Contents
Female Reproductive Anatomy
How to Tell If You’re Pregnant
Prenatal Care
Fetal Development Calendar
Common Pregnancy Discomforts
Pregnancy Complications
Nutrition for Pregnant Women
Drugs and Environmental Hazards
Exercise During Pregnancy
Sexual Activity During Pregnancy
Special Pregnancies
How to Prepare for Childbirth
Labor and Childbirth
How to Care For Your New Baby
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- The most important aspects of prenatal care, from week 1 to delivery
- Ways to deal with common pregnancy discomforts and complications
- Essential preparations for labor, childbirth, and your baby’s first days at home
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Female Reproductive Anatomy
It’s helpful to have a basic understanding of the female reproductive system in order to understand the changes that the body undergoes during pregnancy.
- Vagina: A muscular passageway that leads from the vulva (external genitalia) to the cervix.
- Cervix: A small hole at the end of the vagina through which sperm passes into the uterus. Also serves as a protective barrier for the uterus. During childbirth, the cervix dilates (widens) to permit the baby to descend from the uterus into the vagina for birth.
- Uterus: A hollow organ that houses the baby during pregnancy. During childbirth, the uterine muscles contract to push out the baby. Each month, unless a fetus has been conceived, the uterine wall sheds its lining (see The Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation below).
- Ovaries: Two organs that produce hormones and store eggs. Each ovary releases one egg per month.
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Fallopian tubes: Muscular tubes that eggs released from the ovaries must traverse to reach the uterus.
The Menstrual Cycle and Ovulation
Each month a woman’s body goes through a menstrual cycle. A woman can become pregnant only during ovulation, a several-day phase in the middle of the menstrual cycle when one of the ovaries releases an egg.
- If the ovulated egg is fertilized by a man’s sperm following sexual intercourse, it will implant in the endometrium, the lining of the uterus that becomes the placenta during pregnancy. The placenta nurtures the fertilized egg as it develops and grows into a baby.
- If the egg is not fertilized, it will disintegrate. During a woman’s period, the endometrium is shed through the vagina as menstrual blood.
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 Birthing Classes |
 Pre-Natal Workout for Expectant Mothers - Part 1 |
 Pre-Natal Workout for Expectant Mothers - Part 2 |