You want to get pregnant and know everything about methods such as the temperature method or the ovulation test, how fertile you are and how long it can take? Or you are pregnant and feel insecure or want to know more. Things like ligament pain, blood loss or cramps during pregnancy. And then there’s the birth and what awaits you. What medical aids are available during childbirth?
Become pregnant
You don’t just get pregnant overnight. This sometimes takes time. About half of couples become pregnant within three months. Almost 85 percent are pregnant after 1 year of trying. To make it easier, you can use the temperature method. With this method you measure your body temperature every morning, before getting up and at the same time. When it has risen 0.3 degrees or more for three days in a row, you have ovulated. This gives you insight into the period in which you ovulate.Another method is to use test sticks: the ovulation test. This measures the LH hormone in the urine, this hormone is most present just before ovulation. The tests are available at the drugstore or online. They generally give a good idea of your fertile days. The disadvantage of this is that the costs can increase considerably if it is not easy to become pregnant. You can order ovulation tests on the 123ovulationtest or sensitest website, but there are also other websites that offer these.
Pregnant from month to month
The first three months of pregnancy are the most important: during these months the production takes place. Cells divide very quickly and soon the heart beats for the first time. Eyes, ears, hands and feet, everything is carefully constructed. It is therefore important that you pay close attention to your diet in the first trimester. Avoid harmful substances such as drugs, tobacco and alcohol.In the second trimester the organs are further developed. If the baby is born now, the chances of it surviving are very small. The baby is not yet sufficiently developed and the lungs are not yet mature. The baby also has no body fat. Yet, by the end of the second trimester of pregnancy, the baby is already completely ready. You often feel the baby moving in the belly from the second trimester onwards. At first the woman feels it first, only later when the movements become stronger can you also feel the baby kicking from outside.The last trimester, from six to nine months, is a matter of growing: the baby gains more body fat and all organs are fully completed. The baby practices swallowing and grasping. The baby can be born safely from seven months of pregnancy, but it is better that the baby remains with the mother for nine months.
Complaints during pregnancy
The most common complaints during pregnancy are nausea and ligament pain. Nausea mainly occurs in the first three months, but can also persist throughout the pregnancy. If it gets so bad that you lose weight, see your doctor or midwife. It often helps to eat something small before you get up in the morning.Ligament pain is caused by the growth of the uterus. The uterus hangs, as it were, in the abdominal cavity by a number of straps. These stretch due to growth . You can feel this, especially when you move suddenly. Ligament pain is something that is part of pregnancy, you cannot prevent it. Take it easy and do not make sudden movements if you suffer from a lot of ligament pain.Bleeding during pregnancy can scare you. Firstly, there is implantation bleeding: a small bleeding on the day that the fertilized egg implants in the uterine wall. Bleeding can also occur after pressure, for example coughing. The cervix and wall are very sensitive and can bleed easily during pregnancy. A miscarriage often presents itself with severe cramps and bleeding that continues.
Birth
Childbirth can start with losing the mucus plug, a plug of mucus that sometimes contains some blood. Some women lose this a few days before giving birth, but some don’t notice it at all. You often have practice contractions several days to weeks before the birth: this is the hardening of the abdomen. (hard bellies) Real contractions continue and increase in intensity, they also occur regularly. Sometimes, especially in a first pregnancy, it is difficult to notice the difference between practice contractions and real contractions. However, over time you will notice the difference. A practice contraction always decreases and does not continue. Still, practice contractions can plague you all night long. When labor starts, the contractions continue well and keep coming back. The birth itself takes an average of ten hours, but there are also women who are ready in two hours or take 24 hours. If the midwife believes that the birth is taking too long and is becoming too tiring for the woman, or too risky for the baby, intervention is carried out.Aids are the forceps or the suction cup. If one of these two is used, you will continue to see this in the baby for the first time. With forceps you can see an imprint on both sides of the head, with the suction cup the head is often point-shaped. This will correct itself after a few days. Furthermore, the female can be cut back if there is not enough space. Cutting takes place at the highest point of a contraction. This way the woman doesn’t actually feel anything at all. Cutting is done when the delivery needs to go faster or when there is a risk of tearing. The advantage of cutting over tearing is that it is easier to stitch when cutting. When tearing, it quickly creates a messy mess. However, it is possible that the obstetrician did not see the tear coming and so it still happens. In general, it is all easy to suture, although more often than not, some scar tissue may remain behind, which can also be sensitive. Only when there is a real emergency will a caesarean section be performed. Often a birth by caesarean section has already been determined in advance. A caesarean section is a surgical procedure in which the abdominal wall and the uterine wall are cut open. This is done under local anesthesia, using an epidural injection.
read more
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- Getting pregnant: when it doesn’t work out