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4. Stages of Pregnancy. 4.1 Nothing is visible. 4.2 Small signs can be seen. 4.3 First Problems or Less Obvious Signs. 4.4 Recongizable pregnancy and real problems
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4. Stages of Pregnancy
For most mammal races pregnancy means, that the child will grow out of a few cells into a child. During this process of growth, the mother will most often undergo several changes. This could be a slight gain in weight or a total transmutation into a birthing machine. The changes can be documented in periods of the pregnancy. No period has to happen for a woman of a specified race and each period may have a different length, even for members of the same race.
A change of stage is most often not a sudden occurance, but a woman will slip slowly over the time of several days from one stage to another (normally. Some races may experience these changes rather fast: weaking up, being in a new stage. )
4. 1 Nothing is visible
The woman will detect as being pregnant when magic is used..
It is possible, that she herself does not know, that she is pregnant. Maybe, the menstruation will not come regularly or even come not at all. This would most often be a sure sign for a pregnancy, although there is no reason way the menstruation should not come regularly during the whole pregnancy (even some human woman are reported of never knowing that they were pregnant).
Even Midwifes will not see or feel that the woman is pregnant.
It could be possible, that the woman will have a misscarriage and never know about the pregnancy.
The unborn child may already have a soul, consciousness or feelings. Gaining these may be part of the union of spern and ovum, it could happen at a later time or it could be part of a magical ceremony. The soul my even enter the body long after the child was born, during a special communion with the gods.
If the child got a consciousness, spells that affect the mind may work on the child.
4. 2 Small signs can be seen
People with experience with pregnant women will discover small signs about the woman. These signs may be a special glint in the eyes, or redness of the cheeks, a slight green glimmering of the ears or a very silent plopping of the toes. All these signs may be psychological, if the woman knows about her pregnancy or got some empathic feelings regarding her child, or these signs may come from the first changes of the metabolism. Sometimes a midwife will tell a woman, even before the woman herself knows it, that she is pregnant.
Depending on the ddp of the race, this period may last till the end of the pregnancy, for a few days only or happen not at all.
4. 3 First Problems or Less Obvious Signs
The pregnancy can be seen by all, who realy take a look. A midwife will recognize the signs immediately, and others, without special knowledge can recognize them, if they look for them (e. g. hands have grown, eye color has changed, complexion is different from normal, the woman looks allways out of breath). Added to this may come changes to the body, that cause problems, like morning sickness, bad dreams or a limp (the feet are to big). These changes may be psychological or physiological and may or may not be treated whith herbs, magic or psionics, without harming the unborn child. The eating habits may have changed slightly or dramatically (e. g. eating vanilla ice on hamburger or tjam-tjam with urgh)
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4. 4 Recongizable pregnancy and real problems
Everyone looking at the woman will see under normal circumstances, that she is pregnant. The belly will be enlarged, even the breasts, the hair may have gone thicker and look great. Or the arms have grown to the inside to be able to already hold the child save. If normal nourishment occured, the woman will have gained wight, except when the children are fed directly from the body of the woman or for example, the woman has grown roots, to nourish herself and the child directly from the soil.
The changes of the body or possibly the mind will effect all of the woman’s life, walking may have become a bit harder, eating habits may have changed again (to better or worse), or she may have become touchy. Other people may be careful about her.
Not all ddps will have such a period especially 1 and 2 are unlikely. For ddp1 this may be the beginning of either their greatest power or the decline of power. Backaches may start
4. 5 Becoming Heavy
This will be the last stage of the pregnancy. The body will not feel good anymore and a lot of human women will wish, that the pregnancy should be over soon, please, especially when it is hot outside. The mind may stop working completely, except for the vital parts. All the problems from the last stages of pregnancy probably increase or are replaced by totally different ones. A woman in this stage will be most vulnerable and easy prey for any predator. Some races will not get to this ddp, even races with a ddp of 3. On the other side, even woman from races with a ddp of 1 or 2 may experience this and could feel very uncomforable for a short time. Races with a dob of 1 or 2 are unlikely to get into this stage.
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