Maternity

The first day of your pregnancy is also the first day of your last menstrual period. Your pregnancy journey begins when an egg is released from one of your ovaries and moves into the fallopian tube. Several million sperm attempt the journey to reach the egg, but only one will succeed, releasing enzymes so it can burrow a hole in your egg’s outer cells. The sperm wriggles through the gap, and your egg immediately closes its outer membrane to lock out other sperm that have made it this far. Then conception occurs.

Within about 24 hours, the two gene bundles combine to create the beginnings of your unique human being. If the sperm has a Y chromosome, your baby will be a boy. If the sperm has an X chromosome, you’ll be expecting a girl. Your fertilised egg, or zygote as it’s now called, travels from your fallopian tube to implant into the lining of your uterus. A human pregnancy is variable in length but commonly lasts for 40 weeks. I am constantly amazed by the brilliance of the human body.

First Trimester

During the first trimester, a woman’s body goes through many changes. The body releases hormones that affect almost every single organ in the body. The first sign you may be pregnant is missing a period. As your body changes, you might need to make changes to your daily routine, such as going to bed earlier or eating frequent, small meals. If you have been pregnant before, you might feel differently this time around. Just as each woman is different, so is each pregnancy.

The first trimester is characterised by huge hormonal changes, implantation into the uterine wall and rapid development of the foetus. The foetus begins to develop a brain and spinal cord, and the organs begin to form. The baby’s heart will also begin to beat during the first trimester. Arms and legs begin to bud in the first few weeks, and by the end of eight weeks, fingers and toes start to form. By the end of the first trimester, the baby’s sex organs have formed and the baby is now about 3 inches long and weighs almost 1 ounce. How amazing are we…??

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See you soon,
Sally