First Trimester of Pregnancy: What Should You Do During This Period?

As soon as you get your test positive or hear the most awaited news of you being pregnant, everything else is going to be a rush. This new wave of excitement fills the air and then you think, ‘what next?’ While the first trimester is going to fill with a lot of changes on your outside, it is also going to affect your insides, emotionally too.

The whole of your pregnancy process will last about nine months (40 weeks) and is divided into “Three Trimesters”. The first trimester being the earliest stage of pregnancy, begins when you first stop having your period and lasts until the twelfth week. It is the time between fertilization of the egg by the sperm (conception) and week 12 of being pregnant. The weeks are grouped into 3 trimesters because most naturally pregnant women do not know the date of conception. The trimester is a useful way to think about pregnancy. The changes that occur in you and your baby fall into three major categories: early, middle, and late pregnancy, also known as the first, second, and third trimesters of pregnancy. Women regularly begin to have worries over what to eat, which kinds of prenatal checks they need to consider, how much weight they may gain, how they will be able to ensure that their infant remains healthy, etc. Understanding about being pregnant lets you make knowledgeable choices and prepare for the future that lies ahead.

What are the Common Symptoms During First Trimester?

The first trimester is a time of great expectation and rapid change for both the mother and her baby. During this period, your growing baby is developing at an amazing rate. Some symptoms widely experienced by pregnant women during this stage are tender, swollen breasts, nausea with or without vomiting, increased urination, fatigue, food cravings and aversions, heartburns, and constipation. The most pronounced symptoms are nausea and fatigue.

Morning sickness and nausea are one of the most common pregnancy symptoms. Up to 85% of pregnant women have it. It results from hormone changes in your body, and it can last through the entire first trimester. For some pregnant women, nausea is mild. Others cannot start their day without vomiting. Nausea usually worsens in the morning (hence the name “morning sickness”). To relieve nausea, try small, bland, or high-protein snacks (crackers, meat, cheese) and drinking water, clear fruit juice (apple juice), or ginger ale. You may want to do this before you wake up. Avoid all nauseating foods. You do not have to worry about nausea itself, but if it is severe or does not go away, it can affect your baby’s food intake. Call your doctor if you cannot stop throwing up or cannot keep down any food.

Fatigue is normal during pregnancy because of the physical and emotional demands that being pregnant places on your body. During the first trimester, you may find that you cannot make it through the day without a nap, or that you feel tired even after sleeping for 8 hours at night. Your body is operating really to aid a developing baby. So, you will get worn-out faster than usual. Take naps or relax whenever you feel like it. Make sure you are getting sufficient iron. Too little can result in anemia, which can make you even more tired. Make sure you are eating a balanced diet, getting regular exercise, and paying attention to environmental conditions such as poor lighting or ventilation that might contribute to tiredness. The fatigue you feel is your body’s way of telling you it needs rest. You will find that your energy levels return to normal as your body gets used to the pregnancy. There is nothing to feel worried about, most often these beginnings are a bit hard.

You also need to watch out for a few symptoms during this period, that will require medical attention. If you have a significant amount of nausea and vomiting, have bleeding or cramping, increased discharge or a discharge with odor, a fever, chills, or pain when passing urine, or even any questions or concerns about your health or your pregnancy, make sure you contact your doctor at the earliest.

Miscarriage during the first trimester

Miscarriage is most common during the first trimester of pregnancy. As many as 50% of all pregnancies result in miscarriage, most usually even before you miss your period or get to know you are pregnant. About 15%-25% of identified pregnancies still result in a miscarriage. More than 80% of miscarriages appear in the first three months of pregnancy. Miscarriages are much less probably to appear after 20 weeks. When they do, medical doctors name them past due miscarriages.

Miscarriage Symptoms include bleeding that is going from mild to heavy, severe cramps, belly ache, weakness, worsening or extreme back pain, fever with any of those symptoms, weight loss, white-pink mucus, contractions, a tissue that looks as if blood clots passing out of your vagina, fewer symptoms, and symptoms of pregnancy.

If you have those symptoms, call, or visit your doctor immediately. They will let you know whether to come to the office or go to the emergency room. Miscarriage can be sad and difficult to handle due to the emotions and expectations surrounding pregnancy. If you have a miscarriage, talk about it and about your feelings regarding it with a trusted family member or any other supporter who can help you survive this generally difficult time.

What happens to your baby

These are the initial stages of a new life being created in you, it is supposed to be challenging. But it can be a lot easier if you are a bit educated or aware of the situation. Begin taking a prenatal vitamin earlier than you get pregnant. It can help in protecting your baby from birth defects. Get a Pre-Conception Check-up. Before you conceive, see your medical doctor, and speak your plans. Ask what you need to do to get prepared for pregnancy and welcome a child. Get Regular Exercise. Getting regular, moderate depth workout may also definitely growth your probability of having pregnant. Try walking, bicycling, or gardening.

Throughout the first semester, in 12 weeks, the baby, from bringing a fertilized ovum becomes a fetus of about 6 cm long. By the end of the first trimester, the baby’s heart begins to beat, and the brain, stomach, and intestines develop. Your baby can be harmed in case you use drugs, have an illness, or get exposed to radiation. The fertilized egg will become a cluster of fast-dividing cells that implants in your uterus. The placenta, umbilical cord, and amniotic sac all begin to grow. Slowly a soft skeleton begins to grow. Your baby now begins to look like a baby, with arms, legs, fingers, and toes. Their face receives eyes, ears, a nose, and mouth. A tongue and tooth buds grow. Eyelids cover their eyes, and at the end of the trimester, they have fingernails. It is too early to get to know through ultrasound whether you`re having a girl or a boy. When the first trimester ends, your baby can already be 2 ½-three inches long.

First trimester check-ups are usually done every 4 to 6 weeks, but this may vary depending on your health and your baby’s development. Many women are asked to get ultrasound scans done about 12 weeks after birth. You can hear your baby’s heartbeat during this scan, it also shows if you have multiple births (e.g., twins) and help estimate the baby’s size, approximate due date, and health conditions.

Stay healthy:

Staying healthy and hygienic must be a priority. Keep having nutritious food, keep up regular physical activity, avoid drinking alcohol, and if you are a smoker – quit. Make sure you avoid raw or undercooked meat and eggs, raw sprouts, certain seafood, unpasteurized dairy products, unpasteurized juices, processed meats such as hot dogs and deli meats, and too much caffeine. During the first trimester, the fetus is most susceptible to damage from substances, like alcohol, drugs, certain medicines, and illnesses, like rubella (German measles), etc.

What you should do in your first trimester:

• Make sure you take prenatal vitamins.
• Exercise regularly.
• Try doing Kegel exercises and work out your pelvic floor.
• Eat well, by including excessive fruits, vegetables, low-fat forms of protein, and fiber.
• Drink lots and lots of water.
• Eat sufficient calories (approximately three hundred calories greater than normal).

You need to avoid some things too:

These are some things that ought to be prevented at some point in the primary trimester. Things like

• Strenuous exercising or strength training that would cause any kind of damage to your stomach.
• Stop alcohol.
• Reduce caffeine (no multiple cups of espresso or tea in keeping with day).
• Quit smoking.
• Stop using drugs.
• Having uncooked fish or smoked seafood (no sushi), shark, swordfish, mackerel, or white snapper fish (they have excessive tiers of mercury).
• Uncooked sprouts.
• Stay away from cat litter, which could deliver a parasitic sickness known as toxoplasmosis.
• Think twice about unpasteurized milk, different dairy products, deli meats, or warm dogs.

Your body keeps on changing. In the primary trimester, having a child will influence different parts of your lifestyle too. There are many things you need to begin to consider and start preparing at some point in the few months of your pregnancy so that you can look towards making it all easier for the future.