When Will Your Baby Be Born
One of the first things youâll probably want to know when you find out that youâre pregnant is how far along you are and when youâll finally get to meet your little one.
Pregnancy usually lasts for between 37 and 42 weeks, counted from the first day of your last period, but your âdue dateâ falls at the end of 40 weeks.
You can use our due date calculator to work out when that is, but keep in mind that itâs actually quite unusual for a baby to be born precisely on the due date.
For most mums-to-be, labour starts within a week or two either side of the due date.
Changes In Urination And Bowel Movements
Beginning about six weeks into the first trimester and throughout her pregnancy, a woman may need to pee more frequently.
Frequent bathroom visits happen in early pregnancy because the kidneys are working harder to filter the extra fluids in the body, such as an increased volume of blood. As the months pass and the fetus grows and develops in a woman’s uterus, it can put pressure on her bladder, causing a need to urinate more often than usual, according to the .
Constipation may be caused by extra progesterone, which can slow down the digestive system so that more nutrients can reach the fetus. Pregnancy hormones can also relax muscles that push waste products through the intestines. Being physically active, drinking lots of liquids and increasing dietary fiber can all help ease constipation, according to the Mayo Clinic.
You Missed Your Period
You should take a pregnancy test. If it’s positive, you’re pregnant. If it’s negative, wait a few more days and retest. If it’s another negative, you’re still not experiencing any symptoms of pregnancy, and you’re sure you’re taking the test correctly, then you’re probably not pregnant and you’ve missed your period for another reason.
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I Think I Might Be Pregnant
Nothing is more likely to make you feel like youre in limbo than suspecting that youre pregnant but not knowing for sure. Sure, it can cause you undue stress, worry, and anxiety, but it can also make you feel hopeful and excited.
Early warning signs and symptoms can give you a heads up that you may be pregnant. Just keep in mind that they are not to be taken as sure signs of pregnancy, but rather indicators instead. Youll want to take a pregnancy test to know for sure.
Not all women experience pregnancy the same, nor do they experience the same early pregnancy symptoms. While many do experience early pregnancy symptoms, they may be different for you than they are for your colleague or best friend.
Whats more, if youve been pregnant before, the early symptoms you experience this time around may not be the same as your last pregnancy. Keep in mind, that many of these symptoms mimic menstruation symptoms before you get your period and after so you might be pregnant and not even realize it.
Below are some of the common early pregnancy signs and symptoms. However, its important to know that these symptoms could be due to other things going on with your body other than pregnancy. Therefore, youre not necessarily pregnant if you notice any of the symptoms below. Again, as it bears repeating, the only way to know for sure if youre pregnant is to take a pregnancy test.
Alternative Ways To Check For Pregnancy
If you dont want to buy a test yet, there are other ways you can find out whether its likely youre pregnant or not. But keep in mind that this is in no way accurate, and pregnancy tests are the best way to confirm your pregnancy.
All of the symptoms listed above can be early signs of pregnancy, but dont always mean that you are. If youre experiencing several of them at once, it could be a sign that its time to take a test.
Clearblue has a free online quiz which asks you about any symptoms, as well as what contraceptives youve been using, if applicable. It takes minutes and they can give you advice on whether or not to use one of their tests.
You also know your own body better than anyone, so you might identify significant changes to your mood, physical changes to your body especially around the stomach. If you have regular periods, any changes to that routine could indicate youre expecting too.
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What Precautions Should You Take During Early Pregnancy
Even if you havenât spotted any signs of pregnancy very early on, youâll want to do everything you can to stay healthy and safe. In fact, itâs always wise to take some precautions as soon as you start trying to conceive or learn that youâre pregnant.Even simple adjustments can help support you as you start your pregnancy! Though youâll want to consult your healthcare provider to determine whatâs best for you, some worthwhile lifestyle changes and precautions include
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taking folic acid.
When you start trying for a baby or learn that youâre pregnant, folic acid is essential, as itâs a B vitamin that helps reduce the risk of certain birth defects that affect the babyâs brain and spine. Your healthcare provider can recommend a prenatal vitamin that contains at least 400 micrograms of folic acid. Pre-pregnancy is also a great time to eliminate some less healthy habits, including
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smoking
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exposure to secondhand smoke
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drinking alcohol.
In addition, your provider may recommend limiting your daily consumption of caffeine. Talk with your healthcare provider about the best ways to stay healthy and safe when youâre pregnant. For more general advice, download our pregnancy guide!
Will You Notice Any Pregnancy Symptoms During Weeks 1 2 Or 3
During weeks one, two, or three, you may not even suspect youâre pregnant and you might not notice any pregnancy symptoms at all, as itâs still very early. Donât worryâthis is common .Missing a period is often the first clue that you may be pregnant, and around the time you miss a periodâor a little laterâyou may start noticing those very early pregnancy symptoms. One common early pregnancy symptom is implantation bleeding, which is light spotting that occurs when the tiny ball of cells attaches to the uterine lining. Not everyone experiences it, but this light bleeding is normal and can sometimes be mistaken for menstrual blood. It usually happens 10 to 14 days after conception.Other signs of pregnancy in the first month can include
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bloating
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moodiness
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frequent urination.
Morning sickness is another common symptom of early pregnancy, but it usually crops up between weeks 4 and 9.Now that you know these early signs of pregnancy, take our quiz to test your knowledge!
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Having Sex Getting Pregnant
Here’s another common question from couples trying to conceive: How often should we have sex? In short, the answer is often.
A lot of couples trying to conceive spend a lot of energy timing sex, with mathematical precision, to calculate when a woman is prime for ovulation. Theoretically, the approach makes sense. Recent studies have shown the window of opportunity for a sperm to fertilize an egg is pretty small: Essentially, it’s only 3-5 days leading up to ovulation and the day of ovulation itself. Your best chances are 1-2 days prior to ovulation. Doctors recommend intercourse every other day starting the week before ovulation or beginning after the end of your period.
Continued
But while timing your lovemaking exclusively to those few days makes logical sense, it also has some drawbacks — primarily because your body doesn’t always behave with clockwork regularity. Even if your cycle is regular, ovulation can occur at any time during the cycle. If you’re having sex on the day you think you’re ovulating, and you’re off by a few days, you may be out of luck.
So the expert advice is to hedge your bets: Have sex at least two to three times every week. As long as the man has a normal sperm count, having sex every other day further increases your chances of getting pregnant.
When To Take A Pregnancy Test
A pregnancy test measures the amount of Human Chorionic Gonadotropin hormone in the urine. This hormone is only present when a woman is pregnant. As the egg grows into an embryo, the cells that surround it and later become the placenta produce hCG.
Planned Parenthood indicate that it is best to take a pregnancy test as soon after a missed period as possible. A pregnancy test may return a positive result as early as 10 days after a person has had sex without contraception. However, it typically takes about 3 weeks before theres enough hCG in the urine to produce a positive pregnancy test.
There are many affordable and reliable pregnancy tests available over-the-counter or online. A home pregnancy test can tell whether you are pregnant in a few minutes, with most claiming to offer almost
1 week after a missed period. Results of a pregnancy test are either positive or negative.
If a woman takes the pregnancy test earlier than 1 week after a missed period, it may give a negative result, even if the person is actually pregnant.
If a person believes they are pregnant despite a negative test result, they should repeat the test after 1 week.
To avoid a false negative result, check the pregnancy tests expiration date, and carefully follow the written directions.
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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.
When Can I Find Out The Sex Of The Baby
Finding out youre pregnant is one of the most memorable experiences in a womans life. The news may come as a shock but once the enormity of what lies ahead sinks in, you have the thrill of telling everyone, and picking out names.
This becomes your new normal: youre pregnant. A little human being is joining your family and becoming the center of your universe. You need a nursery, provisions and so much more. But before all of that, some parents want to know the sex of the baby as soon as possible.
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Unusual Feelings And Emotions
If your emotions feel a little out of balance in early pregnancy, the reason is once again hormones. Its most common in the first trimester, so the feeling of being on an emotional roller coaster will likely settle down after a little while.
As with other early pregnancy symptoms, you may find that staying active, eating a healthy diet, and maintaining a social life can help you deal with these symptoms.
Light Bleeding Or Spotting
Implantation bleeding is the light vaginal bleeding that typically occurs about 10 to 14 days after conception. It shouldnt cause anything more than mild spotting, which you may notice in your underwear. Implantation bleeding can also be accompanied by mild cramps that resemble the cramps of menstruation.
If the bleeding is heavy or if the cramping is severe, contact a health care provider for advice.
Along with light bleeding, some women notice white, milky vaginal discharge. This is completely normal and is the result of increased development in the lining of the vagina. The discharge may continue throughout pregnancy and does not usually have any other symptoms. Seek a health care providers opinion if the discharge smells bad or is accompanied by itching. You may need to be treated for a bacterial or yeast infection.
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Do All Women Get Early Symptoms Of Pregnancy
Every woman is different. So are their experiences of pregnancy. Not every woman has the same symptoms or even the same symptoms from one pregnancy to the next.
Also, because the early symptoms of pregnancy often mimic the symptoms you might experience right before and during menstruation, you may not realize you’re pregnant.
What follows is a description of some of the most common early symptoms of pregnancy. You should know that these symptoms may be caused by other things besides being pregnant. So the fact that you notice some of these symptoms does not necessarily mean you are pregnant. The only way to tell for sure is with a pregnancy test.
The Best Time In Your Cycle
The best time to take a pregnancy test is after your period is late. If you dont want to wait until youve missed your period, you should wait for at least one to two weeks after you had sex. If you are pregnant, your body needs time to develop detectable levels of hCG.
If you have an irregular cycle or you dont chart your cycles, dont take a test until youve passed the longest menstrual cycle you usually have. For example, if your cycles range from 30 to 35 days, the best time to take a test would be day 36 or later.
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How Soon Can You Tell If Youre Pregnant 24 Really Early Signs
So you think you may be pregnant? But how early can you tell if you really are?
Honestly, its hard to pinpoint exactly how soon you can tell if youre pregnant because each one of us is unique.
Some women get a 6th sense about it straight away , while others dont know until months down the line.
Most of us will fall somewhere in the middle of these two extremes and well start to get an inkling we may be pregnant within 2-4 weeks of conception.
Pregnancy symptoms are usually very mild in the first couple of weeks making them hard to detect without a blood or urine test. Usually, the first sign is a late period. But what other early signs and symptoms will give you a clue to whether youre pregnant or not?
And how early can you take a pregnancy test to find out for sure?
How reliable are urine pregnancy tests, what can you do to make sure you get an accurate result and what might cause a false positive?
What about super early symptoms, like before implantation? Is that even possible?
We answer all your questions below.
How Soon Can You Find Out If Youre Pregnant
The symptoms of pregnancy explained above are the most common ones but often the signs and symptoms experienced are very mild and easily attributed to other reasons.
If you frequently experience headaches and can confidently chalk your mood swings up to, say, a social media article that just set you off, looking for stronger indicators like morning sickness and changes in discharge would be a good start.
If you do notice a cluster of symptoms, following up with a home pregnancy test is your best next move.
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Stay In Bed Right After Intercourse
You have probably heard this one — lie in bed with your feet in the air after having sex to increase your chances of getting pregnant. The verdict? Not true.
“It’s good advice to lay in bed for 10 to 15 minutes after intercourse, but you don’t need your feet in the air,” Goldfarb says. “Your pelvis does not move when you put your legs in the air.” Don’t go the bathroom during this time either, he says. “If you wait 10 to 15 minutes, the sperm that is going to get into the cervix will be in the cervix.”
Why You Feel Pregnant
It can be fairly common to experience some physical symptoms as you enter into what many people call the two-week wait, the period of time between when you ovulate and when you expect your period. These symptoms can include:
- Breast soreness
- Mood swings
- Nausea and/or changes in appetite
While all of the symptoms could be pregnancy symptoms, they are more likely explained by either fluctuation in your hormones due to your menstrual cycle, or by other events in your life. These events can include illness, stress, or even something as simple as not enough sleep or too much exercise.
Some people experience premenstrual syndrome symptoms as pregnancy symptoms, where others do not typically have these symptoms every cycle.
When you experience a symptom that is not common to your cycle, it may be easily confused with a potential pregnancy.
To help relieve focusing on these symptoms, you can take positive steps for your physical and emotional health. Eating nutritious foods, quitting smoking, and limiting or avoiding alcohol will promote your health and wellness whether or not it turns out you are pregnant.
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Get A Preconception Checkup
Before you officially start trying, get a checkup. Ask your doctor aboutprenatal vitaminsthat havefolic acid, which helps protect against some birth defects, such asspina bifida. Folic acid works during the early stages of pregnancy, so that’s why it’s important to make sure you’re getting enough folic acid even before you get pregnant.
“Do this the cycle before you start trying,” says Paula Hillard, MD, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Stanford University. “If you have any underlying medical problems, they need to be under control before you can safely become pregnant.”
