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Week 16 - Beat The Stress Out Of Pregnancy

Dear dad and mom, the last 15 weeks of week by week pregnancy must have been tiring. Thinking, planning and living day and night with the thoughts of how life would soon change, understandably is difficult enough to handle. So make sure to spare some time this week and enjoy quality time together. Mom is in a better shape; especially considering the last few weeks and after a few weeks it would be kind of difficult to materialize exciting plans. So just chill out while the baby is developing normally during the sixteenth week pregnancy.

At 16 weeks pregnant, apart from spending time with your partner, joining pregnancy clubs and meeting and chatting with others who are undergoing similar changes can be certainly helpful. There are various things you would like somebody to understand and these clubs help share all your anxieties with a group of like-minded people. During these discussions you might very commonly come across few concepts, which you have heard before but are not very clear about. Few such notions would be elaborated in this week's write-up, after discussing the baby's growth and the changes your body is expected to undergo this week.

Baby's Development In Week 16

The child's limb movements are more coordinated as each week passes. The nails are growing; so don't forget to buy a nail cutter with other baby accessories as the child might require some trimming soon after birth. The head is now kind of proportionate and the legs too are quite developed. Have a close look at the picture of stage of pregnancy this week, as the baby is in a hurry to grow fast and within a few weeks would portray radical changes.

Week 16 For You

Time for some more tests. Checking out the right prenatal development and therefore going in for few tests like AFP (alpha-fetoprotein), which tests the blood sample is on schedule this week. Other changes include increased discomfort in sleeping (again maternity pillows can help) and other typical symptoms like soaring in breasts, minor abdominal pains, etc.

As discussed earlier during the discussions about pregnancy and related topics you might come across few terms, which you technically are not very clear about. Half information in these concepts can be dangerous considering how sensitive the 40 weeks of week-by-week pregnancy are. A precise guide to few such terms therefore is presented below:

• False Pregnancy - False pregnancy is a psychosomatic condition, wherein, a woman experiences all symptoms of pregnancy but there is no pregnancy. The concern is also experienced by small number of men. There is no one specific explanation to this concept however, various reasons like emotional conflict, unfulfilled desires to conceive and give birth, cessation of menstruation, constipation, weight gain, stress, etc. are all considered to provide a helping hand in making the female believe that she has conceived, while in reality there is no pregnancy and hence termed as false pregnancy. The effects of false pregnancy are so serious that despite negative pregnancy reports, the women suffering with false pregnancy tend to believe that they have conceived and would soon give birth to a healthy child. False pregnancy also associates pregnancy and depression, as severe depression could also be a cause of false pregnancy.
• Infections During Pregnancy - Both mother and child, are prone to infection during pregnancy. The most common one is Toxoplasmosis, which spreads by coming in contact with cat's stool. UTI i.e. Urinary Tract Infections form another category of infection that affects mothers. It is a bacterial infection, which from the rectum enters the urethra and makes its way up to the bladder, where it continues to multiply. Maintaining proper hygiene and drinking enough water can help deal with the issue. BV i.e. Bacterial Vaginosis is a genital tract infection, which is caused by overgrowth of bacteria that are usually present in small numbers in the vagina. Yeast Infections are another category of vaginal infections that are commonly experienced during pregnancy. The increased estrogen level during pregnancy causes the vagina to produce more glycogen, making it even easier for yeast to grow there. To avoid any such concerns during pregnancy, select comfortable cotton inner-ware and avoid fitted pants. Other prevention tips include, eating yogurt to maintain the bacterial balance in vagina, avoiding perfumed soaps, drinking cranberry juice and as mentioned earlier maintaining hygiene.
• Ectopic Pregnancy - Ectopic pregnancy or bubal pregnancy is a situation which none of the pregnant mother would really desire. A widely researched subject, ectopic pregnancy is a situation wherein the embryo does not reaches the uterus, but instead adheres to the lining of the Fallopian tube. Often confused with a miscarriage, an ectopic pregnancy results in bleeding that expels the implantation out of the tubal and ends up as tubal abortion i.e. termination of pregnancy.
• Is Lupus Pregnancy and childbirth impossible? - Well the answer is not. You might come across statements asserting that a lupus patient cannot give birth to a healthy child. The remarks are not completely accurate. Medical science has progressed and ensured that even lupus patients can give birth to normal children. The birth rate in a lupus pregnancy though is not 100%, yet the success rate is quite high and the exact situation can only be gauged post careful examination of the patient. Lupus primarily affects young women and in few instances, hidden risks of teen pregnancy coupled with lupus are mistaken with lupus abortion.

Knowing these concepts can help deal with issues that arise during various pregnancy stages over the 40 weeks of week-by-week pregnancy.

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