What are the stages of pregnancy?

What are the stages of pregnancy?

The first trimester of pregnancy

Once you've taken the test and announced it to your partner, you start to feel the characteristic symptoms: nausea, sore breasts... These are pregnancy hormones kicking in. Your vaginal secretions are undoubtedly more important: they help protect your vagina from infection. You may also experience some minor bleeding, as the uterine lining prepares its cozy nest to welcome your baby. As for appointments, you'll have your first dating ultrasound, to determine your due date, and a few blood tests, notably for toxoplasmosis. 

2nd quarter

Your belly is getting rounder. This is the trimester when you're often the most fulfilled! You feel your baby's movements, but you're still free to move. You should have renewed energy, so take advantage of this time to travel and prepare the baby's room. The morphological ultrasound will tell you the sex of your child, if you want to know! Watch out for stretch marks, which may already be showing. The skin on your belly is becoming tauter, and may even be itchy: it's time to moisturize and apply cream! You may even start to feel false contractions: this is the uterus training.

3rd quarter

The time when you sleep the least! With your due date drawing nearer and your baby moving around more and more, and not just in the middle of the day, you may be experiencing a few bouts of insomnia. Your pretty, rounded belly is probably making it difficult for you to find the right sleeping position. Your skin and back may be tugging. It's also the start of maternity leave. Take advantage of this time to ease off and get some rest - you won't have as many hours of sleep afterwards! The mucous plug that used to seal the entrance to the cervix may have appeared, all at once or several times, or maybe not at all! The signs of labor are imminent: repeated contractions every 10 minutes or the breaking of water signal the start of labor. It's time to go to the maternity ward!

Postpartum

You've given birth and your body is slowly recovering from the effort. Things s may not have gone as planned, and with the drop in hormones, you may experience a few crying spells and a temporary state of depression. This is perfectly normal! Your post-delivery bleeding will be abundant for a few weeks, until everything returns to normal and your return from childbirth (your first periods) makes its appearance: this will be the resumption of your usual cycle.

Elia supports you throughout your pregnancy and into the post-partum period. Take a look here to discover our menstrual briefs and find out more about the solutions we offer young and expectant mothers.

And if you'd like to know more about the stages of postpartum and the return from childbirth, take a look at our dedicated blog post.

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The information contained in the articles on www-elia-lingerie.com is general information only. Although reviewed by health professionals, this information is not error-free, does not constitute health advice or consultation, and is not intended to provide a diagnosis or suggest a course of treatment. Under no circumstances may this information be used as a substitute for medical advice or consultation with a healthcare professional. If you have any questions, please consult your doctor.