What is pregnancy?
‘Pregnancy – the nine months or so for which a woman carries a developing embryo (early stage) and fetus (after the 7th week) in her womb – is for most women a time of great happiness and fulfilment’, says WHO. This is the period when your baby is being knit together in the mother’s womb. Pregnancy is, normally, the process of child-bearing from the day of conception until the child is no longer inside the mother.
The process of development of body parts including the brain is more or less complete, except the size, in the second trimester (fourth month) of pregnancy. However, the baby is fully formed and is ready to be born only at the end of the third trimester (after nine months). We shall discuss pregnancy under the following heads:
1. Pregnancy is not a disease
What is growing inside you, is your own baby. It is like a fruit growing on a tree. It will not hurt the tree. When God made humans on earth He blessed them and told them to be fruitful.
2. Pregnancy does not require complete rest in bed
The baby can develop normally inside your womb when you go about your usual physical activities. Such activities will hurt neither you nor the baby if you are a healthy person. Instead, normal exercise during pregnancy keeps you fit. Normal exercise would also would help in resisting gestational diabetes and increase your chance of having normal delivery.
The only precaution to be taken is that you should avoid certain stressful activities until the first trimester and again in the advanced stages. Visit the following excellent sites for more information on physical exercise during pregnancy:
- Patient – Pregnancy and physical activity
- Kidspot – Physical activity during pregnancy
- CDC – Healthy pregnant or postpartum women
Click our page on Childbirth to continue reading.
Have you any questions?
Click here > Questions/Comments or Confidential
© All rights reserved