Pregnancy

First Trimester of Pregnancy

Running from week 1 to week 12, your body is undergoing many changes during the first trimester of pregnancy, 3 months in which your body will adjust to the developing baby causing common discomforts such as nausea, morning sickness, fatigue, mood swings, stress, and backaches.

If this is your first baby, there are many question and concerns on your mind that all those second-time mothers-to-be recognize as normal body changes associated with pregnancy. Many of the early pregnancy discomforts will go away as your pregnancy slowly advances.

As each woman is different, so is every single pregnancy. Many women do not suffer from discomforts during this stage, and those expecting a second baby, may feel different this time. However, all women share the same needs; changes to their everyday routine and a few common signs of this early stage.

Morning sickness is more often one of the first symptoms occurring during the first trimester. Nausea and Vomiting are not limited to the morning and can occur at any time of the night or day, gradually disappearing by the second trimester.

Frequent urination is very common during pregnancy, because of your growing uterus pressing on your bladder. However, If you notice pain, pus, blood in your urine or a burning sensation call your health care practitioner immediately, to make sure you do not have a urinary tract infection that might need treatment.

Feeling tired all the time, even when you have had plenty of sleep at night, is another common sign of the first trimester of pregnancy. Tiredness make pregnant women feel exhausted all the time as the only way your body has to tell you about all the extra work it is having to develop a new life, and it needs to get more rest every day.

Try to prevent constipation, eating fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grain cereals, and drinking plenty of water, avoiding caffeine that makes your body lose fluids, leading to constipation. During the first trimester dizziness, will make you feel lightheaded, and even fainting could occur at any stage of your pregnancy.

Avoid cramps caused by changes in the way your body processes calcium by adding enough of this mineral consuming low fat or non-fat milk, calcium-rich foods or mineral supplements prescribed by your physician.

At the end of the 12 th week, the developing baby is about 3 inches long, weighing about half an ounce. The baby's eyes move closer together and into their positions, as well as the ears. The little kidneys begin secreting urine into the bladder and the baby's liver is making bile.

You will not be able to feel how your baby moving yet by the end of the first trimester, because it is only moving inside you as a response to pushing on your abdomen, but the miracle of life will continue throughout the next trimesters.