Pregnancy: From Conception to Birth Quiz

Answer: The date of the mother's last menstrual period

Interestingly, this makes a mother around two weeks pregnant on the very day her baby is conceived! Pregnancy is calculated as 40 weeks, but the foetus is usually (if not overdue or premature) 38 weeks old at the time of their birth.

Answer: Weight gain

Some mothers have no signals that they are pregnant, whilst others start being sick straight from the beginning. A missed period is normally the first sign and feeling more tired than normal is also an indication for a woman who is trying to become pregnant. Weight gain does not take place until the pregnancy is much further advanced, so would not be considered an early sign.

Answer: False

A mother can test very early nowadays as home pregnancy tests are very accurate and highly sensitive. It is possible that a pregnant woman may get a negative pregnancy result, even when she is pregnant, as the HcG hormone is not yet at a high enough level to produce a positive result.

Answer: All of them

All of these carry a small risk of listeria and salmonella, a bacteria that can affect the developing baby and even cause miscarriage or stillbirth. Paté is also very high in vitamin A, which has been linked to neurological damage in the unborn baby if consumed in high quantities. This also means you shouldn't take a vitamin supplement containing vitamin A when you are pregnant. Other foods to avoid are peanuts (if someone in your family is allergic to them, or you or the baby's father has asthma, eczema or hay fever), shellfish, sushi, rare or medium cooked meats, liver or liver products, soft-whip ice cream and, of course, alcohol and cigarettes.

Cheeses such as cheddar and cheese spreads are fine to eat.

Answer: Spina bifida

Folic acid dramatically reduces the risk of your baby developing spina bifida. About 400mg should be taken every day until the end of the 12th week of your pregnancy.

Answer: Hyperemesis gravidum

Hypertension is high blood pressure, SPD (as it is commonly known by) is a weakening and softening of the hip joints that makes mobility difficult and causes great pain. Obstetric cholestasis is a condition that affects the liver and can affect the baby in later pregnancy.

Answer: false

Whilst pregnancy is not a good time to start a new fitness regime, or suddenly start exercising when previously inactive, there is no medical reason to stop your normal exercise routine when expecting, unless you have been told to by your doctor or midwife. Obvious exceptions to this are skiing, horse riding and any 'extreme' or contact sports such as hang gliding or football. Walking is a superb exercise in pregnancy and can help condition the mother's joints for birth.

Answer: All of these

Most first time mums will feel the baby between 18 and 22 weeks. It is like a fluttering at first, not a big kick. Braxton Hicks are uterine contractions that prepare and condition the uterus for labour. They are not dangerous, do not signify labour and shouldn't be painful. If you have painful contractions please seek medical help.

The dark line is called Linea Negra; it is caused by hormonal changes and should go away after the baby is born, although it may takes several months for it to disappear.

Not all women have one.

Answer: Anomaly scan

In the UK a pregnant woman is usually offered two scans on the NHS - one at 12 weeks (dating scan) and one at 20 weeks (anomaly scan), although this can differ hugely between local Health Authorities. Reassurance scans are not commonly offered on the NHS unless the pregnancy is complicated or the mother has suffered losses in pregnancy before.

Whilst the anomaly scan can reveal the sex not all hospitals will tell you. A private sexing scan will tell you the sex if you want to find out. Other scans include growth scans, where measurements of the baby will be taken and the health of the placenta checked if there are concerns over the size of the baby.

Answer: placenta praevia

Placenta praevia refers to a low-lying placenta, while major placenta praevia, blocking the cervix, means a natural birth is impossible, since there is no path for the baby to follow. A Caesarean section is usually the mother's only option, and is often performed around 38 weeks to try to ensure the mother doesn't go into labour naturally before then.

Placenta abruption can be even more serious, as the placenta detaches itself partly or fully from the uterus wall depriving the baby of oxygen.

Answer: pre-eclampsia

Pre-eclampsia affects about 10% of pregnancies and the symptoms are as listed above. It is more common in teenage mothers, mothers aged over 40, overweight mothers and those having a multiple pregnancy.

If left untreated it can develop into a more severe condition called eclampsia which causes the mother to have seizures and has been responsible for the death of both mother and baby. Always get any symptoms you are not happy with checked out.

Answer: The baby was breech (bottom down)

An ECV stands for 'External Cephalic Version' and is performed after 37 weeks on mothers where their baby is breech- the consultant literally tries to turn the baby with his or her hands by applying pressure to the mother's abdomen. He will watch the baby on an ultrasound and monitor the heartbeat at the same time to check the baby is happy. There are three main reasons it is not usually performed until 37 weeks- firstly, most babies who present as breech turn themselves the correct way round by 37 weeks, secondly, it can cause the baby distress and it may need to be delivered immediately so 37 weeks means the baby will almost certainly be fine, and thirdly it means the baby has much less space to turn back round the wrong way again as it is bigger!

Most women who still have a breech baby after the ECV attempt will opt to deliver by Caesarean section, especially if it is their first child, although a vaginal breech birth is certainly possible.

Answer: Drinking castor oil

Castor oil tastes disgusting, but the main reason why this should not be used is the fact that it is a laxative and foetal distress can occur from dehydration as a result of diarrhoea. Furthermore it has little effect in naturally inducing labour.

The other three methods are all worth a shot, but there are no guarantees. Sexual intercourse is said to be good as the cervix is stimulated which can start contractions plus there is a hormone in semen called prostaglandin which a hormone that starts labour naturally when produced by the female. It is thought that the semen helps to ripen and dilate the cervix. Don't worry about having intercourse before your due date though - this will only work if you are ready to go into labour. Unless you have been told otherwise sex in pregnancy is safe.

Nipple stimulation is thought to produce oxytocin, another hormone produced by the female body to help contractions, so it is worth a go.

In large doses pineapple can help bring on uterine contractions, although a LOT has to be eaten - a whole pineapple at least!

Other methods of trying to bring on labour can include a cervical sweep, where the midwife or doctor inserts a gloved lubricated finger into the vagina and literally sweeps her finger around the bag of membranes round the baby's head. This is quite effective in starting overdue women labour off in labour.

Answer: Opiates such as pethidine

Pethidine, an opiate and from the same family as morphine, can be given to women in labour although many midwives resist giving it as it can cross the placenta and make the baby very drowsy at delivery. This, in turn, can cause them to be slow to breathe and may mean the mother has trouble establishing breastfeeding as the drowsy baby is reluctant to feed. None of the other methods mentioned affect the baby.

Answer: To wait for nature to deliver the placenta without the help of drugs

A birth is only complete once the placenta has been delivered. Looking like raw liver, the placenta has been the baby's lifeline throughout the pregnancy, providing him or her with food, oxygen and nutrients. Without this no mammal life would exist. Whilst an injection is given to most women in Western countries to speed up this delivery lots of women are choosing to wait for nature to take its course. Breastfeeding the newborn can help speed up this process- yet another reason why breastfeeding is best!

In some cultures the placenta is taken home and buried, and some people even eat it. Apparently it helps combat postnatal depression.