Breaking Ties (![[info]](http://www.insanejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif){kind=small} breakmods) wrote,@ 2011-01-03 20:29:00 |
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PREGNANCY DATES / SYMPTOMS Pregnancy Dates Gestational age, the age of the baby, is calculated by the first day of the woman's last menstrual period (LMP). So in a typical pregnancy this is the order of events for getting pregnant. Day 1 - First day of a woman's last menstrual period (LMP) Day 14 - Most likely day of ovulation, so most likely day for pregnancy to occur. Day 28 - Missed period, tenderness in the breasts is frequently reported. Week 6-12 - Morning sickness begins and peaks for most women. Pants begin to feel tight, although they do not necessarily show, especially if this is a first pregnancy. Week 13-27 - Second trimester. Most women are over morning sickness and at week 13 have a hard time hiding their growing belly. Week 28-40 - Third trimester. Frequent urination and heart burn are the two most common complaints. Signs and Symptoms Early signs and symptoms of pregnancy include: * a missed period * nausea or vomiting * frequent urination * tenderness and fullness of breasts * fatigue * changes in appetite Typically a missed period and tenderness in the breasts will be the first to symptoms a woman would notice around week 4 of her pregnancy. The rest of these symptoms appear between weeks 6 and 8, if they appear at all. Every woman is different and so is every pregnancy. Most of these symptoms with the exception of the missed period and the frequent urination disappear in the second trimester. Due Dates A baby is considered full term after 38 weeks of gestation. On average a first time mother gives birth 8 days after her given due date. Only 12% of all babies are born premature, meaning earlier than 38 weeks, and of those 12% of babies, 10% are multiple births (meaning twins/triplets). In a typical pregnancy the chance of a woman in good health giving birth to a single child, before 38 weeks of gestation is less than 2%. In Breaking Ties, don't do it. RESOURCES: Baby Center - Pregnancy Information Week by Week Calculating approx conception date by birthday MEDICAL - MUGGLE AND MAGICAL IN 1979 Birth Control Methods Besides Muggle methods, the information about magical pregnancy preventative methods are given here. Pregnancy Testing To determine if you are pregnant in the magical world, you can go to Mungo's, where a Nurse or Healer will take a sample of your blood and drop it into a potion for this purpose. If you are 6 weeks along in your pregnancy or later, the potion will go from yellow to a royal blue after about a half hour. This test is possible to make at home, although would require NEWT level potion skills. It can be bought at an apothecary, but caution is suggested in the method for removing blood. Instructions for a simple blood letting spell are provided, but can have bad results if the witch or wizard performing the spell is emotionally compromised at the time of casting it. For Muggleborns, or people who prefer to rely on Muggle methods, pregnancy tests have been on the market just since 1977, and many have chosen to use it. For $10 a woman can take a test at home. However, it is not like the tests of 2011. The test took two hours and and was more accurate for positive results (97%) than for negative (80%) if taken on the 6th week of pregnancy. It could be taken up to a week earlier, but was less successful with results before the 6th week. Gender Determination Sadly, not possible in the magical world. There are plenty of old wives tales, though. Muggleborns, or people who would be depending on a Muggle doctor instead of a midwife at St. Mungo's, would be able to determine the gender of their baby by ultrasound after their fifth month -- but it's very costly. Delivery Most witches and wizards use midwives for delivery. Some nurses and even Healers have experience in midwifery. There are facilities at Mungo's available for delivery, but the more traditional generally prefer at-home births. Generally speaking, hospital births are more popular among younger, more Muggle-inclined witches, who may see home birthing as somewhat stuffy and old-fashioned. For low-risk pregnancies attended to by a trained and licensed midwife, though, either option is perfectly safe. LIFESTYLE GUIDLINES 1979 Lifestyle Guidelines During Pregnancy In 1979 the acceptable guidelines for women during pregnancy were not the same as they are today. These are guidelines taken from a 1978 pregnancy brochure found online at (http://www.alittlepregnant.com/photos/1 Exercise and Physical Activity Moderate exercise was encouraged. Women were encouraged to take walks every day. Anything beyond that was often considered too strenuous. Vigorous exercise was to be avoided and things like bicycling, tennis and swimming were to be modified to a lower level of intensity. Diet Unlike today, the restrictions on diet during pregnancy were few and far between. It was widely believed that a woman would crave what she needed and so very few foods and drinks were off limits. Balance was encouraged and fruits, vegetables and milk products were the staples for a healthy pregnancy. Sexual Intercourse Sexual Intercourse while pregnant was widely acceptable and encouraged. Due to high levels of certain hormones pregnant women are often wildly horny. As the due date approaches sex is often suggested as a natural means to induce labor. Smoking A guideline of no more than 10 cigarettes a day was widely observed. This means your pregnant character may very well smoke without guilt. Drinking Moderation was the key to alcohol consumption during pregnancy in 1979. While one pamphlet suggested an occasional cocktail was acceptable, the other pamphlet permitted two glasses of wine or two glasses of beer per day maximum. Again, your pregnant character would be told by a healer that moderate amounts of alcohol would not harm her child. Caffeine The very first controlled and accepted study on caffeine during animal pregnancies was not released until 1982. Its findings were inconclusive. The first widespread warnings against more than moderate amounts of caffeine in pregnancy were not released in the UK until 1994. In 1979 there would have been no limit to the amount of caffeine you could consume and no warnings to be moderate. So enjoy your coffee, tea and chocolate! 1979 is a good year to be pregnant! Travel Flooing and apparating are both acceptable forms of transportation during the first 8 months of pregnancy though both may cause considerable discomfort. Within minutes of appariton the symptoms of morning sickness tend to increase dramatically and continue at an increased level for up to three hours. Apparating within the ninth month is discouraged except in cases of emergency and it is absolutely NOT recommended during labor. Broomriding should be approached with caution or all together avoided as a fall from a great height may cause harm to both mother and child. Also, it has been shown to increase the inflammation of hemorrhoids. |
We would like to thank
cupcakecalamity for compiling most of this information, and for bellatrix for allowing us to use what was originally used in the game Throwing Stones.