• Last updated 10/23/12 by Melanie Mayo

        Week 14: Understanding weight gain during pregnancy   Being pregnant is like getting on a train that whisks you down the track to a destination not precisely known. -Rahima Baldwin and Terra Palmarini Richardson, Pregnant Feelings: Developing Trust in Birth   What's Happening in Your Body? Your clothes may be starting to feel snug. It's important to feel comfortable and unrestricted, so it may be time to start making some changes in your wardrobe. From this point on you will notice... read more

• Last updated 10/23/12 by Melanie Mayo

        Week 15: All about amniocentesis Faith is belief in the unseen, the quietly held conviction that even though you can't imagine how, at some time, in some place, in the right way, the thing you desire will indeed come to pass. -Daphne Rose Kingman     What's Happening in Your Body? You may find fatigue lessening now. Some women report a surge of energy at the beginning of the second trimester, along with a general sense of well-being. What's Happening with Your Baby? Your baby... read more

• Last updated 10/23/12 by Melanie Mayo

        Week 16: Dealing with powerful emotions   Everything becomes possible by the mere presence of someone who knows how to listen, to live and to give of himself. -Elie Wiesl     What's Happening in Your Body? You may begin to notice a dark line, called the linea nigra, in between your belly button and the pubic region. This normal pigment change will fade after the baby's birth. What's Happening with Your Baby? Your baby is beginning to make breathing motions and can turn her... read more

• Last updated 10/23/12 by Melanie Mayo

        Week 17: Create a network of other women   To keep a lamp burning we have to keep putting oil in it. -Mother Theresa, Meditations from a Simple Path     What's Happening in Your Body? Most women notice that they need to urinate more frequently early on in pregnancy. Now you may also find that you need to get up during the night to use the bathroom. What's Happening with Your Baby? The hair on the baby's head and eyebrows is now becoming coarser and is beginning to develop... read more

• Last updated 10/23/12 by Melanie Mayo

        Week 18: How to effectively communicate with your birth attendant Be who you are and say what you feel, because those who mind don't matter and those who matter don't mind. -Dr. Seuss     What's Happening in Your Body? You may start to feel your baby's movements more reliably. At first this might just seem like a tiny flutter, but soon there will be no mistaking it. What's Happening with Your Baby? Your baby is now about five to six inches long-about as long as your... read more

• Last updated 10/23/12 by Melanie Mayo

        Week 19: Is childbirth education for you? Lessons in preparing for childbirth are really lessons in living. -Lynn Moen, Around the Circle Gently       What's Happening in Your Body? Your nipples and the area around them (the areola) may start to darken. Hormonal changes and the increase in your blood supply cause many women to feel congested during pregnancy and also to sweat more or to notice an increase in vaginal discharge. This is normal. What's Happening with Your... read more

• Last updated 10/23/12 by Melanie Mayo

        Week 20: How to create a birth plan Childbirth is not a physical function. The drama of the physical manifestations has blinded its observers to the truth-the birth of a child is the ultimate phenomenon of a series of spiritual experiences, from fantasy to fact and from fact to fruition. -Grantly Dick Read, MD-Childbirth Without Fear   What's Happening in Your Body? Your appetite continues to increase, and you may find that you are not just hungry-you are ravenous! The risk of... read more

• Last updated 10/23/12 by Melanie Mayo

        Week 21: Doulas for labor support   A doula provides support consisting of praise, reassurance, measures to improve the comfort of the mother, physical contact such as rubbing the mother's back and holding her hands, explanation of what is going on during labour and delivery and a constant friendly presence. -World Health Organization, Care in Normal Birth: A Practical Guide   What's Happening in Your Body? By now, movements of the baby are distinct, especially after eating, drinking a... read more

• Last updated 10/23/12 by Melanie Mayo

        Week 22: How to prepare siblings for birth At every step the child should be allowed to meet the real experiences of life; the thorns should never be plucked from the roses. -Ellen Key, The Century of the Child   What's Happening in Your Body? It's normal to feel a little achiness in the lower abdominal region. You may even feel some sharper twinges as the ligaments that support your uterus stretch and expand. What's Happening with Your Baby? Your baby's movements are now... read more

• Last updated 10/23/12 by Melanie Mayo

        Week 23: How to prepare for breastfeeding Increasing both the rates of breastfeeding initiation and duration is a national health objective. -Ruth Lawrence, MD, Breastfeeding and the Use of Human Milk     What's Happening in Your Body? The skin on your belly may itch as it stretches. Some women notice that their belly buttons pop out around this time. It will stay that way until the baby is born. What's Happening with Your Baby? Your baby's fingernails are almost fully... read more