When you’re pregnant for the first time, figuring out exactly how to calculate your due date might seem a little confusing. This is because, in the medical profession, they include the first 14 days or so before you are actually pregnant as being pregnant. Confused? Let’s explain a little more clearly. So, in medical terms, the first day of your last period is when you start counting the days of your pregnancy. Even though for some of this time you’re technically not pregnant, this method is used so that you can count your pregnancy on a week by week basis and you’ll know exactly when to go for your doctor visits. One of the major benefits of knowing your pregnancy due date is knowing what to expect during each stage of your pregnancy. Let’s take a closer look at some of the stages of pregnancy.
One To Five Weeks
During this time, ovulation and conception take place. This the time when an egg is released from your ovaries and after getting busy, the egg and the sperm become one. After you miss a period you’ll take a home pregnancy test or have a blood test done at your doctor’s office to find out if you are going to become a mum. Congratulations! You have reached your first milestone.
Five To Twelve Weeks
At your first visit to the gynecologist, he/she will perform an ultrasound. Your doctor will place conductive gel on your belly and slide the scanner until he/she can find your baby all snug in your uterus. Alternatively, he/she might have to do a vaginal ultrasound, depending on how far along you are. Don’t fret, it doesn’t hurt and it gives you a peek at your little bundle of joy.Here are the amazing things you will be able to see and even hear at your ultrasounds. You should note that you won’t be required to go for ultrasounds every week, only the weeks prescribed by your doctor. At a five-week ultrasound, you’ll be able to see the gestational sac and yolk sac. At a six-week ultrasound, you’ll be able to hear the heartbeat of your baby. At an eight-week ultrasound, the doctor will be able to confirm the gestational age of your baby. That’s why it’s called the ‘dating’ scan.At a nine-week ultrasound, your baby is no longer an embryo, he/she is now a fetus. Congrats on your second milestone. At a ten-week ultrasound, your babies vital organs are fully developed and they are starting to function, and his/her cartilage and bones are forming. The doctor will measure the baby’s nuchal fold, which is a scientific word for the back of the neck, for signs of abnormality.At an eleven-week ultrasound, you might see your baby moving.
Twelve To Twenty-Four Weeks
At a twelve-week ultrasound, you might be surprised when you feel the baby move in response to poking your belly. You have completed your first trimester. Well done.
At a thirteen-week ultrasound, your baby is much more identifiable and you can see the heart beating and the shape of his/her body.
At a fourteen-week ultrasound, your baby’s bones look brighter and bigger than they did at the previous ultrasound. Look out for him/her sucking their thumb.
At a fifteen-week ultrasound, you may be able to see your baby’s eyebrows and growing scalp.
At a sixteen-week ultrasound, you’ll be able to see your baby’s face clearly and maybe even make out their tiny facial features.
At a seventeen-week ultrasound, you might see hair on your baby’s head and body.
At an eighteen-week ultrasound, you’ll be able to find out if you’re having a boy or a girl if you choose to. So exciting!
From the nineteenth to the twenty-fifth-week ultrasound, the doctor will assess the heartbeat and motor activity of your baby. He/she will check the amniotic fluid and the size of both your uterus and baby.
Twenty-Four To Forty Weeks
After week twenty-four you are now going into your third trimester. Well done. This is the home stretch of the pregnancy. At a twenty-six week ultrasound, you can ask for a 3D scan of your baby. This is your baby’s first photo op. At a thirty-week ultrasound, you’ll be able to see different facial expressions. At a thirty-six week up to a forty-week ultrasound, your doctor will check the baby’s position, to see whether his/her head is turned down in preparation for birth. You’ll also be able to see his/her hair.
Stay Calm And Enjoy It
Growing a human being inside you can be hard work, but knowing when said human is going to arrive, will take a lot of the pressure off you. When you know your due date, you’ll be able to schedule the correct doctor visits and help to make this the enjoyable experience that it truly is.
I’m a 20-something stay-at-home mother and wife. I have an amazing husband, a beautiful daughter, two loving dogs, and a lazy cat. I wouldn’t change my life for anything! I love to read, listen to music, cook and blog!
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