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Timeline of a typical pregnancy and some terms
regnancy is typically broken into three periods, or trimesters, each of about three months. While there are no hard and fast rules, these distinctions are useful in describing the changes that take place over time. First trimester Implantation In medicine, pregnancy is defined as beginning when the developing embryo becomes implanted into the endometrial lining of a woman's uterus. In some cases where complications may have arisen, the fertilized egg might implant itself in the fallopian tubes or the cervix, causing an ectopic pregnancy. Most pregnant women do not have any specific signs or symptoms of implantation, although it is not uncommon to experience light bleeding at implantation. Some women will also experience cramping during their first trimester. This is usually of no concern unless there is spotting or bleeding as well. The outer layers of the embryo grow and form a placenta, for the purpose of receiving essential nutrients through the uterus wall. The umbilical cord in a newborn child consists of the remnants of the connection to the placenta. The developing embryo undergoes tremendous growth and changes during the process of embryonic and fetal development. Morning sickness afflicts about seventy percent of all pregnant women, typically only in the first trimester. Second trimester Months 4 through 6 of the pregnancy are called the second trimester. Most women feel more energised in this period, and begin to put on weight. The first movement of the fetus, often referred to as "quickening", can be felt, as it begins to form into a recognizable shape. This typically happens by the fourth month. The reproductive organs can be recognized, and can distingush the fetus as male or female. Third trimester Final weight gain takes place, and the fetus begins to move regularly. The mother's belly button may "pop" out due to her growing belly. This period of her pregnancy can be uncomfortable, causing symptoms like weak bladder control and back-ache. Medical aspects of pregnancy Diagnostic criteria are: In a woman who has regular menstrual cycles and is sexually active, a period delayed by a few days or weeks is suggestive of pregnancy; elevated B-hcG to around 100,000 mIU/mL by 10 weeks of gestation. Birth Childbirth is the process in which the baby is born. It is considered by many to be the beginning of a person's life, where age is defined relative to this event in most cultures. A woman is considered to be in labour when she begins experiencing regular painful uterine contractions, accompanied by changes of her cervix - primarily effacement and dilation. While childbirth is widely experienced as painful, some women do report painless labours. Most women are capable of having a normal birth. However, sometimes complications arise and a woman may need to undergo a caesarean section. Terms and definitions Technical
Colloquial There are a number of colloquialisms for pregnancy, usually regional. One way of referring to the action of impregnating a woman, used mainly in Canada and some regions of the United States, is "knocking (her) up." The phrase "knocked up" is also a regional euphemism for "pregnant." The words "gone" or "along" may be used to represent gestational time, e.g. "she's really far gone," or "six months along." In the southern U.S., the metaphor of a water well is occasionally used to represent pregnancy (e.g. "drink out of the well," or to become pregnant), and a baby almost ready to be delivered is "on his/her road." Eastern Seaboard slang describes the woman as being "in a fix" or, occasionally, "preggers"; the Southern U.S. equivalent is "in the family way." An alternate term, not slang or colloquial (but slightly archaic) is "with child." "Having a bun in the oven" is another colloquial phrase sometimes used to indicate that a woman is pregnant. In Australia, especially when the pregnancy is unplanned, the woman is said to be "up the duff." Pregnant can also mean "having many possibilities or implications." The most common reference to pregnancy is "expecting", an obvious term of a woman is expecting a baby/child. Other colloquialisms related to pregnancy are to "drop", "pop", "blow" and "burst" not meant as literally (e.g. "she is about to burst"). Colloquialisms and comparisons of pregnancy exist universally. In France and throughout Europe, the word "she's full" means her body, the womb, is "full" with a baby inside. In Korea, China, and Vietnam, the culture measures age starting from conception to the 10th month, thus a newborn baby is "a year old". It's not to debate if it's a living or unborn, but it was present inside the mother before it arrived. In Mexico and central America, the ancient Mayan calendar of 276 days was said to have originated from the human gestational cycle, or to indicate the world was created as slowly as a baby develops.
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