Pregnancy Week by Week and Pregnancy Stages

These days are divided into three stages of pregnancy: early pregnancy, mid pregnancy and late pregnancy. The early pregnancy covers 1 to 12 weeks of pregnancy, mid-pregnancy involves 13 to 28 weeks of pregnancy and late pregnancy provides guidelines and health care information during 29 to 40 weeks of pregnancy.

So find here information on pregnancy week by week. On the left hand site we have provided listing of pregnancy weeks from 1 to 40. Also each page gives information on what are the changes occur in the body of pregnant woman and her baby as well as several helpful guidelines to have safe and normal pregnancy.

You should start preparing yourself for pregnancy at least 3 months ahead of trying for a baby, but ideally aim for 6 months or more. This will give you sufficient time to build up good nutritional reserves and eliminate all traces of the ill effects of alcohol and smoking from your system. Your partner doesn’t get off scot-free either, because the quality of his sperm depends on his diet and lifestyle.

Nutrition in Pregnancy Times

One of the most important aspects of pre-conceptual preparation is optimizing your nutrition. The early weeks of your baby’s gestation are crucial and, at this stage, before you even realize that you are pregnant, your baby will be taking all the nutrition he needs from your body’s reserves. There are some nutrients in particular that you need to be well stocked up on before conception, the most important being folic acid. If you start taking a supplement of 0.4 mg (400 micrograms) a day at least 3 months before you conceive, and continue to take it for the first 12 weeks of your pregnancy, you will reduce your chance of having a baby with a neural tube defect (such as spina bifida) by 50-70 per cent.

Pregnancy supplements

To ensure that you are getting all the vitamins and minerals necessary for you and your baby before you conceive, it is best to eat a balanced healthy diet. You may like to take a multivitamin supplement that has been specifically formulated for pregnancy, particularly if you follow a restricted diet, for example if you are a vegetarian or a vegan.

Changing Bad Habits in Pregnancy

Smoking in the 3 months before you try for a baby can reduce your chances of conception by a third. Caffeine may also affect fertility. The first month of pregnancy is when your baby is most at risk of alcohol-related abnormalities, so cut down or give it up altogether.

Weight Change in Pregnancy Weeks

If you are trying to conceive, it is best if your weight is in the healthy range (see the Body Mass index chart opposite). Being either overweight or underweight can affect your fertility, and crash dieting, yo-yo dieting or excessive exercise can affect ovulation and your chances of conception. If you need to lose weight, do so sensibly and gradually well before you start trying to conceive. If you are underweight, aim to eat at least three nutritious, balanced meals a day – do not binge or fill up on fatty, sugary snacks because this will not help you to lay down the nutritional reserves needed to keep you and your baby healthy through pregnancy.

Pregnancy Health checks

If you have specific health worries, or any conditions that you think might affect your pregnancy, discuss these with your midwife before stopping contraception. Mention any long-term medication you are on, as well as herbal supplements or homeopathic remedies, as some of these can affect your ability to conceive or harm the fetus. At the same time, arrange to have your immunity to rubella (German measles) checked.

If you have recently had a baby, your body may not be ready for another pregnancy. Generally, it is best to allow at least a year between full-term pregnancies.

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

This site uses Akismet to reduce spam. Learn how your comment data is processed.

Scroll to Top