Pregnancy at a glance: trimesters, check-ups, and danger signs

እርግዝና በአጭሩ፡ ደረጃዎች፣ ክትትል እና የአደጋ ምልክቶች
የእርግዝናን ሶስት ደረጃዎች፣ ዋና ዋና የቅድመ-ወሊድ ክትትል ነጥቦችን፣ እና ወዲያውኑ እርምጃ የሚያስፈልጋቸውን የአደጋ ምልክቶች የሚያሳይ አጭር ማጠቃለያ።

The basics

• Pregnancy lasts about nine months, split into three trimesters.
• Antenatal care means the regular check-ups you have while pregnant. Starting early keeps you and the baby safer.

The three trimesters

• First (about months 1 to 3): tiredness, nausea, sore breasts, a missed period. Some feel little. Best time to start antenatal care.
• Second (about months 4 to 6): often the easiest stretch. Sickness usually eases, the bump shows, and many feel the baby move.
• Third (about months 7 to 9): the baby grows fast. Back pain, swelling, and tiredness are common. Check-ups become more frequent.

Antenatal care checkpoints

• Start check-ups early, within the first three months, ideally before 12 weeks.
• The WHO advises at least eight check-ups across the pregnancy, and Ethiopia now follows this plan. Contacts fall around the first trimester, then 20 and 26 weeks, then more often in the last months, around 30, 34, 36, 38, and 40 weeks.
• A clinician confirms the pregnancy, sets your due date, and checks your health.
• Expect a blood pressure check and simple blood and urine tests at visits, plus blood tests for HIV and syphilis early on so anything found can be treated.
• The WHO advises one ultrasound scan before 24 weeks to date the pregnancy and check the baby's growth.
• Take a daily iron and folic acid tablet through pregnancy, started as early as possible. In Ethiopia these are given free at antenatal visits.

Healthy habits

• Eat a range of foods, drink water, and rest.
• Attend every visit, even when you feel well.
• Avoid alcohol, cigarettes, and khat.
• Don't take any medicine or traditional remedy without checking with a clinician.

Danger signs, get care quickly

• Vaginal bleeding
• Severe stomach or belly pain
• Strong or constant headache, or blurred or spotty vision
• Fever
• Sudden swelling of the face or hands
• Fluid leaking before your due date
• Much less baby movement, or none, in later pregnancy
• Trouble breathing, or feeling very weak or faint
• Fits or convulsions

You don't need to be sure something is wrong to ask for help.

Our Letena doctors can help with your own pregnancy, free and in private, usually within a few hours. WhatsApp https://wa.me/251908182838, Telegram https://t.me/LetenaEthBot, or https://letena.letena.et/ask/.