You are pregnant. It has been confirmed and now you will embark on the most fascinating journey of your lifetime.... living with your body developing another body within it.

 

Understanding what is going on in your body through the next forty weeks . the forty weeks of pregnancy ..... is of the utmost importance for you to thoroughly enjoy this time ... as you should.

 

The early signs of pregnancy have caused you to confirm your pregnancy... some of those early signs being tender .. slightly swollen breasts, a feeling of nausea,heightened sense of smell.

 

These are caused by hormone changes as the baby begins to develop.

 

What can you expect during the forty weeks ahead?

 

Weeks 1 - 8: The egg fertilizes and attaches itself to the uterus wall. This is when morning sickness may set in .. though it may not be "morning" sickness for you.. but "anytime of the day" sickness. By the sixth week .. your baby's heart begins to beat as other organs begin to develop. An ultrasound in the eighth week will show your baby's arms and legs.

 

Weeks 9- 16: Are you anxious to find out if you are having a boy or a girl? This is the stage it can be detected.. providing it cooperates during an ultrasound. Should you want it to be a surprise ... turn away from the ultrasound screen when the test is performed. This is the time your appetite will begin to increase, and by the fourteenth week you will be able to hear the baby's heartbeat on a monitor. Around the end of the fifteenth week you will be thinking of maternity clothes as your stomach takes on a definite roundness and as pressure is put on your bladder ... your trips to the bathroom multiply.. especially at night.

 

Weeks 17 - 24: This is the stage when your baby begins to really grow in weight. Reflexes develop along with ears and eyes as the baby's greatest development takes place during this time. The critical stage of development is passed at twenty weeks and by the twenty-fourth week the baby's heartbeat is strong enough to be heard by an ear pressed to your stomach.

 

Weeks 25 - 32: During this stage the capillary system of your baby's body is developing along with the lungs. You definitely know when the baby is kicking now and at the end of the twenty-eighth week... the chances of the baby surviving is completely positive . By the thirty-second week... all of your baby's senses are developed.

 

Weeks 33 - 40: Don't be concerned if you experience some constipation during this stage as the uterus puts pressure on the bowels. Added pressure on muscles and nerves may cause sudden cramping at the bottom of the uterus now and some aching in the lower back. By the end of the thirty-sixth week you should be tuned in to any signs of labor. As the baby drops and positions itself in your pelvis at the end of the thirty-eighth week. .... changing your center of gravity.. your sense of balance may seem somewhat skewed. This is the time you should pack your suitcase and be prepared to head to the hospital at any time ... day or night.

 

You are embarking on the most miraculous time of your life ..... the forty weeks of pregnancy ... the forty weeks of miracle building.