Early Pregnancy Symptoms

One of the top Google topics in the world is early pregnancy symptoms. The rate at which people are getting pregnant all over the world is immense. At the moment, girls as young as 12 years are engaging in active sexual intercourse. While the legal age for consent in most countries is 18 years, it is virtually impossible to monitor the sex lives of the children out there. This is not to mean that the topic is not popular among older people. As such, this article seeks to explore the common early pregnancy symptoms.  

Prickling and tingling nipples are the first common sign of early pregnancy. Often, tingling nipples occur about one week after conception since the pregnancy hormones start increasing the blood flow to your nipples. The sensation tends to subside as you get used to it and as the body adapts to the new condition. Changes that occur in the nipples is one of the earliest pregnancy signs that an individual can look for. Later on as the pregnancy progresses, most of the women normally experience swollen breasts, which become increasingly tender to touch. However, this occurs later on, approximately 6 weeks into the pregnancy. Some women may notice that the breast become fuller and some bluish veins may be visible. The tenderness of breasts usually occur in greater intensity during the first trimester. The intensity of tenderness also tends to dwindle during the 2nd and the 3rd trimesters.

Spotting and cramping is one of the other early pregnancy symptoms. Spotting often occurs during the early stages of pregnancy as a result of implantation. Once the egg is implanted into the uterus, one may experience very light bleeding and blood spots in the panties. Spotting may also occur around the time when you normally expect your periods. Often, this is the result of hormonal changes as the body adapts to the pregnancy. As such, spotting can be used as one of the earliest tell signs of pregnancy. 

In addition, the occurrence of morning sickness and general nausea is a sign that the woman is pregnant. Morning sickness usually does not affect every woman; the lucky ones usually escape unscathed. However, most of the women begin getting nausea once they become pregnant. In fact, one of the most common and public signs of pregnancy is the occurrence of morning sickness. In general, nausea can occur in the morning, during the day and at night. Often, the woman may vomit all over the place and experience headaches.

Fatigue and a need to pee frequently often accompany pregnancy during the early stages. As an early pregnancy symptom, peeing frequently may not be very conclusive. The need to pee usually increases as the pregnancy progresses. Often, it is attributed to the fact the baby rests on the urinary bladder therefore its inability to hold urine for long. In addition, due to the pregnancy hormones, a larger volume of blood is produced in your body. In essence, this means that the kidneys are working extra hard to clean the blood in the body. It is the body's way of protecting the baby as well as the mother from toxic substances within the blood. Fatigue on the other hand is a common symptom, as the body prepares for the baby, various changes occur within your internal system.

As the changes occur within your body, one of the early pregnancy symptoms is the darkening of your nipples. This is normally lumped together with the skin color changes that afflict most women during the period of pregnancy. The vagina may also change in color growing to purplish or red. The hormonal changes that occur as a result of pregnancy usually vary from one person to the next.  

The surest early pregnancy symptom is the missing of your period. Before we explore this particular early pregnancy symptom, it is important to note that not every time that an individual misses their period, they are pregnant. Women can have irregular periods, which occur at different times of the year. That being said, missing your period is often a sign that implantation has occurred. This changes the hormonal imbalance of the body therefore leading to the absence of the period. However, the surest way to determine if you are pregnant is by taking a test, preferably at a medical center or facility. 

Pregnancy: What Women Should Know?

Pregnancy and that whole phase of pregnancy is a wonderful stage in an amazing and blissful experience for every woman. Yet it is essential that every woman knows the basic tips for care and precautions during pregnancy. Doctors do let you know but apart from this your own knowledge also matters a lot. So here is a small guide for you. 

What is pregnancy?

Before gaining any knowledge it is essential to know, what exactly is pregnancy and how does it take place. Well, it is known to all that a male sperm penetrates an egg and fertilizes it. The process usually happens in the woman's fallopian tube after ovulation, i.e. when the matured egg was released from one of her ovaries.

There are 23 chromosomes in a sperm, which includes one of two types of sex chromosomes, i.e. X chromosome or Y chromosome. Sperm with an X chromosome that fertilizes an egg will produce a girl, on the other hand a Y chromosome sperm will produce a boy. Every egg also has 23 chromosomes. In total 46 chromosomes are required to make a human. This fusion of sperm and egg makes the number 46 in total.

Soon after the fertilization, the zygote starts to divide. This process continues until there is a cluster of cells formed. Five to seven days later the division and growth, it attaches itself to the wall of the uterus called the ‘womb’ and puts out root like veins called villi. These villi make sure that the embryo is well anchored to the lining of the uterus.  Villi will eventually become the placenta that feeds and protects the embryo or fetus. Through this placenta the embryo or fetus receives its oxygen and nutrition and expels waste.

Stages during pregnancy or trimesters:

There are 3 trimesters of pregnancy:

The 1st trimester:

In this phase there are 13 weeks known to be the first 13 weeks of pregnancy. In this stage the baby develops the fastest and becomes almost fully formed by the end of it. Most women say that this trimester is actually the period when they are most likely to feel tired, with nausea and breast tenderness.

The 2nd trimester:

The 14th to 26th week of the pregnancy is known as the third trimester. In this trimester it becomes obvious that the mother is pregnant. The body weight keeps increasing because of the growing baby, along with the expanded uterus and the placenta, and even the amniotic fluid, which the mother lays down extra reserves of fat. During the second trimester it is said that the mother will feel the baby's movements, like others if they place their hands on the mothers stomach. The movements may sometimes be observed without touching as well.

The 3rd trimester:

The 3rd trimester is from week 27 until the baby is born. In this trimester the baby will build up fat stores, this continues growing rapidly. In this phase the baby's lungs will develop, with his or her sense of hearing, tasting and sight. There are chances that the mother may experience backache and even find it harder to get into the right position for a good night's sleep. In this the mother will also be urinating more often as the baby and everything around him or her presses against her bladder. The mother may also experience contractions that take place many days or weeks before the birth - called Braxton Hicks contractions; these are not the contractions of labor.

Symptoms of pregnancy:

A woman is pregnant when there is an embryo or fetus developing in the uterus. So, if any of these signs and symptoms apply to you, then there is a good chance you being pregnant. Well, the first symptom is a must, whereas the others are possibilities. So, if your breasts are tender but your period has come, then certainly you are not pregnant; for this you must have a missed period.

Signs of pregnancy are:

1. Missed period
2. Nausea with or without vomiting
3. Tiredness
4. Dizziness
5. Breast changes
6. Breast tenderness
7. Frequent urination

Nausea is very common sign of pregnancy and generally affects pregnant women during the first three to four months of the pregnancy. Next to this comes tiredness, which tends to be more acute during the first and last three months.

Precautions to be taken during pregnancy:

Here are some steps for the best pregnancy, that a mother can do to reduce risks of complications for her and her baby:

• Number one is Physical Activity with some kind of moderate exercise. It not only helps in general health and bodyweight control,  but also prepares the mother for a more successful labor and delivery.
• Next to this is maintaining good bodyweight, so that the babies are born healthy.
• No smoking; is advised to a pregnant mother who smokes regularly, as this significantly increases the chances of having an underweight or premature baby.
• No Alcohol consumption; as the consumption of alcohol while pregnant can harm the baby.
• No Overworking; as too much work is linked to a higher risk of pregnancy problems.
• Medications; a pregnant mother should only take medicines that are prescribed to her by the doctor.
• Avoiding air pollution; as avoiding air pollution is hard if the mother lives in a highly polluted area. Yet certain strategies may be helpful like opening windows on the side of the house with less pollution coming in, avoiding certain streets, etc. 
• Some types of fish; have high levels of mercury, like shark, barracuda, marlin, swordfish. Tuna is also suggested to be avoided.
• Good Diet is a must for a pregnant mother; including plenty of fruits and vegetables, along with whole grains.
• Caffeine is to be avoided by a pregnant mother, or at least cut down on her caffeine intake.
• Avoiding bacterial infections from food is also a must.
• Gardening should be avoided as there are infections that can be picked up from soil and some animal feces.
• Cat feces can cause toxoplasmosis that may affect the baby. So a pregnant woman should avoid all contact with cat feces, along with cat litters and feces in soil.