Lots of changes take place inside a woman’s body in the first three months of pregnancy, thereby producing a number of symptoms. This article provides information regarding the same.
Pregnancy, especially if the woman is carrying for the first time, can be quite unnerving for her. Various symptoms of pregnancy appear suddenly and play havoc with the woman’s body and emotions. Sometimes, the woman may not even know which are normal symptoms and which have to be brought immediately to the attention of her doctor. To solve this problem, it is important to know the symptoms experienced during the first trimester. They may vary from woman to woman. They are:
Morning Sickness
Morning sickness, accompanied by nausea, vomiting, and excess saliva is a symptom which is experienced by women, mostly in the first month of pregnancy. It can extend beyond the first month too, in some cases.
Dizziness and Tiredness
When a woman is pregnant, the entire blood supply inside her body is directed towards the uterus, to help fetal survival and growth. This reduces the blood flow to the brain, making the pregnant woman tired and dizzy at times.
Constipation
Constipation occurs during pregnancy due to the excess production of the progesterone hormone, which relaxes the muscles in the intestines and makes elimination of feces difficult.
Breast Tenderness
During pregnancy, there is excess production of hormones such as estrogen and progesterone. These hormones make the breasts tender and also cause swelling in them, in order to prepare them for breastfeeding.
Increased Urination
In the first trimester, when the uterus of the pregnant woman grows to make room for the baby, it puts pressure on the bladder. This increases the frequency of urination in a pregnant woman. In the fourth month of pregnancy, this increased urination stops as the uterus enters the abdominal cavity during that time.
Edema
A pregnant woman may experience swelling in the face, feet, legs, and hands during the first trimester. It results from an excess of body fluids in a pregnant woman.
Mood Swings
Due to the hormonal changes that take place during pregnancy, the serotonin levels in the brain might get affected, thereby altering the mood of the pregnant woman at the drop of a hat.
Food Cravings
A woman may suddenly develop an aversion to some foods while an instant liking and craving for others during the first three months of pregnancy.
Some of the other symptoms are backache, hypertension, anemia, headaches, varicose veins, indigestion, hemorrhoids, and cramping.
How to Deal with the Symptoms?
To minimize the discomfort caused by over sensitive breasts, a pregnant woman can wear a supportive bra. To get rid of fatigue, she should take adequate rest, breaks in between work, and sleep for at least eight hours in the night. Also, sleeping on the left side might help as it will minimize the pressure on the blood vessels, which supply nutrients and oxygen to the uterus. To get rid of fatigue and stress, she can start a yoga workout or consider some pregnancy exercises.
In order to minimize morning sickness, nausea, and to get rid of anemia, the diet of a pregnant woman should be rich in proteins, iron, and complex carbohydrates. A pregnant woman can also take prenatal vitamin supplements if there is excess vomiting and essential nutrients of the body are getting lost due to it. To deal with excess saliva production, she can chew on a sugarless gum, or brush her teeth three to four times a day with a mint toothpaste.
To reduce the swelling caused due to edema, a mother-to-be should not stand for too long. She should do some sort of pregnancy exercises, few times in a day to maintain proper blood circulation. She should keep her legs raised while sitting, and preferably, sleep on the left side.
Some women might experience all aforementioned symptoms while others may have a smooth pregnancy without any or just a few of these symptoms. It is important to consult a doctor regarding the symptoms of early pregnancy to avoid any kind of health complications and to ensure a safe pregnancy.
Disclaimer: This HerHaleness article is for informative purposes only, and should not be used as a replacement for expert medical advice.
