First Trimester Pregnancy – Due Date

First Trimester Pregnancy – Due Date
Transcript

If you have just found out that you are pregnant and you are in the early stages, and this is a pregnancy that you were hoping for, congratulations. This is a really exciting and optimistic time in your life. And one of the most important things that people want to know right from the beginning so that they can make plans is, what is my due date? Well, the due date, which is otherwise known as the estimated date of confinement, or as your healthcare provider will call it, the EDC. The estimated date of confinement is 40 weeks from the first day of your last menstrual period. And it will take into account any ultrasounds that are done in the early stages or the first trimester. The first trimester runs for the first 14 weeks. And that happens to be the most accurate time for an ultrasound to estimate the size of the length of the embryo to cross reference with that period and figure out the day the baby will be born. Now, a lot of people want to know exactly what day their baby's going to be born. And I'm here to tell you they never come when we expect them to. So the due date or the estimated date of confinement is 40 weeks. Well, babies are considered full term anywhere from 37 weeks to 42. So your baby can be born, let's say a month on either side of that due date and still be considered to be a normal gestational period or a normal pregnancy.

First Trimester Pregnancy – Due Date

First Trimester Pregnancy – Confirmation

First Trimester Pregnancy – Congratulations

"If you're pregnant for the first time, this may be a time of exceptional anxiety for you. And I want to reassure you that that is normal. It's very, very common for women who are in their first pregnancy or second or third or fourth to feel uncertain because you're growing a human being inside of you. And there's a lot of trepidation and uncertainty, and unknowns going on in your life as you grow that baby. And it's okay to be a little fearful, a little uncertain, even a little anxious, but if that fear or anxiety sticks around for a long time or doesn't come and go, or it, isn't also combined with optimism and hope and excitement for the future, then it's time to reach out for help. And your partner is probably the best place to start. And then from there, both of you can access the healthcare system, can look for first of all, your healthcare provider, and then other [?] supports like a counselor to talk to or a support group. Most people find that pregnancy has that level of fear and anxiety, but also a real sense of what's going to come. And I just encourage you. One of your main goals in pregnancy is not just growing this human being, but enjoying the experience and being open and receptive and curious, and just allowing yourself to sit in that uncertainty and to realize that the future really is wide open and that as you grow this baby and you soon will meet this baby, that it's a really optimistic and hopeful and exciting time in a woman's life. And one of the real concerns would be to miss the experience because you're sitting in the fear and anxiety, as opposed to sitting in the hope and the optimism and the excitement. And that's going to take intentional effort on your part. It's going to take being silent and reflective, maybe journaling, maybe starting to think about what you're going to name the baby or the environment or the home that you want to establish, not just physically, but also the emotional and supportive place that you want to start to create and intentionally lead into before you even bring your baby home. So while there's a lot of physical hormonal changes going on in your body, those same hormones are doing a lot of mental and emotional work on you in your brain, in your organs, in your heart and soul. And so being pregnant can be a very, very beautiful time. And if you're able to realize the anxiety and fear is normal, and you're able to shift into excitement, hope and optimism more often than not, or reach out and get help to do so, then you will have a much more pleasurable experience. There's even some science pointing to the fact that being in that calm, intentional place will be a healthier result for your baby. So that's really interesting. And that science is starting to emerge to let us know that a mother's level of calm and peace and joy actually translates to how the baby grows and potentially the development of that baby after he or she arrives. So congratulations that you're pregnant. And I just encourage you to sit and enjoy the joy filled experience that you're going through."

First Trimester Pregnancy – Ectopic Pregnancy

"There is one very important medical emergency you need to be aware of in the first trimester of pregnancy. So there's a situation where the pregnancy, instead of implanting in the uterus or in the womb actually ends up in the fallopian tube. Now this can occur for any number of reasons: a sexually transmitted infection, a pelvic inflammatory disease, a ruptured appendix, any inter-pelvic, or abdominal infection in the past, or situations like endometriosis that have caused scarring or previous pelvic surgery that have caused scarring. For whatever reason, if those fallopian tubes aren't open and the egg starts its journey from the ovaries through the tubes and trying to meet up with the sperm, we know the sperm is coming up through the cervix and in the uterus. And they normally meet in the fallopian tubes, the egg and the sperm coming together to start that conception process. And if that happens in the fallopian tubes where it's supposed to, but the fallopian tube doesn't allow free passage, that pregnancy can start to grow in the fallopian tube. It's called a tubal pregnancy or an ectopic pregnancy. This can ultimately be a medical emergency. So as that pregnancy grows, there's potential for it to stretch the tube. And it may even rupture and it may even rupture and cause a significant amount of bleeding. So if you're having a pregnancy that you feel is not quite right, you're having increasing pain, you're having one sided pain, if it's on your right, it may even be confused with your appendix, if you're having even things like heart palpitations, lightheadedness, dizziness, you're feeling faint, those could be indicators that you're losing blood and you don't want to get to that situation without having yourself properly evaluated. But if you do, definitely go to the nearest emergency room and call the ambulance to get there, because that is one of the true obstetrical emergencies that women can sometimes get themselves into that situation where they're not aware of what's happening, but their life is at danger from an ectopic pregnancy."

First Trimester Pregnancy – Miscarriage

First Trimester Pregnancy – OB Medical Concerns

"The first trimester of pregnancy extends from the first day of the last menstrual period, all the way through to 14 weeks. And the developing baby at this stage is called an embryo. And we know that hormonally, physically, mentally, emotionally, a lot is going on in your body. So we're going to talk about some of the things you can expect physically, and a couple of things you need to be very cognizant of and speak with your healthcare provider about. So some of the normal things would be hormonal changes in skin or hormonal changes in breast fullness, or maybe breast tenderness, some bowel concerns, maybe a little bit of fullness in the belly. Some vaginal changes or some vaginal discharge and a few other minor inconveniences would be things like cramping. You may notice a little bit of pelvic cramping as that uterus starts to stretch and grow holding that baby. If cramping tips over to severe, or you have bleeding that goes with it, really important to reach out to your healthcare provider. Some other things that may occur is you may notice a fullness or congestion from all of the increased blood flow in your sinuses and in your head, you may even notice some headaches, but one of the things to be very aware of is if you start to have blurred vision or you start to get a severe headache or it's associated with any other symptoms that may indicate you have an elevation in your blood pressure. So an elevation in blood pressure is one of those medical important situations where you definitely need to see your healthcare provider if you're having blurred vision, severe headache, you're having any trouble voiding, which would indicate maybe you're getting dehydrated. Those kinds of things may indicate a hypertensive disorder and your healthcare provider will need to assess you and make sure that you're doing okay. One of the other things that can happen early in pregnancy and maybe carry on into the second trimester is nausea. So some nausea is okay, and you may have to shift your diet. You may have to adjust the kind of foods that you can tolerate, but if you have severe nausea and vomiting called hyperemesis gravidarum, then that is a persistent and prevalent nausea and vomiting that can actually contribute to dehydration. And it may be related to other obstetrical or medical concerns that your doctor will need to assess. Some people have nausea and vomiting all the way through pregnancy, but for various reasons, if this is severe in the early part of your pregnancy, you want to make sure you see your healthcare provider to rule out conditions that may be contributing to the nausea and vomiting. So all of those physical changes, a lot of them are normal. In fact, the vast majority of them are normal, and you're just going to have to get to know a new body as you're putting together a human being in there. But things to think about would be cramping and bleeding, a severe headache with visual changes or severe nausea and vomiting. Those would be three that you absolutely want to call your healthcare provider and make sure you get a proper workout and have a really open discussion."

First Trimester Pregnancy – Overview

Catherine Hansen, MD

Obstetrician

Board Certified Obstetrician & Gynecologist
NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner
Certified Feminine Power Transformational Leader, Coach & Facilitator

Catherine Hansen, MD

Obstetrician

Board Certified Obstetrician & Gynecologist
NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner
Certified Feminine Power Transformational Leader, Coach & Facilitator

Catherine Hansen, MD

Obstetrician

Board Certified Obstetrician & Gynecologist
NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner
Certified Feminine Power Transformational Leader, Coach & Facilitator

Catherine Hansen, MD

Obstetrician

Board Certified Obstetrician & Gynecologist
NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner
Certified Feminine Power Transformational Leader, Coach & Facilitator

Catherine Hansen, MD

Obstetrician

Board Certified Obstetrician & Gynecologist
NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner
Certified Feminine Power Transformational Leader, Coach & Facilitator

Catherine Hansen, MD

Obstetrician

Board Certified Obstetrician & Gynecologist
NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner
Certified Feminine Power Transformational Leader, Coach & Facilitator

Catherine Hansen, MD

Obstetrician

Board Certified Obstetrician & Gynecologist
NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner
Certified Feminine Power Transformational Leader, Coach & Facilitator

Catherine Hansen, MD

Obstetrician

Board Certified Obstetrician & Gynecologist
NAMS Certified Menopause Practitioner
Certified Feminine Power Transformational Leader, Coach & Facilitator

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First Trimester Pregnancy – Due Date

First Trimester Pregnancy – Confirmation

First Trimester Pregnancy – Congratulations

First Trimester Pregnancy – Ectopic Pregnancy

First Trimester Pregnancy – Miscarriage

First Trimester Pregnancy – OB Medical Concerns

First Trimester Pregnancy – Overview

Catherine Hansen, MD

Obstetrician

Catherine Hansen, MD

Obstetrician

Catherine Hansen, MD

Obstetrician

Catherine Hansen, MD

Obstetrician

Catherine Hansen, MD

Obstetrician

Catherine Hansen, MD

Obstetrician

Catherine Hansen, MD

Obstetrician

Catherine Hansen, MD

Obstetrician

First Trimester Pregnancy – Due Date
Transcript