Early pregnancy symptoms

Our bodies do some amazing things while cooking our little buns. And all of these things start happening from the moment of conception. I believe that if you know your body well enough, you’ll pick up on all these little changes pretty early on. Well that was the case for me anyway. Again, when you start experiencing pregnancy symptoms will vary. So if you get to say week 8 or 9 or even 11 or 12 and you still don’t ‘feel’ pregnant don’t panic.

Some things you may notice are a runny nose (due to the hormones you can get swelling in the mucus membranes ), headaches (again, due to the extra hormones), mood swings (thanks again, hormones), bloating, cramping, gas, backaches, leg aches, sore (read excruciating)  & possibly much larger boobs. Then there’s the constipation and, on the other end of the scale, the times you’re on the toilet every half an hour, and not to wee. Let’s not forget the tiredness that smacks you in the face several times a day, or the 20 trips to the loo during the night and the midnight leg cramps (which doesn’t help the tiredness factor). Oh and apparently your hair grown quicker too, which is great for the hair on your head that you’re always encouraging to grow, not so great for the 20 billion other hairs on your body that you’re constantly trying to get rid of…

One of the first things I noticed was my sense of smell suddenly became better then that of a blood hound. It's bizarre. If someone was eating vegemite 7 desks away from me, I could smell it. That doesn't seem to go away either. I can tell you exactly what my neighbour at work is eating without even looking. Even if it's a sandwhich, with cucumber on it. Like I said, bizarre. It doesn't help though when you get whiffs of something that doesn't sit well with you. It's amazing how smells can turn your stomach when pregnant, sometimes quite literally. Like dog food. Luckily my fabulous fiance feeds our dogs otherwise the poor buggers would be getting weet-bix for dinner every night. I've spent a lot of my pregnancy breathing through my mouth to avoid smells that could possibly cause a quick evacuation of my breakfast. My suggestion, do the same! 

There could be times when you could feel like you’re getting your period after you’ve gotten your big positive on a home pregnancy test. Again, please don’t panic. This is quite common and isn’t necessarily a sign of something bad. I was convinced that my period was coming in the days leading up to finding out I was pregnant as well as for a few weeks afterwards. You'll probably experience a range of aches & pains in your pelvic region at different times during your pregnancy. This is mainly due to everything getting ready to house your little one for the next 9 months. So things need to stretch and move around in order to make room. It’s often called round ligament pain. I found a heat pack or warm bath helped to relieve it. However if any cramping gets unbearable or is accompanied by any bleeding go & get checked by your doctor or local hospital ASAP. 

You might notice an increase in cervical mucus (I know, gross right?). This is due to (again) the increase in estrogen and other hormones. It can also act as an infection barrier helping to protect your developing foetus from any nasties that could try to get it there. So it does have a purpose other then just to gross you out.

For those of you who are fake tanners (firstly check that what you’re using is ok and spray tans aren’t a great idea to be getting regularly because of the fumes you breathe in) don’t be surprised if it just doesn’t seem to work as well as normal. I don’t even know the reason for it (I’m guessing.. hormones?) but I found that my fake tan wouldn’t develop as well as normal & it didn’t last as long as usual either.

I have never known a hunger like early pregnancy hunger. It seriously feels like your stomach is eating itself, even if you’ve only just eaten. I could devour 3 cheeseburgers in about 3 minutes flat in the 1^st week after discovering I was pregnant (Of course, this was before the sickness set in & I actually still had an appetite). It was quite impressed with myself! I found I was snacking for most of the day as well as having 3 (or 5) main meals. This hunger I’ve noticed comes & goes throughout the pregnancy. It can ease right off only to come back with a vengeance a few weeks later. Whatever the case, just go with it. If you’re hungry, eat! And ignore the people who will no doubt give you the typical ‘oh I see you really are eating for 2’ looks and comments. You have a good reason for eating so much. They do not.

Chances are you’ll also experience some heartburn at some stage during your pregnancy. I’d never had it before and I must say I don’t care for it. I’d like it to bugger off & leave me alone. But, it’s not that easy to get rid of unfortunately. And it doesn’t necessarily matter what you’ve eaten. It’s mainly due to all the muscles in your tummy relaxing to allow bubs to grow & that therefore means stomach acid & the like can escape easier. Oh yay. I’ve found that cold milk seems to be my saviour & works quite well. I haven’t tired any of the actual heartburn medications at this stage as the thought of trying to take tablets or any form of liquid that doesn’t taste like potatoes makes me queasy. So milk will do for now.

I don’t know about you, but since being a hormonal teenager I haven’t had a heap of pimples in my life. I mean sure, I’d get the odd one here & there but nothing over the top. Enter pregnancy & the arrival of hundreds (ok, so I might be being slightly over dramatic) of gross, disgusting pimples. And not just on your face either might I add. You can expect them on your chest, back, shoulders, thighs (yes, thighs).. And as soon as one lot seems to clear up the next lot moves in. It’s not pleasant! My recommendation is get a good pimple cream for night time & get a fabulous concealer for the day time. And if all else fails, just don’t look at them!

I’m sure there are things I’ve missed. I know, I can hear you now.. ‘there’s more??’ and I know I make pregnancy sound like some form of medieval torture. But unfortunately these are all joys of pregnancy that you might be blessed with. But, you might be lucky & escape most/some of it. And at the very least if you have a heads up you might go into it with a chance of dealing with it all a bit better then if you were going in unprepared.

Feel free to add any comments or symptoms you’ve dealt with during your pregnancy. Like I said, there’s sure to be stuff I’ve forgotten!