Pregnancy is calculated from the first day of your Last Menstrual Periodic (LMP) cycle. Your 1st and 2nd week of pregnancy in fact consist of the time of your last menstrual period, ovulation and fertilization but the actual conception takes place roughly at about the 3rd week.
The due date for the delivery is generally computed on the 28 days cyclic period. An ultrasound is the most viable source to know the date of your last menstrual period, which in turn helps you in estimating your due date for the delivery too.
Hence, for the calculations it has been determined that pregnancy basically lasts about 40 weeks which includes the first day of your last period. The weeks during your pregnancy are generally categorized into 3 trimesters. The trimesters are grouped as follows:
I Trimester: 1st week till the end of 12th week
II Trimester: 13th week till the end of 26th week
III Trimester: 27th week till the end of 40th week
I TRIMESTER (1st Week – 12th Week)
All through the 1st trimester the body experiences several changes. The most important being the hormones, which cause an effect on the whole body. These changes not only affect your hormones but also have a few symptoms which are listed as follows:
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Food cravings or sudden dislike for food you might have liked before
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Frequent need to pass urine
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Burning Sensation in the chest
Many women may have to change their daily time-table such as going to sleep early during nights or eating small courses of snack or recurrent eating. However, as your pregnancy develops further, most of these symptoms fade away. And some women even don't get to face any pregnancy symptom at all, but it's nothing to worry about.
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II TRIMESTER (13th Week – 26th Week)
Many women feel much relaxed during their 2nd trimester when compared to the 1st trimester. There are a few visible changes happening to the body now since the baby is growing, the abdomen tends to increase in size. During the last few weeks of the 2nd trimester you will feel your baby’s movements too. The most likely to occur symptoms include extreme tiredness, morning sickness and the others are as follows:
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Numb feeling in your hands
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Stretch marks over your breasts, thighs and abdomen area
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Severe pain in your back, thighs, abdomen and groin area
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A stripe running through your belly button and lower abdomen area
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Itchiness in your palms, soles of your feet and abdomen
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Swelling of your face, feet and fingers
III TRIMESTER (27th Week – 40th Week)
During the 3rd trimester, you will start having some breathing issues since most of your body parts are expanding. The frequency of urinating also increases during this period. Only some of the symptoms of your 2nd trimester will follow during this period. The other symptoms include:
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Burning Sensation in the chest
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Swollen feet, fingers and face
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Discomfort in your breasts
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Kicking or movement of your baby
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Sticking out of your navel
To conclude, utmost care has to be taken during the 2nd and 3rd trimester. Do take frequent breaks and make sure not to keep your stomach empty during pregnancy, because when you starve, your baby starves along with you. Increase your intake of water and fresh fruit juice while trim down your caffeine intake. Take in a lot of fresh and leafy vegetables during your pregnancy period.