• Antepartum is the time of pregnancy until the time of birth

• Trimesters of pregnancy

o First trimester: 0-12 weeks

o Second trimester: 13-28 weeks

o Third trimester: 29-40 weeks

• The average pregnancy lasts 280 days from the first day of the last menstrual period (266

days from time of ovulation), 9 calendar months, 40 weeks

• Nagele’s Rule pg. 404 is to count back 3 months from the first day of the last menstrual

period and add 7 days

o November 20, add 7 days, -3 months = August 27

o December 14, add 7 days, -3 months = September 21

Phases of Pregnancy

• Antepartum: the time between conception and the onset of labor

• Intrapartum: period from the onset of true labor until the birth of the baby and placenta

• Postpartum: time from birth until the women’s body returns to prepregnant state. Usually

about 6 weeks

• True labor pg. 457: contractions occurring at regular intervals that increase in frequency,

duration, and intensity. True labor contractions bring about progressive cervical dilation and

effacement

• False labor: occurs in the latter weeks ofsome pregnancies in which irregular uterine

contractions are felt, but the cervix is not affected

GTPAL

• Gravida: the total number of pregnancies, including the current one. Even if the mother

didn’t give birth to the baby, it still counts as a pregnancy.

• Term: the number of infants born at term (38 or more weeks gestation)

• Preterm: the number of infants born after 20 weeks’ gestation and before 38 weeks

• Abortion: the number of pregnancies that ended in either therapeutic or spontaneous

abortion (before 20 weeks). Abortion just means the baby comes out before 20 weeks no

matter how it comes out or what happens