The wonder of pregnancy and childbirth is unmatched by any other life event.
It is a complex physiological process that creates a sentient being, capable of speech, thought and creativity.
The adaptation of the female body to grow another human being inside of it is amazing and unique to sexually reproducing animals.
The stages of pregnancy begin with conception, continue to gestation and end with childbirth after forty weeks.
Conception This is the first stage of pregnancy where a male sperm combines with a female egg to create a fertilized egg or zygote.
The embryo then implants itself in the wall of the female's uterus and begins to divide and grow.
The peak time to get pregnant is generally nine to fifteen days into the menstrual cycle.
A woman's normal menstrual cycle runs twenty-eight days, with day one of her cycle beginning on the first day of her period.
Menstrual cycles can however vary anywhere from twenty-one to thirty-five day durations.
The actual point of the egg's release from the ovaries into the fallopian tubes is called ovulation and the best time to get pregnant is the two days before ovulation and the day of ovulation.
For women with irregular menstrual cycles, there are ways to determine ovulation that don't include counting the days of your cycle.
After a woman ovulates, her basal body temperature rises half a degree to a degree.
Consistently monitoring body temperature around peak times for ovulation can be one way to ensure successful conception.
In addition, twenty percent of women experience discomfort in the lower abdomen region when ovulation occurs, thus providing them with a physical reaction to the timing of ovulation.
Gestation This stage is the dividing of the fertilized egg and its growth into an embryo and then baby.
In humans this process takes nine months and is divided into three trimesters.
In the first trimester the body is undergoing changes for the pregnancy and common symptoms at this time are morning sickness, backaches, fatigue and backaches.
The baby's heart can be first heard during this time! The second trimester is when pregnancy symptoms lessen and hormone production leads to that "pregnancy glow" where women will experience thicker, shinier hair and healthier looking skin.
The baby grows rapidly during this time and it is easily recognizable in ultrasounds.
The sex of the baby can be determined at this point.
The third and final trimester can be a challenging time as the baby continues to grow swiftly and earlier pregnancy symptoms can return like frequent urination.
At the end of this set of three months is the birth of your child.
Childbirth A unique and awe-inspiring event, childbirth normally occurs at forty weeks.
The first signs of actual birth are uterine contractions, rupture of the amniotic sac (your water breaking) and dilations of the vagina.
This stage ends with the birth of the child and labour (the birthing process) can last anywhere from ten to twenty hours for first time mothers.
The stages of pregnancy, from conception of a child to its actual birth are astonishing in how the body adapts and the foetus grows.
Further details on these stages can be found at numerous pregnancy and birth-related websites.