Читать книгу Child Development From Infancy to Adolescence - Laura E. Levine - Страница 223

The three stages of prenatal development tell us what is happening to the developing fetus during the pregnancy. However, from the point of view of the pregnant woman, these 9 months are divided in a different way, into 3-month periods called trimesters, each of which has its own characteristics.

During the first trimester, it may not be apparent to other people that the woman is pregnant, but changes in the level of her hormones can cause fatigue, breast tenderness, and morning sickness, a nausea that often subsides as the day progresses. In the second trimester, most women start to feel better and the pregnancy begins to become apparent as the fetus grows larger. The woman now feels the first fetal movements, called the quickening. In the third trimester, the fetus continues to grow and the woman becomes more tired and uncomfortable (Chye, Teng, Hao, & Seng, 2008). At the end of this trimester, the fetus drops lower as it begins to move into position to begin the birth process.