Youre Bloated & Develop The Blump
Youâre not showing off a baby bump yet, but because of excess bloating, youâve got âthe blump.â Ugh. âBecause of the pregnancy hormones, the bowels are slow to move, therefore you feel bloated and full especially by the end of the day,â says Skeete Henry. The excess pressure in your abdomen and uterus can also strain your âdown thereâ muscles, causing you to pass gas like itâs your day job. Itâs equal parts normal and mortifying.
Extreme Tiredness And Exhaustion
Extreme tiredness or fatigue and exhaustion along with sleepiness are one of the early signs of pregnancy
This sign is attributed to the progesterone levels and also the body is busy producing more blood to help in the growth of the fetus, which leads to exhaustion
Eating a balanced, healthy and a nutritious diet can help in taking care of this problem
This is one of the commonest and prominent signs of early pregnancy
This symptom can develop within days of conception
Nausea and vomiting are the symptoms and it may be caused due to increased levels of estrogen and progesterone
It may vanish after a few weeks of pregnancy or in some cases may stay till the end of pregnancy
Tips For You This Week
Fill up on folic acid
There’s no doubt that your body works overtime when you’re expecting so help give it the extra nutrients it needs to baby-build by getting 400 to 600 micrograms of folic acid daily from all sources, including your prenatal vitamin and folate-rich foods.
Research has shown that taking folic acid beginning when youre trying to get pregnant and continuing daily throughout pregnancy not only helps you conceive but has important health benefits for expecting women and their babies.
Folic acid can help reduce the risk of birth defects including congenital heart and neural tube defects in your baby, and has even been shown to lower your chances of gestational diabetes, preterm labor and miscarriage.
Ask your doc about meds
If youre taking a prescription, OTC or herbal med, ask your doctor ASAP about whether its safe to continue it during pregnancy.
Herbal preparations are not tested or approved by the Food and Drug Administration and are not required to undergo clinical trials. Translation: Their safety, or lack thereof, is unknown.
Even herbs that you’ve heard could be helpful during pregnancy may be harmful at some point during the next nine months. So always get the green light from your practitioner before taking any medication or herbal supplement of any kind.
Spot early pregnancy signs
You could be weeks away from taking a pregnancy test, but Mother Nature may give you a heads-up in the form of early pregnancy symptoms.
Shop for pregnancy tests
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Other Early Signs Of Pregnancy
These early pregnancy symptoms tend to appear around or after the time that you miss your period, usually sometime between weeks 4 and 9. But again, every woman and every pregnancy is different, so you may not experience these symptoms at all, while other moms-to-be may notice them a little earlier.
When Is The Earliest I Can Find Out I’m Pregnant
But what does that really mean? It doesn’t mean that you got pregnant 4 weeks ago. During the first two weeks of your 40 week gestation, you are actually not pregnant at all. We calculate the beginning of your pregnancy as the first day of your last period. Wild, I know, but that’s the way it is. So, when you miss your period, typically you ovulated about two weeks ago and became officially pregnant somewhere around 10-12 days ago.
Amazing, right? And I’d bet that you want to know exactly when that happens, right? The truth is, you can know that you are pregnant before you’ve missed your period.
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Your Body At Week 1 Of Pregnancy
During the first week of pregnancy, youre actually going through your last menstruation before the baby. Since your estimated gestational age will be counted from the first day of your last period, technically the first day of your pregnancy will be the same as the day when you start menstruating.
During these days, your body will be getting rid of last months egg and uterine lining. Especially during the first two days of pregnancy or the first two days of your period most women experience a heavier menstrual flow. This will help your body prepare for a new cycle.
Once your period ends, a new egg will already be maturing, and your uterine lining or endometrium will start to thicken again. This lining is where the fertilized egg will implant itself after conception, ready to start growing.
Those Who Have Irregular Periods Should Pay Attention To Bodily Changes And Take A Pregnancy Test If They Have Any Suspicions They Could Be Pregnant What Are Early Signs Of Pregnancy
If your cycle is regular and predictable, if you havent had a period in a few days from when it was due, you should take a pregnancy test, Dr. MacLean says. The first clue is when your period is a week late. Those who have irregular periods should pay attention to bodily changes and take a pregnancy test if they have any suspicions they could be pregnant. Dr. MacLean says about 10 percent of people can have some light spotting around the time of when their missed period would be due. This spotting occurs when the fertilized egg implants in the uterine lining. It can be difficult for some people to differentiate between spotting and a light period. The key difference is that any bleeding from spotting would be very light, and you may only require one to two pads or tampons in the span of 24 hours.
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Elevated Basal Body Temperature
This early sign of pregnancy before a missed period is only helpful in women that were already tracking their basal body temperatures prior to and during ovulation. What’s nice is that if you have been tracking BBT correctly, this symptom of pregnancy is more accurate than others. If you used BBT to find out when you ovulated, you could absolutely use this method as a hint to pregnancy before you take a pregnancy test.
If you are pregnant, your basal body temperature will increase by about 0.4 -1 degree for more than two weeks after the decrease in body temperature prior to ovulation. Basically, you will see your basal body temperature increase after ovulation and stay elevated if you’re pregnant. During pregnancy, the basal body temperature is elevated in order to get the body ready to harbor a growing life within it.
Calculating Your Due Date
How can you call this your first week of pregnancy if you’re not even pregnant? Its extremely hard for your practitioner to pinpoint the precise moment pregnancy begins .
While theres no mistaking the start of your period, the exact day of ovulation can be hard to nail down. Whats more, sperm from your partner can hang out in your body for several days before your egg comes out to greet it. Likewise, your egg can be kept waiting for up to 24 hours for late sperm to make their appearance.
So in order to give all pregnancies some standard timing, most practitioners use the first day of your last menstrual period as the starting line of your 40-week pregnancy. Still confused? Think of it as a head start you’re clocking in roughly two weeks of pregnancy before you even conceive!
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Feeling Nauseous And/or Being Sick
New pregnancy hormones are flooding your body and, for some women, the reaction to this is to feel sick. Some women feel slightly queasy and others may actually be sick. This is commonly known as morning sickness but it can happen at any time of the day.
You might be more sensitive to smells, including food and cooking.
If you cant keep any food or water down talk to your midwife or GP because there is a risk that you may become dehydrated.
How Can You Really Tell If You Are Pregnant
Unfortunately, these symptoms aren’t unique to pregnancy. Some can indicate that you’re getting sick or that your period is about to start. Likewise, you can be pregnant without experiencing any of these symptoms.
Still, if you miss a period or notice any of the tip-offs on this list, you might want to take a home pregnancy test – especially if you’re not keeping track of your menstrual cycle or if it varies widely from one month to the next. If your home pregnancy test is positive, make an appointment with your health care provider. The sooner your pregnancy is confirmed, the sooner you can begin prenatal care.
If you are worried about possible early symptoms of pregnancy, you can put your mind at ease with a pregnancy test. More than just a pregnancy symptom, this is scientific proof positive of whether you are expecting a baby or not.
Pregnancy tests work best if you wait to take them until at least a day or two after you miss your period. Even if the pregnancy test result is negative you should try it again a few days later to be sure.
To help you on your journey to conceiving, you can take prenatal vitamins and supplements that will keep you in good health and ease some of the less-than-pleasant side effects of pregnancy. Medically reviewed by Dr Sam Hay.
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You Have Food Cravings & Aversions
If you thought that food cravings only come during the later stages of pregnancy, think again. According to Ross, hormones play a role in food cravings too, âincluding cravings for nonfoods like clay, dirt, and laundry starch.â
Itâs also thought that maybe the theory of âyour body craves what your body needsâ is actually true. âSome scientists theorize that pregnancy cravings and food aversions reflect the need to meet a growing fetus’s most basic energetic demands,â says Cutler.
Pregnancy Ke Lakshan: According To Experts There Is A Slight Pain In The Stomach And Some Spotting Is Seen In The First To The Fourth Week
Pregnancy Symptoms: The period of pregnancy is special for every woman. Through many pregnancy tests and ultrasounds, women can find out whether they are pregnant or not. At the same time, there are some such changes or symptoms in the body from which pregnancy can be estimated. What is generally considered to be the earliest symptom of pregnancy is missed periods. But this is not necessarily the only reason behind the stoppage of menstruation. In such a situation, let us know what are the symptoms of pregnancy and when do they appear
According to experts, the first week of pregnancy starts seven days after the womans last period. In this case, it takes some time for the symptoms to appear. Early symptoms may include morning sickness, fatigue, and increased sensitivity to smell.
Implantation Bleeding: According to experts, in the first to fourth week, there is mild pain in the stomach and some spotting is seen. It is also called implantation bleeding which occurs within 10 to 14 days after conception. Because of this, women may have some amount of bleeding.
Fatigue and weakness: Periods are missed after a month. Fatigue can occur in the fourth-fifth week and by the sixth week, there may be trouble of nosia. Women can experience extreme tiredness, weakness and sleepiness during this period due to increased levels of progesterone hormone.
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How Early Can You Tell If You Are Pregnant
While some women will tell you they had a gut feeling they were pregnant the moment they conceived, this isnt exactly the most reliable information.
Most medical professionals stand by the belief that women will not get reliable pregnancy test results until the first day of their missed periods, when pregnancy hormones have properly developed.
This occurs approximately two weeks after ovulation hence, the two-week wait.
While some over-the-counter pregnancy tests boast an ability to detect pregnancy up to five days before a womans missed period, these arent always dependable.
Waiting until your missed period will typically yield more valid results.
If you take a test that turns out negative, but youre still having pregnancy-related symptoms like food aversions, wait another week and then test again.
Okay, we know you cant stand it. At least wait 2 days.
And make sure you take your tests with your first morning urine.
While false positives are rare, false negatives often occur if a pregnant women test too early.
What Are The Most Common Early Signs Of Pregnancy
- Missed period. If youre in your childbearing years and a week or more has passed without the start of an expected menstrual cycle, you might be pregnant. However, this symptom can be misleading if you have an irregular menstrual cycle.
- Tender, swollen breasts. Early in pregnancy hormonal changes might make your breasts sensitive and sore. The discomfort will likely decrease after a few weeks as your body adjusts to hormonal changes.
- Nausea with or without vomiting. Morning sickness, which can strike at any time of the day or night, often begins one month after you become pregnant. However, some women feel nausea earlier and some never experience it. While the cause of nausea during pregnancy isnt clear, pregnancy hormones likely play a role.
- Increased urination. You might find yourself urinating more often than usual. The amount of blood in your body increases during pregnancy, causing your kidneys to process extra fluid that ends up in your bladder.
- Fatigue. Fatigue also ranks high among early symptoms of pregnancy. During early pregnancy, levels of the hormone progesterone soar which might make you feel sleepy.
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High Blood Pressure And Dizziness During Early Pregnancy
In most cases, high or normal blood pressure will drop in the early stages of pregnancy. This may also cause feelings of dizziness since your blood vessels are dilated.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, as a result of pregnancy is more difficult to determine. Almost all cases of hypertension within the first 20 weeks indicate underlying problems. It may develop during early pregnancy, but it may also be present beforehand.
A medical professional will take your blood pressure during your first doctors visit to help establish a baseline for a normal blood pressure reading.
How Do Pregnancy Tests Work
Pregnancy tests work by detecting a pregnancy hormone known as hCG, human chorionic gonadotropin, which is produced in the developing placenta after the fertilized egg implants in the uterus lining in the first few days following conception. It will continue to be produced at very high levels in the first three to four months of pregnancy. This hormone signals your body to sustain pregnancy and can be detected in your urine and blood.
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When Should I Take A Pregnancy Test
The best time to take a pregnancy test is a week after your missed period. You can take a test earlier, but you may not be producing enough hCG for the test to detect if you test too soon. Your body only produces hCG after the fertilized egg implants itself in the lining of your uterus, and the placenta starts to form. During early pregnancy, your hCG levels will double every two to three days, which is why itâs a good idea to wait with the test. In the meantime, if you are wondering whether youâre pregnant or not, you may want to look out for some early signs of pregnancy, which may include
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tender, swollen breasts
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frequent urination
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morning sickness, which despite its name, is nausea that can occur any time of day
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fatigue.
If you suspect you may be pregnant, you can see how well you know the early signs with our âKnow Your Early Signs of Pregnancyâ quiz.
Morning Sickness Or Nausea
That telltale, queasy feeling known as morning sickness can hit you at any time of day and it typically begins when you’re about 6 weeks pregnant, though it can vary and strike even earlier. For most women, nausea starts by week 9.
Hormones, mainly increased levels of progesterone , can cause the stomach to empty more slowly, resulting in this early pregnancy symptom resembling seasickness.
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Early Changes To Breasts: Tingling Aching Growing
Breast changes can occur between weeks 4 and 6. Youre likely to develop tender and swollen breasts due to hormone changes. This will likely go away after a few weeks when your body has adjusted to the hormones.
Nipple and breast changes can also occur around week 11. Hormones continue to cause your breasts to grow. The areola the area around the nipple may change to a darker color and grow larger.
If youve had bouts with acne before your pregnancy, you may experience breakouts again.
Smell Sensitivity And Food Aversions During Early Pregnancy
Smell sensitivity is a symptom of early pregnancy thats mostly self-reported. Theres little scientific evidence about smell sensitivity during the first trimester. However, it might be important, since smell sensitivity may trigger nausea and vomiting. It may also cause strong distaste for certain foods.
You may experience either a heightened or lessened sense of smell during pregnancy, according to 2017 research. This is especially common during the first and third trimesters. Heightened smell is more common than lessened smell. Some smells that never bothered you before may become less pleasing or even trigger nausea.
The good news is that your sense of smell usually returns to normal after delivery, or within 6 to 12 weeks postpartum.
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