Pregnancy
The profound, life-changing experience of becoming a parent is both rewarding and challenging. It does, however, carry certain risk factors.
Your pregnancy: weeks 23-27. Your baby develops movements that will later help it take its first whiff of air in the world, inhaling and exhaling amniotic fluid. You may feel rhythmic movements which is your baby hiccupping.
Your pregnancy: weeks 28-31. The changes in your body continue to take place as you enter your third trimester! As baby prepares for its future exit: its eyelids are uncovered and eyelashes have formed, meaning your baby can blink.
There are many things you can do to prepare for the delivery of a healthy baby. One of the most important things is eating right to gain the extra weight you’ll need to support another life. Your doctor will keep a close eye on your weight gain during your pregnancy to make sure it’s in the right range.
The profound, life-changing experience of becoming a parent is both rewarding and challenging. It does, however, carry certain risk factors.
Your pregnancy: weeks 14-17. Your baby's individual features and sensory organs are now being fine tuned. Iron requirements increase during this period as the blood volume increases due to the building of the reserves of the foetus and placenta.
Take particular care of your back during and after pregnancy – protect it from strain and possible injury.
Joints and ligaments, particularly in the back and pubic regions, relax due to increased levels of the hormone relaxin, in preparation for opening the pelvis for birth.
A Caesarean birth is the delivery of your baby through an abdominal uterine incision, instead of vaginally.
Breathing reflects the activity in your body and, of all the body’s involuntary unconscious physical responses, breathing is the easiest to control.
Sharing the adventure of pregnancy, birth and parenting can make this one of life’s most rewarding experiences.
The first step towards fatherhood is to accept pregnancy and birth as a period of change. You may have conflicting and intense emotions to deal with as you come to terms with this major developmental stage in your life. It is important to keep the channels of communication open between you and your partner.
Your nutritional status at the time of conception and in the crucial early weeks of pregnancy is significant for the successful outcome of the pregnancy.
Knowing when you are likely to ovulate can improve your chances of becoming pregnant. Simply enter the date of your last period and the Fertility Calculator will estimate your most fertile days. This calculator is provided for educational purposes only and assumes an average cycle of 28 days. If your average cycle differs, please contact a trusted health care professional for personalized assistance.
