A couple friends/family members have asked me
when the main 'milestones' are in terms of pregnancy... like
when would we know that everything's ok.
And generally, you can't be sure at anytime really, until the baby is born and you can see him/her, and the docs can check things, but I thought some of this info might be helpful. May be boring.
Those who know me (will laugh and) know that even though I'm a detailed person and have sat through many fertility appointments, when it comes to regurgitating certain info, like medical things, I pretty much zone out, so this is probably filled with incorrect terminology and slightly watered down science.
week 1
From week 1-8, they call baby 'an embryo'.
As a general rule of thumb, you start counting 'weeks of pregnancy' when your last period starts. (I know, I've always found that interesting cos' that is before sperm-meets-egg, but it is actually neat to think the whole process starts with the follicle/egg growing!)
week 2
End of this week is roughly when most ovulate (but it varies).
I don't take for granted that many of us struggle to even make it to week 2. IF-ers pray for good follicles here and may get an extra 'trigger' boost to make ovulation happen.
Yes let's just spell it out, this is when you want to be having sexual intercourse if you are trying to have a baby.
week 4
This is when your period may be due, and about the earliest anyone realises they are pregnant. IF-ers on fertility treatment often do a blood test here to find out after the dreadful two-week-wait.
week 6
IF-ers (and sometimes those who have suffered a miscarriage in the past) often have an ultrasound scan here to try to detect a yolk sac and heartbeat- heartbeat may not be detectable yet here. Some also scan around here for 'dating' if you don't ovulate regularly.
week 8
From about here or 9 weeks on, they call baby 'a foetus'.
RPL (recurrent pregnancy loss) types may have another scan here to check on the baby. They may also be having regular blood tests every week since finding out, to track pregnancy hormone levels are rising like normally should...
I'm not huge on relying on stats, but overall, if a heartbeat is detected here, they say it is a 97% chance that you will carry to term.
week 12
This is the end of the first trimester. Losses that take place in the first trimester are called 'early miscarriages'.
(Again, stats don't mean a lot to me personally, but they can be helpful...) If you make it here with good bloods and good scans, they say the risk if miscarriage it no more than 1%.
For those on the more normal end, this is when you have your first scan. (You may also have the 'nuchal' option to the scan which is when they check on the probablility of your child having Down Syndrome.)
That's why, for many, they announce their pregnancy to the wider public around 12-14 weeks.
week 20
Those under specialists may have been doing scans more often, but overall, you have your 'anatomy' scan around here, when they check on the baby's organs and how they are functioning, etc.
Many also find out the sex of the baby here. Or not.
(We are hoping to!)
Losing a baby after the first trimester and before 20-ish weeks is sometimes termed a 'late miscarriage'. (Note: light bleeding in the second and third trimester is often caused by other things, not necessarily because baby is in trouble. )
If the baby dies after 20 weeks (some sources may vary), this is called a 'preterm birth' or a 'stillbirth'.
week 24-25ish
This is the third trimester.
Some babies born around here survive so they they reach a stage of potential viability. (Some countries will register a baby born here as a birth.)
For many, reaching this is another big milestone.
week 30+
There's another scan around here to check on the placenta, position, etc.
[Probably missing some good info here... blah blah...]
week 37-42
Pregnancies last around 38 weeks. So 37-42 weeks is when people usually expect to have the baby.
Ultimately, making it here would be fab!
