The miracle of birth

This post is to record all the amazing things I've learnt as a result of this pregnancy. Things about my body, about the baby, about the MIRACLE of bringing a new life into this world. Some facts are medical, some are not, some are brow-raising, some are mundane. But I've recorded them for posterity anyway. I hope u enjoy reading as much as I enjoyed learning about them.

Note: This is in no specific order and may appear random at times. That's because I'll just be putting them down as they occur to me. Isnt that the whole point of having a blog? :)

• It is believed (I dont know if this is a medical fact) that a pregnancy changes a woman's immune system so that the body does not reject the baby as a foreign object (which it is, as it is composed of half the partner's genes). This may be why pregnant women are more prone to infections and are advised to avoid someone having the sniffles :)
• The digestive system and processes in pregnant women slow down inorder to absorb the maximum possible nutrients from the food that the mother consumes. This is why pregnant women typically have digestive ailments.
• The amniotic fluid in which the baby floats is responsible for carrying nutrients to it and the waste products away. This is circulated every 30 mins and hence it is very important to keep up the fluid intake (especially water) during the course of the pregnancy.
• The internal body temperature is a couple of degrees higher for pregnant women. They are therefore advised to avoid hot baths, hot showers and over-exercising to prevent the baby from over-heating which can be harmful.
• Vitamin C boosts the body's absorption of Iron, while Calcium hinders the absorption of Iron.
• The baby is called an embryo from conception to 8 weeks. From the 9th week onwards it is called a foetus. At 24 weeks the baby is considered 'viable', which means it has a good chance of surviving outside the uterus if it is born.
• At about five months of gestation the baby is covered by downy hair called lanugo which is fine, soft and usually unpigmented. The hair supposedly insulates the baby in absence of fat and is usually shed before birth.
• Babies at birth are covered with a white cheesy substance called vernix. Vernix is composed of sebum (oil of the skin) and cells that have sloughed off the foetus's skin. Vernix comes from the latin word for 'varnish' and performs the same function for the baby, i.e. protecting its skin from the amniotic fluid.

Disclaimer: I do not vouch for the complete medical authenticity of the facts on this post.