Early Pregnancy Signs
Extremely lucky few ladies realize they are pregnant just days after conception. Personally, on my first, I didn’t find out until I was approximately 8-9 weeks pregnant due to my career lifestyle I was leading. Some of the basic well known early signs are of pregnancy are tender breasts, morning sickness and fatigue. The most obvious sign of pregnancy, is a missed period.
Here is a list of early pregnancy signs and symptoms:
1. Auntie flo stops visiting! Yay!!!
Let’s face it, this is one great benefits of pregnancy and the first sign of pregnancy. If you are looking forward to being pregnant, you will miss your routine period and this will be the perfect time to take a pregnancy test!
2. Morning Sickness
You will start to feel nausea and may vomit. This can happen as early as 3 weeks but typically starts around 6-8 weeks. The symptoms of morning symptoms typically subsides by 12-14 weeks of pregnancy.
3. Tender Breasts
Your breast will become swollen and tender as milk glands multiply. You may start to notice your nipples are darker, and the appearance of small bumps on the areola. The veins on your breasts will also become more visible.
4. Feeling Tired and Fatigue
Feeling tired? Fatigue? That’s because your body is working hard to make a baby. A lot of cells are at work here and your energy level will start to drop.
5. Frequent Bathroom Breaks
Your progesterone levels will increase, which in turn improves the blood flow to the uterus. Increase in progesterone level also thickens the uterine lining to protect the baby’s growth and development. During this process, the size of your kidneys increases to help process more body fluids. Due to this, you will feel full and frequently feel the urge to urinate.
6. Food Cravings and Aversions
Many women may experience food cravings. Aversions to food is also normal. Some of the foods that you had loved before, may be repulsive to you now. And what you didn’t like before, may become your favorites.
In my experience, I was shock I didn’t want Indian green chutney or Afghan Chutney when I use to love those with every single meal of mine. It was so hard to watch my husband eat all the chutneys i loved, while I preferred to eat something more plainer.
7. Heartburn
Unfortunately, due to many physical changes as well has hormonal changes in your body during pregnancy, you may experience heartburn and acid reflux for some time and then again during your third trimester.
8. Constipation
One of the hormones that you have more of actually has relaxing properties that tends to slow down things. Its the progesterone hormone. Since this hormone is hard at work during your pregnancy, you will be passing food more slowly and this can lead to constipation.
9. Dizziness
Surprise, surprise! Another gift from the progesterone hormone. Since your blood vessels are relaxed, causing low blood pressure, you may experience dizziness.
10. Sense of smell
You may have an heightened sense of smell and start to hate smell of certain food, fragrances, and drinks!
11. Appetite will increase
You will start to feel hungry more frequently and have an increased appetite.
12. Backache
Progesterone hormone has brought us many gifts! Since progesterone loves to make us relax, they start to loosen the ligaments covering the pelvis which starts your back pain.
13. Headaches
Suffering from headaches in early pregnancy is likely, your stress, hormones, and increased blood flow can be responsible for headaches in the first 12 weeks of your pregnancy.
While you may experience all or some of the early pregnancy signs or symptoms, every pregnancy is different. You may experience a symptom that is not on the list above! With child #1, my symptoms were very mild, however child #2, my morning sickness was more severe. Nonetheless, every pregnancy is different.
If you have be experiencing a combination of above signs, then it’s time to buy a pregnancy test and take the test! Though not all pregnancy tests are accurate, most can be accurate few days after your missed period.
