Count Down to B-Day with a Pregnancy Calendar

by Aldrich Cusens


39 weeks -- and counting! Your pregnancy calendar is a daily tool that provides information about your pregnancy, and details about how your baby is developing.

You can personalize your own calendar in relation to the date that you became pregnant. Pregnancy calendars tend to cover 40 weeks and are helpful in giving you an idea of your baby's due date.

It can be difficult to pinpoint the exact date that you became pregnant, and you may need to estimate the first day on your pregnancy calendar. An estimated start date on your pregnancy calendar can also be calculated using the date of your last menstruation.

The general rule is that you could have become pregnant two weeks from your last period and this is the beginning of your pregnancy calendar. Clearly this may not be completely accurate but gives the woman an idea of when her baby will be born.

After you have your initial ultrasound scan of your baby your health professional can take the measurement of the developing fetus to assess how far along on your pregnancy calendar you actually are. This method is the most accurate way of determining the due date for your pregnancy calendar.

Pregnancy calendars are separated into three trimesters. The first trimester on your pregnancy calendar lasts for 12 weeks and is the most crucial part of the baby's development. Use your pregnancy calendar to make certain that you're taking very good care of your health, and your baby's health, during these first three critical months.

You should adopt a healthy eating diet and take vitamins that are recommended by your health professional to guarantee that your baby develops properly. Near the end of the first trimester the task of growing new body structures will be complete. All the parts of the growing baby have developed by this point, including fingernails and toenails, and even the sex organs.

Most women begin to gain weight and "look pregnant" during the second trimester of the pregnancy. This is also the time when most (but not all) women stop feeling morning sickness. The baby is growing every day. In this trimester, the cerebral cortex of the baby's brain is also developing.

If you'd like to find more information about the various stages of your pregnancy you can visit the library, search online or speak with your health professional. Many websites are available to provide your pregnancy calendar, personalized with your estimated due date.

These web sites can email you important information to help you grasp the changes that your body is undergoing, as well as the baby's development. You can use your pregnancy calendar to help you plan for the big day as well.