Do you suspect you’re pregnant? Whether or not you are trying to start a family, experiencing the first symptoms of pregnancy can be emotionally overwhelming. It can delight those attempting to have a baby or be a shock for those who were taking precautions to prevent it from happening. Whatever your case might be, reading up on the first significant symptoms of pregnancy is essential in keeping you and your baby healthy.
Every woman’s pregnancy experience will be different, which means you might not experience every one of these initial symptoms. Here are six major signs of pregnancy that can give you an early idea that you are carrying a baby:
1. Missing Your Period
One of the significant symptoms of early pregnancy is missing your period. Some women are late and might think nothing of it. However, if you are prone to being on time, then you might need to consider you could be pregnant when your period is late. This isn’t always the case, but you should at least take a home pregnancy test if you have been sexually active.
2. Nausea
If you experience nausea, you might think you have the stomach flu or food poisoning. However, if this symptom persists or includes any of the other pregnancy symptoms, then you should consider the possibility that you are pregnant. Morning sickness is a a well-known symptom of pregnancy, but it can occur at any time of the day. This means it could happen at work when you least expect it. Experiencing nausea comes with the territory of being pregnant, but not all women will go through it.
3. Tender Breasts
Do your breasts feel more tender than usual? As stated by Mayo Clinic, as your hormone levels increase, your breasts could feel more tender and sorer than usual. The good news is that this annoying feeling usually goes away after a few weeks when your body gets used to it. Although, your breasts might be sore again if you think of doing breastfeeding after the baby is born.
4. Food Cravings and Aversions
Are you having a sudden craving for pickles with peanut butter or some other odd food combination that you’ve never craved? Craving foods that you rarely like can be an early sign of pregnancy.
Food cravings can also alter your usual diet. This means vegetarians might crave meat despite their previous dietary restrictions or distaste for meat. No matter how crazy your cravings get, try to maintain a healthy diet to keep your baby’s healthy.
Food aversions can also happen since your sense of smell becomes more heightened than usual. What once was a pleasant aroma of fried bacon might now cause you to feel sick. If you didn’t have such a strong sense of smell before, this could indicate that you’re pregnant. Especially when you get sick from your favorite foods.
5. Fatigue
Do you feel tired a lot more lately? Fatigue is another early sign of pregnancy. As reported by Mayo Clinic, hormone levels of progesterone can increase during pregnancy. This means that it can cause a soon-to-be mother to be more tired than usual. Every pregnant woman should get plenty of rest anyway, so rest up if you can when fatigue becomes overwhelming for you. Also, don’t give in to temptation by drinking caffeine to stay awake, because it’s not good for the baby.
6. Moodiness
Hormones increase when you become pregnant so that most women will experience moodiness. Crying over the simplest things, quickly getting irritated, or getting more emotional than usual can happen when you deal with pregnancy.
Visiting Your Doctor
What’s next? Your nerves and emotions might be all over the place. Taking a home pregnancy test and experiencing some of these symptoms might have you thinking you’re pregnant. Home pregnancy tests can be useful, but they’re not exactly reliable. However, you still should visit your family doctor to make sure.
Don’t ignore your symptoms and think they will go away. Having a baby growing inside of you is serious and should be treated with care and attention. Your doctor can run a routine test to figure out if you’re pregnant. If you are, they can prescribe prenatal vitamins to keep your baby growing strong and healthy. They might also advise you on other activities that you aren’t allowed to do.
Being pregnant doesn’t mean you have to lay around, but knowing what is or isn’t good for the baby can be crucial to a healthy delivery. Setting up future appointments with your doctor will also ensure everything is going well for both of you. You can deal with any complications that might arise as you go.
Why It’s Important to Know Right Away
Do you drink alcohol or smoke regularly? Being a social drinker is very common these days.Many people relax with friends on the weekends and drink a glass of wine with dinner a few times a week. What seems a healthy amount for your adult body might not be for your underdeveloped baby.
Are you willing to risk the health of your baby? Most people think a small amount of alcohol is safe. Is it really, though? According to Pregnancy Health, not even one glass of wine is acceptable during your pregnancy. It doesn’t matter how much alcohol you consumed, because your baby could fall prey to many fetal alcohol spectrum disorders.
Therefore, realizing your early symptoms and taking action right away can be essential to your baby’s health. Especially since unexpected pregnancies happen, so make sure you recognize these first symptoms of pregnancy when they happen to you.
Pregnancy has its challenges on your emotional and physical health. But, it’s worth the pain, sacrifices, and struggles you will go through. At the end of your difficult journey, you will cradle your beautiful child and never want to let them go. Make smart and healthy choices along the way, so you give birth to a healthy baby. If you suspect you’re pregnant, consult with your doctor as soon as possible.
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