You’ve probably seen the new hot mom in town Kareena umpteen number of times on the telly, telling you how her favourite pregnancy kit was the first one to let her know that the stork was visiting! Well I remember seeing it while I was pregnant and while I admired Kareena’s beautiful hair, it also got me thinking if there were some other early signs of pregnancy.
Forced by habit, I turned to my favourite friend Google and faithfully spewed lists after lists of some signs of pregnancy! So, be in tune with your body and look out for these symptoms that may be trying to give you the good news.
1. Being gassy, very gassy This is one of the least glamourous, yet earliest signs of the changes going on within your body. As those hormones surge, your digestive system has a hard time coping. The result is a lot of pent up gas, and is quite likely to cause embarrassment without notice at the most unexpected moments. Take it all in your stride – all for that tiny cookie baking in the oven!
2. Tender breasts Don’t panic if your favorite bra suddenly starts to stifle you! Your breasts will feel sore and tender at the slightest of touch. Don’t worry – it’s good news waiting for you around the bend.
Your body is an extremely efficient and proactive system that gets on with its work as soon as it knows what lies ahead. Long before you know it, your breasts have started preparing for producing milk and are in a process of adjustment.
3. Acidity and bloating – feeling like a sour pumpkin Ok, I just made up the sour pumpkin bit, because honestly, I don’t think pumpkins are ever sour 🙂 However, it perfectly sums up what I felt like in those early days. My tummy bloated like a pumpkin and that sourness which refused to leave my throat gave me such a hard time. It’s tempting to reach for OTC antacids during this time, but please avoid them if you can, until you know whether you are pregnant or not.
Many antacids are unsafe during pregnancy, so relying on home remedies like lemon juice, ginger tea and cold milk is always a safer bet.
4. Pelvic cramping Very similar to period pains but cramps that come and go are quite common in the early days, and may be accompanied by slight spotting as well. You’ll know it’s not your periods when the bleeding doesn’t last, as with the cramps themselves.
5. Implantation bleeding 6-12 days after conception the embryo implants itself into the cushy lining of the uterus. This may cause the break down of some blood vessels within the uterus wall; eventually causing some bleeding. Harmless as this is, do call your doctor if you see any bleeding and you suspect you might be pregnant. It’s always best to be sure!
6. Fatigue The extra progesterone produced after conception causes your basal body temperature to rise, and as the body works overtime to prepare for the pregnancy ahead, it’s normal to feel exhausted, without seemingly having done much.
7. Frequent urination Ah! This is the fun one (not!!). This will, of course, get progressively worse until you feel you practically live in the bathroom in the later stages of pregnancy, but even early on, all that extra blood flow to the kidneys can make you run to the loo much more than usual.
8. Food aversion Your raging hormones will continue to affect your appetite throughout pregnancy. For instance: a die hard seafood lover, I suddenly couldn’t stand the sight and smell of a plate of prawns one fine day. At that time I thought it was just a bad day, but the feeling just wouldn’t go. Of course, soon I knew I was pregnant and in hindsight this also made sense. Your food aversions could also be associated with morning sickness. So, if you wake up one day hating your favourite food, likely that something is brewing within!
9. Nausea This typical 1st trimester joy might start very early for some women. Unexplained bouts of nausea and hypersensitivity to smell are some of the most sure signs of early pregnancy.
10. Mood swings Of course, how can any article on pregnancy ever end without mentioning mood swings, right? Blame it all on those hormones again, and revel in the extreme range of emotions you might feel at seemingly minute incidents. Take a look at How to Safely Gain Weight in Pregnancy