Rest, walk… prepare for the birth! It may feel good to read about pain relief and to write a delivery letter at this time.

Now you gain weight faster, up to just over half a pound each week.

Maybe you will have increasing difficulty with heartburn and other pregnancy ailments, and your stomach will feel full.
Try eating more, smaller meals. Avoid coffee, fatty foods and strong spices.
Please read our tempting tips on good pregnancy food.

• BestAAH: Look for maternity tops? Check here to find 111 types of pregnancy tops.

At this time, the midwife usually summarizes what your pregnancy has been like. It might be good to write a birth letter about yourself and your expectations of childbirth. Here you can also tell a little about what support you think you and your partner will need, and if you are worried about something special.
It can be difficult to distinguish preamps from real painters. You can try taking a hot bath, it causes the pain to slow down, while real pain continues.

Some look forward with anticipation to childbirth, while others feel great concern. There is help with childbirth fear – talk to your midwife.
Many women want to prepare for what usually happens during the different stages of childbirth. It can also be felt as a security to know what pain relief methods are available.

You probably sense when your child is awake and active, and you may notice that the child has its own circadian rhythm. The circadian rhythm often remains the first time n after the baby is born.
The baby’s bone marrow begins to produce red blood cells.

The visits to your midwife’s reception

To the maternity care center, or the midwifery as it is now called, comes all pregnant women – and their partners.

For midwives with previous normal pregnancies and births, fewer visits are often needed.
Exact number of visits and differences in different county councils, but similar to this may seem to you who are first born.

Pregnancy Week 8-12

First visit with midwife, with enrollment call. You usually use the information in the health declaration that you filled in before the visit, and discuss any illnesses and medications. They also ask about housing and work situation, how you think about parental leave, if you have support people in your area.
They ask you what expectations you have for pregnancy and childbirth. The midwife also inquires about the use / abuse of tobacco, alcohol and drugs.
To calculate the approximate time of delivery, the midwife asks about the date of the last period. The start of pregnancy is usually counted as the first day of menstrual bleeding. But actually, the pregnancy started at the last ovulation, usually 2 weeks after the last period.
At the first visit, urine samples and various blood samples are taken. Blood pressure is also measured.

Pregnancy Week 10-20

In most parts of the country, first-borns are offered the opportunity for a doctor’s visit. But in a normal pregnancy, the doctor’s visit is often replaced with a journal review.
Now a gynecological examination is being done to determine the size of the uterus and how long the pregnancy is. Keep in mind that the date you are given is preliminary and will probably be adjusted already during the ultrasound examination. An assessment is also made of whether there is any increased risk of complications during pregnancy or childbirth.

Pregnancy Week 17-20

Ultrasound examination is routinely offered at the midwife reception. It occurs during the first part of pregnancy. Mostly at week 17-18.

Pregnancy Week 20

Group meeting at for firstborns.
The midwife informs about breastfeeding, what happens in the body during pregnancy, fetal movements. You discuss planning of work and possible leave during pregnancy. They also raise issues of violence in close relation.
Up until the birth, it can now be a little more fun with reception visits for maternal grandparents, compared to for firstborns.

Pregnancy Week 25

The midwife measures the size of the uterus to see how the baby grows. For that, they use a specially developed measuring tape and measure the distance between the pubic bone and the upper edge of the uterus, which can be felt on the outside of the stomach. The values ​​are entered on a so-called pregnancy chart.
If growth is reasonably following the normal curve of the pregnancy, it is a sign that pregnancy is developing normally. Temporary discrepancies are common and usually not worrying.
You get information about fetal movements and how they feel.

Birth mates usually only now have the conversation that the first-time mothers had in week 20, about, among other things, physical changes, breastfeeding and workload during pregnancy.

Pregnancy Week 28-29

If you are a first-time parent, you visit your midwife every other week until the birth during this period – alone or together with the other future parent. This means another five to six visits before the birth.
During this period, parental education is also normally under way.

After childbirth

Today, it is common to return home within 72 hours of childbirth, when the mother is resting. It usually involves a couple of nights for firstborns and one night for grandparents, but the routines look quite different in different parts of the country. Usually, the Nursing Center’s (BVC) nurse makes a home visit shortly thereafter. Among other things, she informs about the important interaction between the child and the mother, inquires about how breastfeeding is going and answers the questions that may have arisen.

Aftercare

A follow-up visit to the midwife is offered to all women within 16 weeks of childbirth. Here you can also get contraceptive advice.