Why Keep A Weekly Pregnancy Calendar?

A weekly pregnancy calendar is a chronological record of the weekly changes a woman, including her fetus, will undergo during the 40 weeks of pregnancy. It tells you of the changes in your body during specific weekly intervals, as well as the growth and development of that little life you have within you. Your weekly pregnancy calendar starts calculating from your last date of menstruation.

You may not think so, but it is important to keep a weekly pregnancy calendar. Here is why. What is the first thing you like to know when you find out you are pregnant? The due date, of course! Your projected due date is about 40 weeks from your last date of menstruation. This is an estimation as it takes the egg around two weeks from the date of last menstruation to get fertilized.

As most babies are born within two weeks of the 40th week – between the 38th and the 42nd week – your weekly pregnancy calendar will help track your health, as well as your baby’s development. It is important that your pregnancy health is maintained for your baby to be healthy. You should start to ensure you have a healthy pregnancy right from your first early sign of pregnancy.

Your 40 weeks of pregnancy is divided into three trimesters – from the 1st week to the 12th week; from the 13th week to the 26th week; and from the 27th week up to the 40th week, or whenever the baby is born between the 38th and the 42nd week. Your weekly pregnancy calendar is a great accompaniment through your 40 weeks of journey. It tells you what is happening to your baby inside you, its different stages of development, among others. It also tells when what happens to you.

It informs you, for example, that on the 26th day you may feel that particular early sign of pregnancy – the feeling of nausea. It also informs you when to expect the nausea to disappear. It informs you the state of development of your baby, such as that on the 151st day your baby will start to sleep and awake to a regular schedule. Based on the growth and development of your baby it also tells you of your nutritional requirements.

Your pregnancy calendar will tell you when to expect contractions, especially during the last few critical weeks. Keeping a track of your baby’s development with the help of a weekly pregnancy calendar is a great thing, and you may be able to interest your husband or partner to also keep track of the same.

Many women maintain a pregnancy journal, which records their experiences of the 40 weeks of pregnancy.