Pregnancy and Tips for Health Care

INTRODUCTION

Congratulations! The miracle of life is taking place right inside your body. Enjoy these months and take care of yourself. While every pregnancy is different, the issues covered here will more than likely be important to you at some point in your forty-week term.

FIRST TRIMESTER

In the first trimester of pregnancy you will probably be exhausted. Your body is preparing for a life to implant itself in you for forty weeks and grow until there isn’t any more room to fit.

You should expect to experience mood swings, breast changes or discomfort, a need to urinate more frequently, possible dizziness, and nausea.

During this time you should have an extensive medical checkup which will confirm your estimated due date.

In utero, the egg is fertilized, causing a missed period. By week five your embryo has a beating heart, with brain and nervous system formations. By week ten the embryo begins to develop strong bones, organs start to move into place, and muscles form. By week fourteen sex organs have formed, vocal cords are complete, and the digestive system is almost fully formed.

Choosing a Doctor

If you haven’t already, now is the time to choose your doctor. Before scouting begins, it's best to call your insurance provider for a listing of doctors that participate in your plan. Depending on your insurance provider, that list might be very small, leaving you with little choice on who will be delivering your new child.

Some questions you should consider include:

Do you want your health-care needs placed in the hands of an obstetrician/gynecologist (ob/gyn), a midwife, or a family practitioner?