Pregnancy is a time for growth and expansion. Aside from the obvious changes in body and mood, pregnancy brings increased energy and motivation, which is what makes the baby so special.
When a woman has pregnancy symptoms, she should consult her doctor right away. These include morning sickness, nausea, breast tenderness, back pain, and fatigue that increase in intensity during exercise.
If your symptoms are mild or short-lived, you may be mistaken. According to the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG), women with regular symptoms who have no other signs of disease or injury to their baby should visit their doctor right away.
This includes women with regular symptoms such as nausea, breast tenderness, back pain, and fatigue that increase in intensity during exercise.
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Breast tenderness
One of the most common symptoms of pregnancy is breast tenderness. It can be mild or severe, continuous or intermittent, positive or negative.
The breast may feel swellable or mother may experience a slight increase in size during pregnancy. For some women, the tenderness is greater than for others, and it may last a shorter period of time.
The tenderness can occur anywhere on the breasts, but usually occurs in the areola and/or nipples. The areola is the round shape to the nipple which gets bigger as baby grows.
Some women feel breast tenderness even when they are not pregnant, which leads us to believe it might be something reversible. However, if you are at risk for gestational diabetes because of your diet, then you might want to be aware of this condition.
Mood changes
Changes in mood can be scary or exciting. When you are in the middle of a serious transition, you want to make sure you are prepared.
If you have changes in demeanor or symptoms like fatigue, nausea, and/or painful or uncomfortable monthly periods, it is important to seek medical attention.
Physical changes may be minor like a little weight gain or decrease in size. Others may be more significant like a new symptom or location of pain.
If you have any concerns about your condition, get help from a qualified health professional. You do not need to go through the doctor; you can call an alternative health care provider if your doctor does not accept insurance.
You can also look for help online. Many online support groups and chat rooms are filled with people with similar conditions and ways they seek help.
Eatting disorders
Eating disorders are common in women during pregnancy. While many women suffer from regular dieting and over exercising during normal pregnancy, not everyone has the symptoms of an eating disorder.
Some people with an eating disorder feel compelled to eat only healthy, nutritious foods. Others feel compelled to snack frequently to make sure they are eating a full and adequate diet.
It is important to recognize the signs of an eating disorder in a woman during pregnancy. Signs may include avoiding meals and malnutrition-like behaviors, such as staying awake late or constantly eating and chewing food despite feeling hungry.
Eating disorders can be hard on the body, especially when it starts to grow, so it is important to get help soon after the baby is born.
Frequent cramping
Occasionally, a woman may have significant symptoms that resemble the signs and symptoms of pregnancy. These symptoms can be similar to stages of pregnancy including nausea, mood changes, weight gain, fluid gains, stretching sensation and more.
Some women experience cramping before or during their periods which resemble the signs and symptoms of pregnancy. These cramps may occur once or twice a month and are usually less intense than those that occur during the period.
This is common as it and it should not affect a woman’s decision to get pregnant. Researchers suggest trying again around six months after the cramps stop because some women may have difficulties becoming pregnant again.
Early pregnancy signs
Most pregnant women do not have any noticeable signs or symptoms. This is due to a balance between your body and your baby.
Your body changes in ways that prevent you from being pregnant. These include increased fluid volume, increased fat, and increased ligamentous support. These changes help your baby by providing him with adequate milk to grow and ensure proper development.
Some of these changes are minor and go unnoticed by most people, however, pregnant women are more aware of some symptoms than nonpregnant people. For example, pregnancy symptoms such as frequent urination, heavy flow, and nausea can be more noticeable to someone else than the lack of sexual interest or erectile dysfunction that occurs in nonpregnant people.
This is due to the fact that pregnant women feel some of these symptoms less often because they are being compensated by added growth which they receive from their growing fetus.
Late pregnancy signs
There are several ways that a woman can find herself with late pregnancy symptoms. These include:
• developing nausea or vomiting shortly after trying to become pregnant,
• having morning sickness or early pregnancy symptoms, and/or
• having fatigue or loss of energy during the first part of pregnancy and later in the second and third trimester.
Although rare, this condition is known as monophasic preterm birth (MPB). MPB can happen in either the first or second stage of labor. It is mostly treated by using drugs such as oxytocin to increase labor contraction. Surgery may be needed to correct it if it is not treated by drugs.
If you think that you may have MPB, try to keep your symptoms under control until you check with your doctor.
What to expect when you’re expecting
If you’re expecting a baby, you may feel some changes in your body. These include changes in appetite, energy level, emotions, symptoms and signs of infection, fluid retention and/or swelling, pain or discomfort when pushing out a baby’s head
Pregnancy symptoms are common. About half of women experience morning sickness, which varies from person to person, and includes headaches, nausea and/or hunger for food.
Some people also experience morning sickness during the week before the baby is born and during the postpartum period. Morning sickness can last from about a week after conception until after the baby is born.
If you feel sick often or if your husband or other family members report signs of morning sickness, you may be past the stage where just eating healthy foods can prevent pregnancy symptoms like nausea and/or diarrhea.
Hormones raging
While some women report having signs and symptoms of pregnancy such as increased fat stores, increased energy levels, and changes in metabolism, the research shows that only women who are in the early stages of pregnancy can experience some of these symptoms.
However, even then, the risk to the baby is very small.