Pregnancy

What to Expect Now that I'm Pregnant

Now that you are pregnant, you eagerly await the arrival of your baby but also expecting the answer to many questions, fears, worries and a whole world of the unknown if this is your first pregnancy. Second-time mothers also share the joyful sensation, although their concerns are not as big as those experienced by a new mother-to-be.

Whatever your pregnancy status, this should be a pleasant stage in which many changes occur to your body and your lifestyle. Natural changes occur as part of the miracle to give birth, but other changes coming from your own will, in order to guarantee your baby's wellness, or because your doctor determines that you need to modify your habits.

One of the first signs of pregnancy that you should expect is nausea and vomiting known as morning sickness. This condition does not have a negative effect on the developing baby, but causes discomfort to you.

Eat smaller, more frequent meals, instead of three large meals a day, and drink enough fluids between meals, including water and natural fruits juices, particularly citrus that contain high level of folic acid that your body needs during pregnancy.

As part of the process to becoming a mother, another expectation is avoidance, in order to improve your own health and that of your baby. Avoid alcohol, coffee and other beverages with caffeine, excessive intake of iron and vitamins, high fat foods and fries, as well as dairy products during the first trimester if they cause you nausea.

You should also expect additional rest periods during the day, and increasing fatigue and tiredness during the first 3 months of pregnancy. You may also notice several pulling pains in your lower belly and hip areas, caused by the growth of your uterus, accompanied often with stretch marks and changes in your skin tone, which fade after birth.

When you are pregnant, constipation may often occur, which may have you straining to have a bowel movement. Second and subsequent pregnancies seem to be like the first one causing you confusion, because changes happen again but different from the previous time.

This feeling and the changes themselves all are normal, because every pregnancy is unique, physically and emotionally, although all the care, exercising and so on will remain the same or with slight modifications, that your obstetrician may indicate.

Symptoms and signs that you may expect in every pregnancy, at different stages, are fatigue, headaches, morning sickness, cramps, constipation, frequent urination, skin changes, nail changes, hair changes, heartburn, breast changes, changes in vision, faintness, dizziness, vaginal discharge, stress, mood swings and sleep disturbances.