If you think you are pregnant, here is a list of the most common early pregnancy symptoms to help you know what and when to expect.
Missed menstrual period
If you are gifted with a regular menstrual cycle, you might notice that this time, you have missed a period about two weeks after you have successful conception. This is typically one of the early pregnancy symptoms.
Tenderness in the breasts
The breasts will start to get changed in the first trimester (weeks one to 12 of the pregnancy) as woman’s body begins to make tissues for producing and storing milks. They might be tenderer as compared to the usual and tiny spots around the nipple area get turned more obvious.
Fatigue
As early pregnancy symptoms, the women’s body undergoes lots of changes and this takes its toll on her general body energy levels. Later on, in the pregnancy, she will also feel tired as the infant grows bigger and heavier. She should take rest whenever she can. If she feels extremely tired, this may mean that she has anemia. If she is worried about this, she should see her midwife or ObsGynec.
Feeling of urinating more often
Pregnancy hormones surely make her want to urinate more frequent. As the pregnancy progresses, she will also need to urinate more frequent as her growing fetus presses on the urinary bladder. When she is pregnant, she has an increased risk of developing a urinary tract infection. This is due to the pregnancy hormones and her growing fetus can slower down the urine passing out of her body. For this reason, it's essential that she should drink plenty of fluids. Studies have revealed that cranberry juice might help to stop a urinary tract infection from getting back. If she has a urinary tract infection during her pregnancy, she surely needs early treatment. So, if she has any pain or burning when she urinates, it's important that she gets advice from her doctor or midwife.
Morning sickness
Many pregnant women feel sick all the day and sometimes also at night. About three-quarters of women feel sickness or vomit early on in their pregnancies. This generally gets off after about 14 weeks, but it may come and go for the entire period of the pregnancy. It can help to eat small meals regularly so that she does not get hungry. Eating ginger biscuits and/or drinking ginger tea may help relieving such early pregnancy symptoms.
Constipation
Pregnancy hormones possess a relaxing effect on the muscles; so pregnant woman’s bowels don't work as well as they generally do by pushing the food through woman’s body. The digestive system will absorb more water from the foods and this will make her faeces harder and quite difficult to pass. The pregnant woman should make sure she is drinking plenty of fluids and eating plenty of fresh fruits, vegetables and high-fiber foods such as cereals.
Increase in body weight
The pregnant woman will put on weight during her pregnancy - the exact amount differs from woman to woman and also depends upon the weight before she became pregnant. The woman can expect to gain around 10 to 12.5kg (22 to 28 lb) during pregnancy if she is a healthy weight to begin with. The doctor or midwife can have specific advice for the pregnant woman if the weigh is less than 50kg or more than 100kg .
The weight a pregnant woman gains during pregnancy is due to:
- The developing fetus, placenta and amniotic fluid
- The growth of the uterus and breasts
- The increased blood in the body circulation
- Water retention and fatty tissue storage
Back pain
During the pregnancy the ligaments turn softer, and this can put a strain onto the joints of the lower back and also on pelvis. One should make sure that she bends her knees and keeps her back straight when she is lifting something. Massage can also help. It's a good thought to speak to the employer if you feel any problems having backache at work – in such case; the employer is legally bound providing a safe and cozy working environment for any pregnant woman.
Heartburn
Pregnancy hormones possess a relaxing effect on the muscles at the end of the esophagus or known as food pipe. This will cause acid from pregnant woman’s stomach to pass back up into the food pipe and that causes the heartburn. The pregnant woman might also experience discomfort or pain in her upper abdomen and hence, she should try eating smaller meals more frequently and she can also talk to her pharmacist about which antacid medicines she can safely take for relieving the symptoms during pregnancy.
