1st Trimester Pregnancy Symptoms
If it’s your first month of pregnancy, obvious changes are not apparent to the rest of the world, except you! The following are some of the discomfort you will face early in the pregnancy and how best to deal with them.
Bigger breasts
Some women swear they feel this change almost immediately - swollen and sore breasts. Both are felt early on because, from the moment of conception, your breast are instructed by the pregnancy hormones to dilate their blood vessels and nourish the tissues.
Invest in new bras, for in the next nine months, you breast will only get bigger. Maternity bras have broader straps and are wider in the back to ease muscle strain. In the third month, you may also notice a darkening in the skin colour of the areola, which is the darker area of skin surrounding the nipples. As blood supply increases throughout your body, bluish veins may appear under your skin.
Eventually, maternity bra have to give way to nursing bras with little panels in fornt for easy access to breastfeeds. Be sure not to throw away your sexy pre-pregnancy bras though - your breasts will go back to their original size after you stop breastfeeding.
Hippiest Yet
Even you underwear will have to change to accommodate your growing hips and buttocks. In the first trimester, simply buy your regular underwear in a size larger than you would normally wear. The extra fat around your lower abdomen, thighs and buttocks is accumulating to protect the growing foetus by providing insulation to the womb and serving as an important energy source towards the end of pregnancy.
To the loo!
You’ll find yourself spending a lot of time in the bathroom with a need to urinate, both during the day and at night. As your growing uterus presses on your bladder, this need will be more urgent and powerful. You may need to use panty liners as a thin milky-coloured vaginal discharge starts making its appearance. This will continue through pregnancy and it may also have a slight odour, but it’s just your body’s way of protecting against infection. If the discharge becomes thick, yellowish, bloody or watery, consult your doctor know immediately.
Flat out tired.
Every walking feels like a chore these days; it’s just your body’s way of showing you that it’s going through a lot as it’s preparing for the baby. Your fluctuating hormones add to your fatigue as they tend to disrupt sleep patterns and make it more difficult to get into deep, continuous slumber. Take time out to rest whenever you can. If you find yourself dropping off in the middle of the workday, find a quiet corner to nap during lunchtime. Your exhaustion will end by the end of first trimester - anytime between the 12th and 14th week. Make the most of the weekends: put your feet up and take a naps often. Take up offers to with the housework - this is the perfect time to cash in on those favours!
Constipation.
You will find that your bowels become sluggish and distended and what usually takes a few minutes can leave you sitting on the toilet for half an hour or more. This universal problem with the expectant women is due to rush of hormones in the body. Iron tablets tend to add to the problem - they are notorious for causing bowel and digestive problems as well as unusually dark stools.
Drink lots of fluids, eat fiber-rich foods, limit your intake of sugary and processed foods and try to exercise. Bran, cereal, fruits and vegetables are good fiber sources. When buying cereal, cookies and other snacks, check the nutritional information on the packaging and make higher fiber choices. Prune juice may help alleviate the problem while apple juice may worsen the condition. Check with your doctor before taking any over-the-counter remedies for constipation. If the problem is severe, he will give you stool softeners. These are different from laxatives, most significantly in that they don’t cause abdominal cramps.
Morning-to-night sickness
Morning sickness, which can actually occur at any time of the day, can really dampen your excitement about being pregnant. Half of the pregnant women get nauseous - keep track of what sets you off.
Often food and cooking smells trigger nauseous so stay out of the kitchen if necessary. However, staying away from food to beat nauseous may cause stomach problems - find foods that don’t trigger a bad reaction and keep them handy between meals.
Aside from water, keep yourself hydrated by having clear soups, fruit juices and home-made frozen lollipops, especially on hot days. Some women ward off nausea by smelling or chewing on slice of lemon.
If food is hard to keep down, don’t worry too much about not giving your baby enough nutrition. Ask your doctor for help if you think there may be danger any danger of dehydration and if you can not keep down any prenatal vitamins prescribed.
Dizzy Spells
Getting frequent head rushes as you stand up or get up from bed? This is common in early pregnancy as there’s an increase demand for blood throughout your body. The circulatory system might find it hard to keep up if you switch position too suddenly. If you are getting dizzy even when you’re sitting still, your blood sugar levels may be too low. Eat frequently, small meals. If you have full-blown fainting spells, ask your doctor to check for anaemia.
Tension Headaches
You may find yourself getting headaches more often that you used to, which may be the result of nausea, tiredness, hunger or the normal physiologic decrease in blood pressure. These headaches may also be caused by tension or even depression. Ask your doctor before taking any over-the-counter medications. Sometimes, food and rest can alleviate these headaches but if yours are severe and develop into migraines, you may need to be referred to a neurologist. Talk to your doctor and ask her opinion. Later in pregnancy ( in late second or third trimester), headaches may signal the beginnings of pre-eclampsia. This is usually accompanied by swelling of hands and feet and high blood pressure.
Cramping Your Style
In this first trimester, you may suffer from a menstrual-like cramping sensation. Don’t be alarmed - this is a common symptom and is properly related to the growing and enlarging uterus. Please remember that if your cramping is accompanied by vaginal bleeding, you should call your doctor immediately. Most women who experience cramping with vaginal bleeding end up having a normal pregnancy, but these two signs are also associated with miscarriage. Get expert medical help immediately.
Mood Swings
The spectrum of physical and emotional changes taking place could leave you feeling overwhelmed. Mood swings tend to be most pronounced in the first three months of pregnancy, when hormone changes and thoughts about the new responsibilities of motherhood collide. Make time for yourself; talk through your feelings with friends and family; or speak to doctor if you have any doubt or fears about your impending pregnancy. Your body will gradually adapt to the hormonal on slaught and you will learn to embrace the change the pregnancy brings to your life.
Spitting Up
In the first few months, you may find your mouth filled with saliva because of a condition called ptyalism. This is an annoying, perhaps even embarassing problem common among those who suffer from morning sickness. To dry your mouth, try using mint. Whether in toothpaste, candy, mouthwash or infused in tea, many women swear by this remedy.
Weight Gain Alert
If you’re feeling bloated, it’s not necessarily because you’ve put on a lot weight. The tow hormones responsible for bloating are progesterone - which makes you retain water, and estrogen - which enlarges your uterus. The growing uterus needs space to expand and your digestive problems may also have caused your bowels to swell. Look for elasticised pants and skirts that will accommodate the bloating.
Incidentally, this loss of one’s waistline is more pronounced in second or third pregnancies. Apparently, pregnancy causes your abdominal muscles to relax somewhat, making a post-delivery exercise plan crucial if you want to regain your original shape.
