Weight gain during pregnancy
Usually expecting mums gain around 12-15 kilos when they are pregnant. You can check your weight regularly and update our doctor about the same if there is a major change. The belly should also grow in size as the months pass by.
Common signs of a healthy pregnancy
It is very important for an expectant mom to be able to differentiate between the signs of a healthy and unhealthy foetus. Some symptoms if left untreated can lead to severe complications and even miscarriage.
Though there are very few pregnancies that end in miscarriage or any other complication but that does not let moms take it easy during the whole nine months of pregnancy. If you are also a mom-to-be, here are the symptoms of a healthy pregnancy that you need to remember:
Movement
The baby starts moving after five months of conception; the term for the foetal movement is called quickening. A six-month-old foetus responds to sound through movement. After seven months, the foetus responds to stimuli such as sound, pain and light. By the end of eight-month, the baby starts kicking more frequently. But by the end of nine-month, the movement becomes less due to less space.
Normal growth
Your doctor will perform an ultrasound to track the growth of your baby’s health and development. Generally, a foetus grows by two inches every month. So, by the seventh month, your baby should be 14 inches long. By the end of nine-month, a foetus weighs around 3 kilos and 18-20 inches long.
Heartbeat
The heart of the baby starts to beat around the fifth week of pregnancy. To confirm the heartbeat of your baby, the doctor may conduct a non-stress test. The test monitors the heart rate of the baby and provides information about the potential threat, if any. A healthy heartbeat is between 110 to 160 per minute.
Position of the baby at the time of pre-labour
During the nine-month, the movement becomes minimal due to less space. A healthy baby takes a head-first position and starts moving towards the birth canal.
Disclaimer: The views expressed in this article should not be considered as a substitute for physician's advice. Please consult your treating physician for more details.