To facilitate monitoring and control, it is common to consider that a pregnancy spans three trimesters.
The first thing we must do in order to know the meaning of the term quarter is to determine its etymological origin. In this sense, it must be stated that it is a word that derives from Latin, specifically, from “trimestris” which can be translated as “three months” and that it is the result of the sum of several components:
-The prefix “tri-”, which is synonymous with “three”.
-The noun “mensis”, which is equivalent to “months”.
-The suffix “-estre”, which is used to indicate “own of”.
What is a quarter
A quarter is a period of three consecutive months . A month , on the other hand, is called each of the segments into which a year is divided. This means that a year has four quarters : four periods of three months each (4 x 3 = 12).
The first quarter of the year is that made up of January, February and March . The second quarter is made up of April, May and June , while the third quarter is made up of July, August and September . The fourth quarter of the year, finally, is made up of October, November and December .
If someone refers to the third quarter in this way, it is known that they are referring to the series composed of July, August and September. For example: “The fourth quarter has been excellent for the company: we managed to increase sales by 28% compared to the same period last year” , “I think I will only return to training in the third quarter” , “It is “It is important that we do not waste time: the main commercial agreements are usually closed in the first quarter of the year.”
It is usual for the educational calendar to be divided into quarters or quarters.
Three month period
The idea of a quarter is also applied to name the amount that is paid or collected each quarter or the series of copies of a publication that are published in a period of three months.
“Tomorrow is the deadline to pay the quarter” y “I was fascinated by the last quarter of La Opinión: I loved its reports” son ejemplos de este uso.
The trimesters in pregnancy
In the same way, we cannot ignore that trimester becomes a fundamental element of pregnancy. And this, which lasts nine months, is divided into three quarters when it comes to monitoring it. Three trimesters that are clearly differentiated by the set of symptoms that the woman experiences, by the growth that the fetus develops and even by the physical changes that the future mother has.
Specifically, the following stands out from each of these quarters:
-First quarter. It goes from week number 1 to 12 and during it the pregnant woman has mood changes, acidity problems, extreme sensitivity in the breasts or morning sickness.
-Second trimester, which extends from week 13 to 28. In this second phase it is common for women to experience the appearance of stretch marks and leg swelling. To all this we must add that you will discover how your belly will have grown significantly and even in the final stretch you will notice the baby's first kicks.
-Third trimester, which is the one that develops between weeks 29 and 40 and ends with childbirth.
Division of the educational calendar
In the educational field , it is common for the calendar to be divided into four quarters or three quarters.
Students, in this way, are evaluated every three or four months, with the scores averaged at the end of the year.