32 The word pregnancy comes from the Latin word praegnantem, which means before birth. PREGNANCY Pregnancy begins in the uterus, where sperm fertilise an egg which implants itself on the uterine wall forming the placenta and embryo. It lasts about 40 weeks, which are grouped into three trimesters. In each period both mother and child undergo various changes. First trimester weeks 1 to 12 Mother Baby Periods stop Hormonal changes Extreme tiredness Tender and swollen breast Mood swings Constipation Headache Weight gain or loss Food cravings Eyes, nose, ears, mouth and major organs develop Regular heart beats Fingers and toes form The foetus can make a fist thanks to the muscular and bone system working together The eyelids have formed but will remain closed until around week 28 to protect the baby s eyes Second trimester weeks 13 to 27 Mother Baby Nausea and fatigue go away Abdomen will expand and women will sense their baby s movements Back pain Stretch marks Darkening of the skin around the nipples A line appears on the skin, running from the belly button down Patches of darker skin over the face Swelling of the ankles, fingers, and face The foetus has almost doubled in size Hearing develops around week 18 The foetus responds to sound at about week 25 The intestines develop Can see, hear, make a sucking motion, and scratch itself Skin, hair, and nails have formed The lungs have formed but do not work yet The foetus sleeps and wakes regularly Male s testicles have moved to the scrotum Female s eggs have formed in the ovaries Fine hair covers the body Third trimester week 28 to delivery 76 BABIES AND CHILDREN Mother Baby Internal organs adjust to the baby Need to urinate more often Shortness of breath Haemorrhoids Varicose veins Trouble with sleeping Abdomen lowering Contractions, which can be sign of real or false labour Watery pre-milk (colostrum) forms Eyelashes and tastebuds form Bones harden but skull remains soft to ease the delivery process Baby gains half pound a week and all organs continue to develop Baby turns head-down Eyes open Lung formation is completed A waxy skin coating, called vernix, develops craving: voglia di (cibo) mood swing: sbalzo d umore nipple: capezzolo patch: chiazza periods: ciclo mestruale to scratch: grattarsi shortness: insufficienza stretch mark: smagliatura vernix: vernice caseosa waxy: cereo