Pregnancy PDF Print E-mail
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A human pregnancy takes about 283 days (10 lunar months) from the first day of the last menstrual period or approximately 267 days from conception. Only about 5% of babies whose mothers go into labour and give birth naturally are born on their estimated date of delivery- in the majority of cases, the baby will be born within 10 days either side of this date.

A pregnancy is divided into three trimesters which are roughly 3 months each. During each trimester a women's body undergoes particular changes in order to accommodate the growth and development of her baby. During the first trimester many women notice changes in their breasts, may experience nausea (morning sickness) and other symptoms relating to their pregnancy. By the second trimester, most of these symptoms have resolved and the woman generally feels fit and well. Sometime between the weeks 18 and 22 she will feel the fetus move for the first time. In the final few months of her pregnancy new symptoms of discomfort may arise as a result of her enlarging fetus.

Appropriate antenatal care consists of regular checkups by qualified healthcare providers and learning to lead a healthy life for you and your baby. This kind of care has reduced many of the problems which women previously encountered during pregnancy.

During labour and birth the women's hormones help her to cope physically and emotionally with the whole experience. The postpartum period is the first few days after the delivery of a baby. In this time a women's body will change again as it returns to the non-pregnant state. The body also adapts to its new role of feeding the baby. Women who are supported by friends and family find coping with being a new mother is less daunting.