People say becoming pregnant is just one of the most precious moments in a woman’s life. It changes you not just physically, but emotionally and mentally as well. But when do I start pregnancy symptoms? When does the journey begin?
These are just some of the questions I too did ask myself (and a few friends) when I was suspecting myself to be pregnant with our very first child.
I am a very active person and the thought of being pregnant without even knowing it was kind of scary. Thus, I keep asking people – particularly mom friends – on when do I start pregnancy symptoms. I am a control freak, thus, not knowing when or how do I know it is a big no-no for me.
Well, I guess it’s just not me. Perhaps you would agree if I say a lot of women also ask the very same question. It’s like there is that feeling of entitlement of knowing when or how to be sure you won’t do anything that will harm the baby.
Now, while there are pregnancy tests and ultrasounds, and other medical tests to help determine whether or not you are pregnant, there are also other signs and symptoms to watch out for. Later on, I will be sharing with you a list of the common symptom or signs that a woman experiences if she is expecting a baby!
But first –
What is pregnancy?
Well, first and foremost, pregnancy refers to the condition or stage of being pregnant. Also known as gestation, it basically pertains to the time when one or more offspring develops inside a woman’s uterus.
According to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office on Women’s Health website, “pregnancy lasts about 40 weeks, counting from the first day of your last normal period”. The weeks of pregnancy are grouped into three trimesters:
– The first Trimester pertains to pregnancy week 1 to 12
– The second Trimester refers to pregnancy week 13 to 28
– The third Trimester covers pregnancy week 29 to 40
However, it must be noted that a woman does not necessarily mean she has to give birth at week 40 only. Generally, healthcare providers consider weeks 38 to 40 as the safest weeks to give birth. Interestingly, most babies usually come out of the womb during this period.
Furthermore, in every stage of pregnancy, a woman feels different. As the baby grows inside her womb, more changes also happen not just on her body but even with her mood.
What happens during each pregnancy period?
As mentioned, pregnancy is divided into three trimesters, and that in each trimester, a lot of changes happen in a woman. To give you an idea, here’s a piece of information from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services – Office on Women’s Health to serve as your reference:
First Trimester (Week 1 to 12)
During this stage of pregnancy, a woman’s body goes through so many changes. In fact, hormonal changes affect every single organ in a woman’s body. Because of these changes, some symptoms are triggered even in the very first weeks of pregnancy. Apart from your period stopping, which is the common clear sign, a pregnant woman may also experience the following:
- Extreme tiredness
- Tender, swollen breasts. Your nipples might also stick out.
- Upset stomach with or without throwing up (morning sickness)
- Cravings or distaste for certain foods
- Mood swings
- Constipation (trouble having bowel movements)
- Need to pass urine more often
- Headache
- Heartburn
- Weight gain or loss
To cope with the changes in your body, it would be best to adjust your daily routine like going to bed earlier than usual or eating frequent but small meals. While the first few weeks can be a little discomforting, it will eventually change as the pregnancy progresses. Although some women are lucky enough not to feel any discomfort at all.
Second Trimester (Week 13 to 28)
A lot of women find the second trimester as the easiest stage of pregnancy. It is during the second trimester when women feel better. Most women feel that symptoms like nausea and fatigue are gone during this stage. However, more noticeable changes to your body are likely to happen during this stage. Your baby bump usually starts to show up during this stage. And guess what? Before the second trimester ends, you will start feeling the little movements of your baby inside your tummy.
Since your body will experience more noticeable changes during this stage, it is normal to feel or notice some of the following:
- Body aches, such as back, abdomen, groin, or thigh pain
- Stretch marks on your abdomen, breasts, thighs, or buttocks
- Darkening of the skin around your nipples
- A line on the skin running from belly button to pubic hairline
- Patches of darker skin, usually over the cheeks, forehead, nose, or upper lip. Patches often match on both sides of the face. This is sometimes called the mask of pregnancy.
- Numb or tingling hands called carpal tunnel syndrome
- Itching on the abdomen, palms, and soles of the feet. (Call your doctor if you have nausea, loss of appetite, vomiting, jaundice or fatigue combined with itching. These can be signs of a serious liver problem.)
- Swelling of the ankles, fingers, and face. (If you notice any sudden or extreme swelling or if you gain a lot of weight really quickly, call your doctor right away. This could be a sign of preeclampsia.)
Third Trimester (Week 29 to 40)
The third trimester is the last stretch of pregnancy. It’s actually a mixture of emotions once you get into this stage. You feel happy that it is almost over and you are going to finally meet your baby soon, but at the same time, you feel nervous about giving birth or about becoming a mom to your baby (especially for first-time-moms). You also feel anxious about everything.
During this stage, women usually start to feel discomfort because of the growing baby. In fact, some women may find it difficult to breathe. Also, it is during this time that you may have to go to the bathroom so often to pee, which is normal because of the baby’s growing weight that causes more pressure on your internal organs.
At the third trimester, you may experience or notice any of the following:
- Shortness of breath
- Heartburn
- Swelling of the ankles, fingers, and face. (If you notice any sudden or extreme swelling or if you gain a lot of weight really quickly, call your doctor right away. This could be a sign of preeclampsia.)
- Hemorrhoids
- Tender breasts, which may leak a watery pre-milk called colostrum
- Your belly button may stick out
- Trouble sleeping
- The baby “dropping”, or moving lower in your abdomen
- Contractions, which can be a sign of real or false labor
As your due date approaches, your cervix will become thinner and softer, which is called effacing. Don’t worry, that is very normal. It’s part of the process to help the birth canal (also known as the vagina) to open up when already giving birth. Normally, your doctor will check your progress by conducting a vaginal exam. While it’s a very exciting moment, I must say, it also is one of the most excruciating points in the whole pregnancy journey.
When do I start pregnancy symptoms?
Like I mentioned earlier, it’s very common among women to ask when do I start pregnancy symptoms especially those who are expecting or have long been trying to get pregnant.
Earlier, I already shared with your some symptoms that usually happen or that you will notice in every pregnancy stage or period. But I will be sharing with you a more detailed one in a while.
Now, first of all, you have to understand that pregnancy is based on the first day of your last menstrual period. In fact, your last menstrual period is considered as your first week of pregnancy. Yes, even if you are not even pregnant yet.
Since I am not a medical expert, I have to be honest that I do not really know the reason behind that. I too have been wondering why is that so. But in all fairness, it works!
Anyway, when it comes to calculating your expected delivery date or EDD, healthcare professionals use the first day of your last menstrual period. The doctor counts from then, until the 40th week.
Having said that, it is normal for women not to feel anything or notice any changes while in the first few weeks of pregnancy.
But just so you know, here are some of the common symptoms to know if you are indeed pregnant:
- Missed Monthly Menstrual Period
This is the most common symptom of all. What happens is – once the process of implantation is complete, the body will start producing human chorionic gonadotropin or hCG. It’s a hormone that helps the body keep the pregnancy. It is also the one responsible for telling the ovaries to stop releasing eggs for the next few months.
I remember when I would ask friends when do I start pregnancy symptoms, this is the common answer I get. Once you miss your period, it’s safe to assume that you are indeed expecting especially if you have a regular monthly period. True enough, when I missed my period, just a few days after, I conducted a pregnancy test at home, and yes, the result was positive!
While a missed period is a good indication that you are pregnant, you may as well do a home test that can help detect hCG as soon as eight days after your missed period. Some women though do it even as early as three to five days after the missed menstrual period. Basically, all you need to do this test is your urine.
There are different pregnancy tests available out there. You can either use the digital ones or the typical pregnancy tests that show two red signs when it’s positive.
Now, once the indicator says you are positive for pregnancy, immediately schedule your first prenatal appointment.
- Cramping and Spotting
Another common sign of pregnancy is cramping and spotting. Although sometimes, women have mistaken spot for a regular monthly period. Thus, it is better to have yourself checked or conduct a pregnancy test to be sure.
Just so you know, during the first to fourth week of pregnancy, everything is still happening on what they call as a cellular level, which means, the fertilized eggs create blastocyst, which will eventually develop into the baby’s body parts as well as organs.
On the pregnancy cycle, the implantation of the blastocyst in the endometrium or the lining of the uterus usually happens between the 10th and 14th day or during the fourth week after conception.
Some of the implantation bleeding signs include:
– Each episode’s color may vary between pink, red, and brown.
– Bleeding is usually the same as your regular menstrual period while spot is referred to when blood is present when wiping.
– There is pain that may be mild, moderate, or in some cases severe. In fact, in one study of 4,539 women, 28% of which experience spotting and light bleeding with pain.
– Implantation bleeding usually lasts for less than three days and does not require any treatment or medication.
- Increased Body Temperature
Women who are pregnant have higher basal body temperature. In addition, a pregnant woman’s body’s core temperature also gets higher when exercising or when she is in hot weather. Drinking more water is vital and exercising cautiously is very important during this period.
- Increased Heart Rate
During early pregnancy, it is normal to have an increased heart rate. Usually, around 8 to 10 weeks of pregnancy, your heart starts to pump faster and harder. In addition, palpitations, as well as arrhythmias, are also common among pregnant women. This normally happens because of hormonal changes.
Meanwhile, increased blood flow happens because of the fetus later on during pregnancy.
- Breast Changes
Pregnant women will also notice changes on their breast usually between four and six weeks. Your breasts tend to be tender and swollen also because of hormonal changes. Don’t worry though as it is likely to go away eventually after a few weeks – once the body has already adjusted.
- Mood Changes
I remember once when I asked a friend about when do I start pregnancy symptoms, she mentioned about mood changes, which normally happens early on during pregnancy. According to experts, this normally happens because your estrogen and progesterone levels are high when you are pregnant. Thus, your mood is affected. You become more emotional or reactive than usual. In addition, mood swings are common and in some cases, may cause feelings of irritability, anxiety, euphoria, and depression.
- Fatigue
Although fatigue may develop any time during pregnancy, it is more common to occur during the early stages of pregnancy. As mentioned a while ago, a pregnant woman’s progesterone level is high, which leads to feeling grumpy and sleepy almost all the time.
- Frequent Urination
Here’s another very common sign of pregnancy. When a woman is pregnant, her body increases the amount of blood it pumps, which leads to cause the kidney to process more fluid than normal. That said, more liquid goes to your bladder, which causes you to urinate more often.
In addition, hormones have something to do with it as well. Thus, expect to always visit the bathroom when pregnant or in some cases, accidentally leak.
- Morning Sickness
Almost every pregnant woman goes through morning sickness. I did experience it too! In fact, it was too bad I couldn’t even eat properly. Every time I do, I would end up throwing up.
Just so you know, morning sickness, which includes nausea as well as vomiting, usually happens early pregnancy around 4 to 6 weeks. Although it is called morning sickness, it may happen any time of the day – mine was terrible it happens all day and night.
According to experts, it’s unclear what causes morning sickness as well as nausea during pregnancy, but some say it has also something to do with hormonal changes.
When going through morning sickness, it is important to increase your fluid intake. For some women, small frequent eating works.
- Smell Sensitivity
Another symptom of pregnancy that you will experience in the first few weeks of pregnancy is smell sensitivity. In fact, there is scientific evidence that pregnant women have sensitive smell during the first trimester. Sensitive smell may lead to nausea and vomiting. Moreover, it may also cause a strong distaste for certain types of foods.
- Pregnancy Glow
Generally, pregnant women are glowing. Experts believe this has something to do with the increased blood volume, as well as higher hormone levels that push more blood through the blood vessels. With such activity in the body, oil glands work overtime, and the increased activity of oil glands results in the skin to be glossy.
Final Thoughts
What I have shared with you are just some of the many pregnancy symptoms to watch out for. While some women may experience most of these symptoms, some women do not experience any symptoms at all – except of course missed a menstrual period.
Although there is nothing wrong with asking family and friends about when do I start pregnancy symptoms, or searching over the internet about it, at the end of the day, nothing beats asking the professionals. As soon as you feel like you are expecting, do not hesitate to go and see a healthcare provider.
Oh! Don’t worry, pregnancy is fun and exciting. Needless to say, a very amazing journey. Whatever you go through this whole process, it will be worth it in the end.
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