Pregnancy & What to Expect

Early pregnancy symptoms can be difficult to separate from common premenstrual ailments. This can certainly cause anxiety and worry in a new mother-to-be. Pains similar to menstrual cramps are...

The sciatic is the largest single nerve connecting the lower spine to the feet. During the third trimester of pregnancy, sciatic pain is one of the most common complaints.

There is no magical time that fits every family's needs regarding when to purchase the nursery furniture. However, there are general questions to ponder and guidelines to follow. You also need to...

Sleeping can be difficult when one is pregnant, especially in the later stages of the pregnancy. Many things can disrupt a woman's sleep, from the size of the baby as it grows, making it hard to...

The date of conception is the day that the sperm fertilizes the ovum and pregnancy begins. In a normal cycle, this occurs two weeks after the first day of the last menstrual period.

Sometime during the third trimester, a pregnant women might be asked to do kick counts. These counts help a mother report on the activity level of the unborn baby. If the baby is especially...

Congratulations! You're having a baby! Now let's figure out when that bundle of joy will enter the world. Please note that this calculation is for women who have a regular 28-day cycle. Please...

Both men and women suffer from issues of infertility. Physicians at the Georgia Reproductive Specialist clinic estimate that nearly 90 percent of infertility cases are overcome through treatments,...

Vaginal bleeding in early pregnancy can be confused with having a monthly period while pregnant. Due to the lack of ovulation during pregnancy, a period is not possible in a healthy pregnancy. If...

Determining the sex of a baby in a pregnant woman can be easily done by a doctor or sonogram technician. In addition, if you have some prenatal testing done, such as amniocentesis, the baby's DNA...

Women often become extremely anxious when wondering if they may be pregnant or not. When it’s too early to take a test, women can still look out for certain signs of pregnancy. These symptoms of...

Superovulation is a technique used by reproductive specialists to selectively increase a woman's chances of becoming pregnant. The doctor administers medication that causes an increased number of...

The shifting hormone levels you experience during early pregnancy can cause problems such as morning sickness, headaches and breast tenderness. However, they also play an essential--and often...

The federal government provides grant funding to state and local governmental units to assist pregnant women with housing, free prenatal and post-natal care, free nutrition and child care...

At one point in your pregnancy or you may have heard in other peoples' pregnancies, people will make remarks about a person carrying high or low. These remarks are often made in attempts to...

Not all women know the first day of their last menstrual cycle when they find out they are pregnant. With the advents that have been made in today's technology, there are multiple ways for an...

Early sonograms will confirm pregnancy, find potential problems and help determine a due date. When exactly you receive your first sonogram varies; it can depend on how early you first visit your...

Human chorionic gonadotropin is a hormone that is manufactured by an embryo and then placenta during pregnancy. A quantitative hCG test is a blood test that determines the amount of the hormone in...

After 31 weeks of pregnancy, a woman is in her third trimester and only nine weeks away from delivery. At this point, the baby's growth has slowed down, but brain development is increasing...

Implantation occurs when a fertilized egg travels to a woman's uterus and implants in the uterine lining. Since bleeding often accompanies implantation, being familiar with implantation bleeding...

There are many stages in the growth of a fetus. These stages range from cell division to formation of specialized organs and nerves to general weight and length increases. Each stage of...

Finding out you're pregnant is a joyous occasion in most women's lives. Many new mothers may be anxious about what to expect during their pregnancy. The first signs and symptoms of a pregnancy can...

At 33 weeks pregnant, you're probably uncomfortable and getting impatient for the big day. You may be ready for your baby, but she is not quite ready to face the world yet.

Sleeping at night while pregnant is no easy task! Your nose may be stuffy, you're uncomfortably big, your legs may be twitchy, and the baby is taking up so much space, it's hard to breathe. Since...

Sonograms, or ultrasounds, bounce sound waves off organs to create a picture. During a pregnancy, a woman typically has two sonograms, but may have more if she or the doctor feels it's necessary.

There are several early signs that indicate pregnancy. Because no two women are the same, the intensity of these symptoms will vary from one individual to another. Some woman will show no signs,...

If you want to be sure of having you need while at the hospital delivering your baby, plan and pack your hospital bag a few weeks in advance. This way you are ready to go immediately, when the...

There are many common early signs of pregnancy but not every pregnant woman will experience them all. A lack of all or any of the following signs, does not necessarily mean that you are not...

During your monthly cycle, there is a short amount of time during which you are ovulating. It is during this time, which is 12 to 24 hours long, that you can become pregnant. You usually ovulate...

There is no way to know for certain if you are pregnant without a positive pregnancy test; however, there are a few common signs that can signal an impending arrival.

The journey from individual cell to an individual is a fascinating one. A normal pregnancy lasts for 39 to 40 weeks. The stages of development are fertilized egg, blastocyst, embryo and finally a...

Changes in your breasts are common throughout pregnancy, including breast growth. Being familiar with the facts behind pregnancy and breast growth will help you know what to expect and how to deal...

The day you were born is your date of birth. This date is one of the most important strings of numbers you will memorize in your lifetime. It will be put on your birth certificate, death...

The human fetus is defined as the unborn human during the fetal stage of development. This stage begins 9 weeks after fertilization and ends with birth. The fetus develops organs and grows to 425...

Spotting the early signs of labor can be challenging especially if this is your first pregnancy. With so many changes going on with your body you may not know what to look for. If you think you...

The end of pregnancy drags on and on. Every day can feel like a month when you are waiting for your baby's arrival. Many women have concerns about being overdue or even going to 40 weeks of...

Home pregnancy tests work by determining pregnancy through the detection of the human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) hormone. Despite the fact that most home pregnancy tests claim to have high...

When you first become pregnant, fatigue, tender breasts and upset stomach are typical symptoms. It is usually common in the first trimester for women to experience morning sickness and the nausea...

You may believe you are having a period when you become pregnant--except it's not really a period; it simply resembles one. So if you have what seems to be two periods in short succession or one...

Calculating the conception date of your baby is simple, but not always exact. Monthly cycles and ovulation dates vary among women, and you may not ovulate on the same day each month. If you follow...

At five weeks of pregnancy, your unborn baby's heart has already developed to the point that it can beat and pump blood. At this early point in gestation, you could be experiencing a range of...

Hemorrhoids are blood vessels that have become enlarged and swollen around the anus or lower rectum. It is common for pregnant women to suffer from them. They can range in size and are typically...

One of the most common signs that you're pregnant is a missed menstrual period. Although you may be familiar with this sign of pregnancy, many women don't understand exactly why the menstrual...

Being pregnant is one of life’s great joys. There is so much to look forward to and so much to do. Unfortunately, many common symptoms of pregnancy are either uncomfortable, embarrassing or both....

Most women have a menstrual cycle each month. A menstrual cycle is a period of time where your body prepares an egg to for potential fertilization and then discards if the egg has not been...

While varicose veins are usually not painful, they can cause you to feel embarrassed showing off your legs. Varicose veins are swollen veins that bulge up, being either blue or purple in color,...

During your pregnancy it is natural to feel stressed, but you need to learn to manage it. Stress is not good for mother or baby, so try these tricks to help de-stress yourself anytime you need to.

Fetus is a term used to describe a baby before he or she is born. The term is applied to a human embryo that has reached the eleventh week of gestation. The term newborn is generally used to...

Studies done on pregnant women taking over-the-counter and prescription medications are limited. Doctors, scientists and mothers alike fear the effect that studies may have on the unborn, so it...

Once your pregnancy closes in on your due date, whether or not your water had broken becomes a big question. This article will help you understand what it means when your water breaks, and how to...