Sunday, June 28, 2009

Gauge your Baby’s Growth with a Monthly Pregnancy Calendar

Author: Tom Smith

Pregnant women are forever anxious about the growth of their baby. They try various means to keep a tab on the development of their fetus. It is here that a pregnancy calendar can come in handy for you. Bring informed about the monthly progression of your baby will help you get rid of pregnancy jitters.

A typical pregnancy calculation is 40 weeks from the starting date of your last period. This automatically transforms into a rough figure of ten months, although most babies are delivered any time after the beginning of the ninth month.

You can make use of the pregnancy calendar to make notes on the changes in your body at different stages of pregnancy.

Month 1

This is the time when conception takes place. During this period, the egg is fertilized by the sperm and gradually reaches the uterus.

Month 2

The baby's heart starts beating and it develops arms and legs. The heart even starts circulating blood to the baby’s body. The primordial of the liver, pancreas, lungs, and stomach are evident in this stage of the pregnancy calendar.

Month 3

The baby starts moving around, although you may not be able to feel the movement as yet. Formation of toes begins and the baby will move away by touching the uterine wall. The external genitalia are now differentiated; the external ears and the upper lip are fully formed.

Month 4

You can now start feeling the baby around. At an ultrasound screening, you can even see how it sucks its thumb. All his twenty teeth have formed and are starting to grow by now. The scalp hair pattern is developing and the heart is pumping about 25 quarts of blood a day.

Month 5

During this period, the pads of the fingers and toes are formed and the fingerprints are developing. Gradually, permanent teeth buds are forming behind the already-formed milk teeth buds.

Month 6

According to the pregnancy calendar, this is the stage when fat deposits tend to build upon the baby’s body. It weighs up to 283 g and measures about 25 cm by this time. Towards the end of this trimester, the baby might begin to settle in a head down position.

Month 7

As the third trimester sets in, the baby starts hearing noises from the outside world. The veins are visible through the skin, and now it can hear you and those around you. In fact, you may even feel it jump at a sudden noise. Your uterus also allows the baby to see some light so as to make him aware of lightness and darkness.

Month 8

By this time, your baby’s eyes start to move. The head grows in size and almost all the internal organs are fully developed. In this stage, the baby is capable of regulating his own temperature even as the bone marrow starts producing red blood cells. It is urinating about a half liter of urine into the amniotic fluid everyday. This pregnancy stage is a period of high activity as your little one’s sleep cycles become more prominent.

Month 9

During the 35th week, the baby weighs about 2.15 kilos. The growth continues as your baby snuggles down into your pelvis. This will relieve you of the breathlessness that you have been feeling in the previous month. However, with increased pressure on your uterus and pelvis, you will have to urinate more often.

Month 10

The lungs of your baby are ready to breathe all by themselves during this stage. You can give birth to your baby any time now. Maximum deliveries take place in the 36th or 37th week of pregnancy. The onset of labor is usually marked by water breaking, increased contractions, and dilation of the cervix.

An expectant mother should refer to a pregnancy calendar in order to track her baby’s growth in the womb. Kid Spot is a comprehensive online resource on pregnancy, childbirth and parenting. Use our pregnancy calendar to connect to your baby before he/she is born.

Article Source: http://www.articlesbase.com/pregnancy-articles/gauge-your-babys-growth-with-a-monthly-pregnancy-calendar-895619.html

About the Author:
Tom Smith provides great advice and tips for pregnant women. Working with Kid Spot, a leading pregnancy portal, he can create a custom pregnancy calendar that will help an expectant mother keep a tab on her fetal growth. To know more, please visit www.kidspot.com.au.

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