The Chinese conception chart, also known as the Chinese pregnancy calendar and the Chinese conception calendar, is supposed to predict whether you will have a girl or boy. The story goes that the original Chinese pregnancy chart was buried in a royal tomb nearly one thousand years ago and you can now see it at the Beijing Institute of Science. It’s really easy to
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You You’re feeling huge and probably rather restless as the waiting game begins. You may have a sudden desire to tidy and spring-clean. This nesting instinct is very common and at least it gives you something to do as you wait! Soon, you’l be meeting your baby for the first time and that’ll be worth every ache and twinge of the last nine months.
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You Your official due date may be three weeks away but doctors now consider your pregnancy to be ‘full-term’, meaning your baby could actually come at any time. You’re probably getting more Braxton Hicks contractions. If you think they might be the real thing, time them over an hour (proper contractions get gradually more frequent and more painful). Your Baby Your baby may well
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You Your uterus has now grown to 1,000 times its original volume! If your baby has engaged, you’ll feel less breathless but the extra pressure on your bladder may now mean you need to wee much more often. You’re probably feeling much more tired and may be finding it difficult to walk without a bit of a late-pregnancy waddle. Your Baby Your baby weighs
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You Your hands, feet and ankles may seem puffy at the end of the day; this is probably fluid retention (oedema). Drink more water and rest with your feet up. If the swelling’s severe or comes with headaches, call your midwife. The extra weight is putting strain on your back; when you lift things up, keep your spine straight and bend your knees. Your
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You From time to time, you may feel your uterus tighten and harden for a few seconds, then relax. Don’t panic! These painless movements (called Braxton Hicks) are not real contractions, but rehearsal ones. You may also be restless at night and having vivid dreams. This is ever so normal and probably caused by a combination of physical discomfort and some apprehensive feelings about
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You By now, you may have put on about 10kg (one and a half stone) and as your bump swells, you may find your belly button pops out. Pregnancy hormones are making your digestion sluggish, so eat fibre-rich food and drink plenty of water to help ward off constipation. Ease lower-body aches by standing still and circling your pelvis and hips. Your Baby Your
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You Now your uterus is reaching up to your ribcage, you may be feeling a little breathless. With so many new-baby thoughts whirling round your brain, you may find you’re more forgetful about day-to-day things. Don’t be surprised if your breasts occasionally leak; it’s just colostrum, the nourishing pre-milk your baby drinks in the first few days. Your Baby As well as being able
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You Your uterus is now the size of a football and will continue to grow by about 1cm a week. The increasing pressure on your bladder may mean you need to go to the toilet more often. You may notice you’re feeling less energetic, so joining a pregnancy exercise class may be just the thing to perk you up. Your Baby Your baby can
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You Get ready to rock those scales! For the next nine weeks or so, you’ll put on around half of your total pregnancy weight. You may find your eyes are dry (ask you pharmacist for eye drops) and you may find trouble finding a comfortable position to sleep in (try turning on your side and wedging pillows under your bump). Your Baby At about
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