Weekly Pregnancy Calendar

What is a Pregnancy Calendar?

Once you become pregnant, your doctor may give you a weekly pregnancy calendar to bring home with you from your initial prenatal visit. These calendars are a great tool for all mothers, whether it is your first child or not. They are a good way to read each week about what changes both you and your developing fetus are going through on the seemingly long road to delivery.

Especially for first time mothers, this can be a bit of an intimidating time in their lives. You are unsure of what lies ahead, and you want to be sure to do everything in your power to help your baby grow properly while taking care of yourself at the same time. A weekly pregnancy calendar is wonderful for getting some quick advice or information when your physician is not readily available to you for the answers.

The pregnancy calendar is generally a forty-two week guide to all of the developmental changes during pregnancy. A lot of the calendars that are available also address certain issues that may be of concern to the mother. Such issues are often dealing with unfamiliar emotions related to the pregnancy or underlying fears she may have regarding how things will be once the baby arrives.

Another great thing about these pregnancy calendars is that they often show diagrams throughout the months that show the size and position of the growing baby within the womb. This can be a wonderful form of connecting for the mother who is longing for her baby to arrive. Seeing the approximate size of the baby during a certain week and trimester can be a fun way to reassure the mother of things to come.

Have fun, take care of yourself and be safe during your pregnancy. If you are lucky enough to obtain a weekly pregnancy calendar, be sure to refer to it often as it can be a great helper during these long nine months leading to delivery.

Weekly Changes to Your Body

When a woman is pregnant, her body seems to undergo changes on a regular, and often seemingly weekly basis. From the minute the female body starts the journey through pregnancy, it is going through all the necessary preparations, or "construction" if you will, to shelter and nurture the growing fetus inside.

Most physicians will tell you that the first few months are absolutely crucial to the development of the unborn child. The changes a woman and her body go through during this time period are absolutely amazing. Her progesterone levels increase right in the beginning, which aids the uterus in building its supply of the necessary components to carry the fetus.

During the first couple of weeks, a woman may not even know that she is pregnant, her baby is already on a rapid growth schedule. The fertilized egg is undergoing many changes itself which is the foundation for the skeleton, organs, blood system and most of its muscles.

Early on in pregnancy, most women will notice a change in their breasts such as becoming more tender. Becoming more and more tired than usual is another side effect noticed by many pregnant women. And then, in most women, nausea and vomiting can begin. Oh the fun of morning sickness!

As your baby grows inside of you, noticing that your waist has gotten a bit thicker is very common. Some women can start to feel dizzy or faint if they stand up for too long or try to stand up too quickly. Another interesting change your body may go through is your heightened sense of smell. Unfortunately, due to this increase in senses, nausea is more frequently triggered.

No matter what changes a woman notices in her body, all of them will pass. During each week of your pregnancy you are just another step closer to meeting that little person that has been growing and thriving inside of you!