Page 6 - Baby Planner 2016

KEEP AWAY FROM ALCOHOL
An occasional drink may not have a major effect on fertility, but research has shown that alcohol impairs fertility and harms the developing fetus.
INCREASE FREQUENCY
Have frequent sex to increase your chances of conception. Most infertility experts believe that having sex only at the best time of the cycle is one of the most common causes of infertility.
GET TO KNOW YOUR OVULATION CYCLE
Timing sex during ovulation is a sure-fire way to increase your chances of getting pregnant. If you have a regular 28-day menstrual cycle, ovulation is most likely to occur midcycle, around day 14.
How do you know you’re ovulating? Some of the clear indications include:
• Your cervical mucus becomes clear and slippery as your ovulation date approaches. • There is a slight rise in your body temperature
after you have ovulated.
SIGNS OF PREGNANCY
One of the early positive signs of pregnancy is missing your period, but that may differ from person to person. Here are more symptoms that could confirm your pregnancy:
• Food aversions
• Frequent urination
• Mood swings
• Fatigue
• High basal body temperature • Tender, swollen breasts
• Darkened areola
• Food cravings
• Morning sickness
• Positive home pregnancy test
STAGES OF PREGNANCY
The nine-month pregnancy span is divided into three periods known as trimesters. During each of these time periods, there are significant developments specific to each trimester.
FIRST TRIMESTER
The baby grows quickly during this period. From being a tiny embryo, the fetus grows to the size of a kidney bean. The fetus is continuously moving, with the heart beating quickly and intestines forming. The earlobes, eyelids, mouth and nose are also taking shape.
SECOND TRIMESTER
In the beginning of the second trimester, your baby is about 4 1/2 inches long from head to toe and weighs about 45 grams. The baby’s fingerprints are now in place. As the weeks go by, the skeleton starts to mature, and the baby develops the ability to hear. You’re likely to feel the “butterfly kicks” as a fluttering sensation beginning from weeks 18 to 22.
THIRD TRIMESTER
In this final trimester, your baby gains more weight. He can blink his eyes, and wrinkled skin smooths out. He also begins to grow fingernails, toenails and hair. At full term, the average baby is more than 19 inches long and weighs nearly 7 pounds.
6 • Arkansas Democrat-Gazette