No, said Aziraphale, it's ineffable.

the-french-belphegor

Aziraphale and Crowley through the years, in no particular order. Or, I love one (1) soft hobbit angel nerd and one (1) secretly soft snarky demon loser.

1968: that’s supposed to be Mick Jagger with Crowley, natch, but I fail at people. (he’ll probably regret it when he sobers up.)
1431: Crowley got 1) a commendation for Joan of Arc’s trial and burning, which he had nothing to do with, and 2) uncomfortable. Aziraphale got sad.
1929: I’m guessing Crowley messed around with mobsters around Lincoln Park, Chicago (bad idea).
1917: Crowley’s wearing a British uniform, Aziraphale a German (stretcher bearer) one.
1995: some years after Armageddidn’t, either the back of the bookshop or that cottage in the South Downs, in the winter. (SO MUCH TARTAN.)
1718: either Crowley came up with the Duke of Wharton’s choice of name for a club, or he had nothing to do with it and laughed himself silly when he found out.
1990: that bit of dialogue will always be my favourite.

“I’d just like to say,” he said, “if we don’t get out of this, that… I’ll have known, deep down inside, that there was a spark of goodness in you.”
“Just remember I’ll have known that, deep down inside, you were just enough of a bastard to be worth liking.”
(although, WINGS. GAH.)

God I love the book and the series ♥

Pregnancy - physiology

biomedicool

Hormones

hCG - human chorionic gonadotropin - present in blood and urine, produced by blastocyst and placenta
Low levels of hCG could mean miscarriage, ectopic pregnancy, miscalculation of dates
High levels = molar pregnancy (cells that normally form a baby dysfunction and form cysts instead), multiple pregnancy (twins etc), miscalculation of dates
Progesterone increases fat deposition in early weeks and stimulates appetite
Increased oestrogen from corpus luteum promotes mammary gland development (breasts enlarge)
And inhibits ovulation via negative feedback [OES decreases GnRH release by hypothalamus –> linhibition of FHS and LH –> no ovulation]
Relaxin (secreted by corpus luteum) softens connective tissue in preparation for labour - not specific, all joints can be affected
Peaks in early and late pregnancy

Physical changes

Blood pressure

As early as 4 weeks into pregnancy
plasma volume increase
caused by the affects of oestrogen and progesterone on the kidneys

OES and Prg cause vasodilation

less resistance = less pressure
Heart rate increases by 25% to compensate
stroke volume increases
increased overall cardiac output by 50% in third trimester

Direct action of enlarged uterus:

compresses the descending aorta and inferior vena cava
decreased venous return - less blood in means less blood out, less blood in ventricle –> reduced pressure on walls –> reduced force to exit –> reduced placental perfusion
increased aortic pressure
increased heart rate
[shouldn’t sleep on back for this reason]

Outcomes:

Fall in blood pressure (can cause collapse if serious)
Can cause foetal hypoxia even without mother symptoms

Haematological changes

red cell mass increase by 20% (renal - increased erythropoietin production in response to detection of blood oxygenation and sodium/water balance)
Plasma volume increases more than RBC count does, causing the impression of decreased haemoglobin (anaemia)
Increased tendency to clot (hypercoagulable)
due to increase in clotting factors and plasma fibrinogen
platelet production increase (however count drops due to increase in activity and consumption) - function remains normal]
WBC count may increase due to an increase in granulocytes

Respiratory changes

Increased chest diameter, diaphragmatic expression and elevation
dyspnoea common (difficulty breathing)
breathing becomes more costal (mouth) than abdominal
mainly mediated by progesterone levels (cause bronchial and smooth muscle relaxation and hypersensitivity to CO2)

Changes to the urinary system

cardiac output increase –> increase in renal plasma flow and glomerular filtration
increase in urea, creatinine, urate and biocarbonate clearance
with progesterone, renin and aldosterone up water retention increases
can lead to urinary stasis and increased risk of UTI
Any drugs given that are excreted renally must be given in much higher quantities consequently

Gastrointestinal changes

Appetite increase + cravings
Gastric reflux sphincter relaxation (increased indigestion, also due to increased intra-gastric pressure (expanding uterus))
gallbladder dilated
GI motility decreased and transit time slower
albumin and protein decrease
cholesterol twice normal value

Muskuloskeletal

Calcium reuptake into bloodstream results in mild decalcification of bones
relaxin softens joints (pubic symphysis + alters gait (waddling))
abdominal muscles stretch to elastic limit
stretch marks (stria gravidarum) caused by rupture of elastic fibres and small blood vessels