Pregnancy

Perhaps your first Rite of Passage as a parent is your journey to pregnancy. Every parent’s journey is unique – your pregnancy may be much longed for, totally unexpected and maybe not even welcome or it could be a happy surprise. You may be in a stable, loving relationship or on your own, through choice or circumstance. Your family may be a ‘traditional’ or not. You may be contemplating being a mum, dad or supporting partner. However, as pregnancy progresses each of us will be on our own personal journey to parenthood. Parents adopting a child will also experience their own unique period of waiting, preparing and anticipating as they wait for a baby or child to join their family.

In the first trimester it is not unusual to keep the pregnancy quiet – a little secret between mum and dad and maybe close family and friends. This can be particularly challenging for mums to be as the first trimester is typically associated with feelings of excessive tiredness and sometimes nausea or even acute sickness. It can help mums to understand that the first few weeks and months of pregnancy are a crucial foundation to baby’s healthy development and that the rate of development is phenomenal!

• Although you may not know that exact date of conception, pregnancy is officially calculated from the first day of your last period
• In week 4 the beginnings of an umbilical cord are formed and the placenta starts to form
• By week 6, baby is shrimp shaped with a definitive head and tail and arm buds & week 7 sees rapid head enlargement and brain development
• By week 8 a tiny skeleton has been fully formed and by week 9 all the foundations for future organs are in place and baby can make very simple movements. By week 10 the embryo is well developed in to a foetus.
• At around 11-12 weeks the baby will start yawning and may begin sucking and swallowing. He now looks like a tiny baby and you will be looking forward to meeting him at your 12 week scan.

For many mums, the second trimester is an enjoyable time. They feel they can relax in the fact their pregnancy is going well, and celebrate by sharing the news with others. The second trimester is also associated with a new sense of energy and wellbeing for many mums. However, some expectant mums find the physical and emotional changes of pregnancy disconcerting and feel ambiguous or uncomfortable about their changing body and their growing baby. For many dads, the second trimester is when the pregnancy starts to become real. Dads may have seen baby at an early scan and will also be able to notice the changes in the partner as her ‘bump’ grows and the fact that she is pregnant becomes obvious to the outside world.

Your baby will be developing at a fast rate and you can celebrate the following milestones:

• By weeks 12 to 14 your baby can open his mouth in response to touch and suck his fingers
• During weeks 15 to 18 there is rapid growth and coordinated limb movements although these will not yet be felt by the mother. You may be able to see the sex of your baby at your next scan. Your baby can now move his eyes and make sound vibrations in the womb
• By weeks 19 to 20 you may begin to feel your baby move as he kicks or rolls over. By week 20 you may even notice differences between your baby’s activity during day and night time.
• During weeks 21 to 25 your baby’s hearing has developed so much he can recognise your voice. Teeth buds have started to form and hair is starting to grow. The lungs are maturing and a baby born after 24 weeks would stand a good chance of surviving providing they receive the necessary specialist care.