The second trimester - nothing short of a miracle

If you’ve been following this blog since the beginning of your pregnancy, you will be in your second trimester or ‘honeymoon phase’ by now. This is when niggles have been ironed out and you’re actually enjoying being pregnant! Your baby is developing in his astronaut's capsule of amniotic fluid, unaffected by gravity and safe from danger. You may have seen primitive jerks and kicks in earlier scans and now you’re waiting to feel him kick for the first time. 

During the second trimester you baby will become more active as his senses will develop.

Facial expressions such as frowning, squinting and grimacing begin and besides basic survival reflexes, your baby’s sense of taste, touch and sound will develop from 16 weeks onwards.  These are the very beginnings of bonding or ‘emotional senses’ that give your baby a sense of belonging – which, at this stage, means that all of you belongs to him! After the birth your baby will have to learn that he is a separate entity from you. This is called self-actualization and begins from about four months onwards. 

Right now your baby’s world is filled with a variety of sounds – the churnings of your intestines, the steady rhythm of your heartbeat and the muffled sound of your voice. When your baby listens to the tone and pitch of your voice he believes that the sounds are coming from him. Your baby also ‘switches out’ interfering noises – which is why he will be able to sleep through noise as a newborn. 

By five months your baby enjoys touching the womb and exploring his body with his hands. In a way he is getting ready for the big day when he leaves the comfort zone of your womb – holding onto his umbilical cord, sucking his thumb, kicking his legs and waving his arms!  Like anything under construction it’s not only his muscles and senses that are developing, your baby’s brain is in a critical state of development. This ‘jelly-like-mass’ will in time contain about 10 billion nerve cells or neurons and about 90 billion glial cells to make up the cerebral cortex that becomes furrowed and convoluted to make room for all the nerve cells. It’s nothing short of a miracle!  

All this is happening without you having to do anything besides protect your baby from toxins (alcohol and nicotine), eat healthy, go for regular check-ups and connect positively – walking, dancing, playing music, singing and making the most of this unique time together!

Endometriosis and pregnancy...

Endometriosis is a chronic (ongoing) autoimmune condition. Like other autoimmune conditions, antibodies attack the cells of some of their own organs. More recently, endometriosis has been diagnosed in younger women – even teenagers. Sometimes endometriosis is discovered by accident (e.g. during abdominal surgery) but mostly when women are looking for answers to their period problems.

Endometriosis is when tissue from the womb (called the endometrium which is shed when you have a period) somehow gets through the fallopian tubes and into the pelvis. The problem is that this tissue is influenced by the cycle of menstrual hormones and bleeds slightly with every period. 

This intermittent bleeding from endometrial tissue outside the womb can affect other organs like the ovaries, fallopian tubes, bowel and urethra (urinary tube). This tissue can become like ‘glue’ and make these organs ‘stick’ together and interfere with the way they work.  

Symptoms of endometriosis are severe period pain, painful sex and difficulty conceiving. It’s also associated with painful ovulation, heavy and/or irregular periods, severe backache before periods begin and pain when passing stool or urine.

The condition affects between 1 – 15% of women and is not conclusively genetic. Many women with endometriosis today are older ‘career women’ who have chosen to delay motherhood – but this is not always the case.  

A diagnosis is made on symptoms and treatment means eliminating these. Treatment can be hormonal to mimic menopause and a diet rich in vitamins, minerals, evening primrose oil and selenium. It’s best to speak to a homeopath about natural treatment.