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Being pregnant
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True or false? People who are pregnant should avoid exercise.
Esther and her partner Joseph really want to have a baby. They have been trying for a while. This morning, Esther wakes up and smells scrambled eggs — Joseph’s cooking her favourite! But today, the egg smell makes her feel awful. She runs to the bathroom, she feels like she’s going to throw up.
After that Esther feels fine for a couple of days, so she thinks it was just a stomach bug. But then she feels sick again, and other things start happening — she’s unusually tired and her skin starts breaking out. She doesn’t fancy her favourite foods anymore, she craves other food instead. Then her period doesn’t start when it’s supposed to. So Esther decides to take a pregnancy test.
Joseph, look, we are going to be parents! Pregnancy is a different experience for everyone. As the body goes through major changes, some people experience many different symptoms, others hardly any at all. Let’s follow Esther’s pregnancy. We’ll rewind slightly, to the very beginning.
Like every month, Esther’s uterus prepares for the potential arrival of a fertilised egg. The lining of the uterus thickens and the supply of blood to the uterus increases. This month, this preparation is not in vain! When Esther and Joseph have unprotected sex, his sperm fertilises the egg. It takes about 6 to 12 days for the fertilised egg to arrive in the uterus, and get implanted into the lining.
At this point it is considered an embryo. Esther’s pregnancy has officially started, and she experiences some early symptoms. This is because her body is now flooded with high levels of hormones, mainly oestrogen and progesterone. These hormones improve blood flow and nutrient transfer to the uterus. After the first three months, the first trimester, Esther starts feeling more like her old self.
The morning sickness has stopped, and she even likes scrambled eggs again! Up to now, the embryo was nourished and supported by a tiny yolk sac. Now that the embryo is around 9 weeks into its development, it is called a fetus. From now on, the fetus gets its nutrients from a brand new organ, which has developed in the uterus over the last 12 weeks — the placenta. The placenta will bring nutrients and oxygen to the fetus and carry away carbon dioxide.
Esther is now five months pregnant, more than half way through the pregnancy! Her bump is showing, her breasts are growing as the mammary glands prepare to start producing milk. At the end of the second trimester, Esther can feel the baby moving. Esther's starting to have some problems concentrating and remembering things, mostly because of hormones. Esther keeps herself and the baby healthy by gentle exercising and eating a balanced diet.
She starts preparing their home for the baby’s arrival. Esther is now in her last trimester. The uterus is now so big, it presses on Esther’s other organs. It makes her feel uncomfortable. She sometimes gets out of breath and has acid reflux.
She also notices a slight discharge from her breasts. This is colostrum that will nourish her baby in their first hours and days after birth. Near the end of the ninth month of pregnancy, Esther’s cervix softens and moves slightly forward, so that way the baby will have an easier way out. At 41 weeks of pregnancy, Esther goes into labour. Hours later, baby Jenny is born.