What happens at the 20 week scan?
Between 18 and 21 weeks, you’ll be offered your 20 week scan. This screening looks out for a number of conditions which means your healthcare team can make better decisions…
The second trimester: what to expect
One third through pregnancy - woohoo! Hopefully, some of the earlier pregnancy symptoms, including that dreaded sickness, is starting to wear away and you’re gaining more energy again as you…
How does the placenta develop?
Your body is pretty clever. Not only does it grow a whole baby when you’re pregnant, but it also grows you a whole new organ: the magnificent placenta. At the…
What is triple test screening and what is it for?
The triple test is a blood test that you’ll be offered between 10 and 14 weeks of pregnancy to check whether the baby has any chromosomal abnormalities, including Down's syndrome,…
What happens at the 12 week scan?
Between 10 and 14 weeks, you’ll be offered your first ultrasound scan, the 12 week scan. During this scan, a sonographer will use an ultrasound scanner to check if the…
Four reasons for early pregnancy bleeding
Bleeding or pain in early pregnancy is relatively common and does not always mean something is wrong, but it’s important to seek medical advice as soon as possible anyway. You…
Introducing the four pregnancy hormones
The four most important pregnancy hormones are oestrogen, progesterone, human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG) and human placental lactogen (hPL). But let’s have a closer look at each of these guys individually,…
Finding balance during morning sickness
Feeling sick during pregnancy is, unfortunately, very common. Around eight out of 10 pregnant women feel sick, are sick or both during their pregnancy. Morning sickness is thought to be…
How is due date calculated?
Calculating due dates is no easy feat, and is a slightly controversial topic. But usually, due dates are calculated by finding the first day of your last period and adding…
Your first midwife appointment
Trying to work out who to get in touch with when you first find out you’re pregnant can be really confusing. So here are the basics. Initially, when you first…