months and now it’s published everywhere by the know-it-alls as 40 months.  Some people say it’s lunar months versus calendar months.  I wondered if they used to count differently (like from the day of fertilization instead of from the first day of your last menstrual cycle), but in any case, I am tired of this misuse of terminology.  Especially on sitcoms and TV shows.  I mean, come on, there has to be one writer on that show that is a woman who has given birth or even an enlightened man who knows.

To me, with my engineering background, it’s a numbers game.  So let’s crunch some numbers:

  • 40 weeks is 280 days.
  • An average month is 30.4 days (based on 365 days in a year divided by 12 months).
  • 9 months then equals 274 days (rounding up).

It’s close, yes, but when you get to be 275 days along, it’s not close enough.  Also, if you count your pregnancy by weeks, which is the standard way it’s measured, then when I was 36 weeks along, I was not pushing a baby out (like the 9 month term users would presume, since 9 times 4 = 36) and that last month seemed to drag on forever so I hated hearing comments regarding “any day now”.

So…40 weeks or 9 months?  Like I said, it’s a pet-peeve of mine.  Maybe it doesn’t bother anyone else out there, but I thought I’d share my perspective on it.

*On a side note, the normal range of pregnancy is 37 to 42 weeks.  But did you know the average duration of pregnancy is 41 1/7 weeks?  Keep that in mind when you are considering inducing or scheduling a cesarean section.  Your baby needs to come out on his time, when he and you are both physically and mentally ready.  No one is pregnant forever and thank goodness we are not African elephants with a gestational period of 660-760 days.

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