Stages of Pregnancy and Pregnancy Tips

What to expect and tips to stay healthy during your pregnancy

Being pregnant is amazing. During the 40 weeks of the pregnancy calendar your body experiences incredible change. Read on to find out what to expect during the three stages of pregnancy (trimesters), plus, learn some good tips to keep you and your baby healthy.

Pregnancy Tips

First Trimester (weeks 1-12)

There’s a lot going on inside your body right now. Every bit of you is beginning to discover what it means to be pregnant. This can include:

• Extreme tiredness
• Morning sickness
• Tender or swollen breasts
• Food cravings
• Mood swings
• Weight gain

Second Trimester (weeks 13-28)

You may find this trimester easier than the first. As morning sickness and tiredness fade, your bump will begin to show more. Before long, you’ll feel your baby move. You’ll also experience:

• Aches in your back, tummy and groin
• Stretch marks
• Numb or tingling hands
• Slight swelling of the ankles, fingers and face

Third Trimester (weeks 29-40)

You’ll now have a football ball sized bump. You’ll feel discomfort as your baby presses against your organs. As well as the need to go to the toilet more often, you also notice:

• Shortness of breath
• More pronounced swelling of the ankles, fingers and face (If this becomes extreme, contact your health care professional immediately)
• Tender breasts, which may leak a watery pre-milk fluid (colostrum)
• Trouble sleeping

Top tips to prevent illness during pregnancy

Don’t ignore your body’s changes – a little person is growing inside you. Use these pregnancy tips to make some changes too:

• Go to bed earlier and get more sleep (while you can!).
• Eat a healthy nutritious diet.
• Avoid unpasteurised dairy products, mouldy cheeses, cold meats and soft boiled eggs which can carry bacteria. Consult your doctor for a full list of foods to avoid.
• Take folic acid supplements until your 12th week of pregnancy to help prevent your baby being born with harmful conditions such as spina bifida.
• Avoid cat faeces as it can contain an organism that causes toxoplasmosis (an infection that, in severe cases, can cause serious eye and brain damage to the baby).
• Clean and disinfect commonly touched surfaces around the home Dettol Hygiene Liquid or Dettol Antisetip Liquid which kill 99.9% of germs
• Wash your hands often with soap and water.
• In case water is not readily available, use Dettol Wipes to disinfect your hands

Wherever you are on the pregnancy calender, enjoy it – the time will fly.

Please consult your doctor for your baby care. Tips provided here are of general nature related to routine hygiene only.