Ova are produced in a female during the pregnancy of their mother. By the seventh month all of the 400,000 ova are developing. ‘Ovulation’ refers to the release of an ovum from the ovary and this begins to occur after puberty as each ova becomes fully developed. This happens once a month, usually in the middle of a woman’s menstrual cycle. If the ovum is not fertilised, it dies and is expelled along with the lining of the uterus, which forms a period. Approximately one thousand sperm are formed per second in the testicles, this is a continuous process. Each sperm will be fully mature in two months. The sperm will travel 40cm through the sex ducts to reach the ovum (a lot further than the 2.5cm the ovum travels to the site of fertilisation).

When the ovum is fertilised by the sperm it becomes an embryo. This process takes 24 hours and occurs two thirds of the way along the fallopian tube and it then takes approximately six to seven days to travel to reach the uterus. Throughout this time, development is occurring and the cells are dividing. This is the beginning of the miracle of life.

From now on, pregnancy is split into 3 sections called trimesters.

 The change in the size of the uterus throughout pregnancy:

Pregnancy Trimesters- First Trimester (weeks 1-12)

During the first trimester, it is common to suffer from morning sickness and fatigue. At around 12 weeks, the mother will have an ultrasound scan to check the growth and give an estimated due date based on size. KalmaMamas classes can begin after this.

Second Trimester (weeks 13-28)

In the second trimester, a lot of mothers gain some energy back and the sickness subsides. However, as the baby gets bigger they may start to experience issues such as shortness of breath or frequent urination as the baby takes up more room and the bladder, bowels and lungs are displaced. This also when they will feel their babies first movements. This can be right at the end of the second trimester for first time mums and for second time mums it can be right at the beginning. This is usually when mothers start to ‘feel pregnant’ and it feels more real. They’ll also be offered a second ultrasound at 20 weeks to check for any abnormalities and they can find out the sex if they want to (this can be found out as early as around 16 weeks in a private scan).

12 week ultrasound     

  20 week ultrasound

Third Trimester (weeks 29-40)

The third trimester is the final stage of pregnancy. The problems experienced are similar to those in the second trimester, but they may be increased in severity as the abdomen grows further. For example, urination can become even more frequent, breathing becomes shorter still, heartburn can continue and get worse. These are due to the internal organs shifting and becoming more squashed as the baby grows. These will all cease after birth. Also due to this some mothers may also experience swelling, if this is severe medical attention should be sought as this could be a sign of pre-eclampsia (raised blood pressure in pregnancy, also called toxaemia). The breasts swell in anticipation of breastfeeding and may be tender. The movements and kicks of the baby can also seem to be lessened due to them having less room. This is normal, but as with any changes in movement, if the mother is concerned at all she should report it and get checked.

During this final stage of pregnancy, the body is flooded with relaxin. This is a hormone that prepares the body for childbirth, allowing the pelvic girdle to move and birth canal to stretch for the baby to pass through. Because of the high levels of relaxin it is very important to remind the mothers not to overstretch as they will be more prone to injury and it is much easier to overstretch without realising.