Stages of Pregnancy

Trimester Essentials

• The 1st Trimester Stage of Pregnancy
  • Changes in Your Body
  • Changes in Your Baby
  • Doctors Visits
  • 1st Trimester Tests and Procedures
• The 2nd Trimester Stage of Pregnancy
  • Changes in Your Body
  • Changes in Your Baby
  • 2nd Trimester Tests and Procedures
• The 3rd Trimester Stage of Pregnancy
  • Changes in Your Body
  • Changes in Your Baby
  • Sleeping in the 3rd Trimester
  • Doctors Visits
  • Inducing Labor
  • Deciding to Breast Feed or Bottle Feed
  • When to Call Your Doctor
• Related pregnancy articles:
  Pregnancy Symptoms - on WebMD
  Pregnancy tests - on WebMD

Pregnancy - on eMedicineHelath

The 1st Trimester Stage of Pregnancy

Pregnant or Not? How To Know Medical Author: Medical Author: Melissa Stoppler, M.D. Medical Editor: Barbara K. Hecht, Ph.D. To learn whether you are pregnant or not, a pregnancy test may provide you with the answer. This test can be done in the privacy of your home using one of several available test kits. Or the test can be performed in your doctor’s office or clinic. Home pregnancy tests are always done on urine while those in a doctor’s office or clinic may be done on urine or blood. All pregnancy tests are based upon measurement of the same hormone -- human chorionic gonadotrophin or hCG -- which is only present in a woman when she is pregnant. This hormone is made after the egg is fertilized and its levels rise rapidly in early pregnancy. It acts to support progesterone, a hormone necessary to maintain the pregnancy. Most home pregnancy tests are done because of a missed period. If a woman has regular menstrual cycles, a home test can be very informative. It can tell whether or not there is a pregnancy as early as the first day of the missed period (which is about two weeks after conception). Manufacturers of home test kits claim that their kits are 97-99% accurate, but the sensitivities of different test kits depend on the levels of hCG in the urine required for a positive result. If your test result is positive, see your healthcare provider promptly. Read more about pregnancy tests » Top Searched Pregnancy Terms: pregnancy symptoms, pregnancy planning, ectopic pregnancy, pregnancy test

Changes in Your Body

During the first three months of pregnancy, or the first trimester, your body undergoes many changes. As your body adjusts to the growing baby, you may have nausea, fatigue, backaches, mood swings, and stress. These things are all normal.

Most of these discomforts will go away as your pregnancy progresses. And some women might not feel any discomfort at all! If you have been pregnant before, you might feel differently this time around. Just as each woman is different, so is each pregnancy.

As your body changes, you might need to make changes to your normal, everyday routine. Here are some of the most common changes or symptoms you might experience in the first trimester:

Tiredness

Many women find they're exhausted in the first trimester. Don't worry, this is normal! This is your body's way of telling you that you need more rest. After all, your body is working very hard to develop a whole new life.

Try these tips to ease exhaustion:

• Get at least eight hours of sleep every night, and a nap during the day when possible.
• When you are tired, rest or relax.
• Start sleeping on your left side. This will relieve pressure on major blood vessels that supply oxygen and nutrients to the fetus. If you have high blood pressure during pregnancy, it is even more important to be on your left side when you are lying down.
• If you feel stressed, try to find a way to relax.

Nausea and Vomiting

Usually called "morning sickness," nausea and vomiting are common during early pregnancy. For many women, though, it isn't limited to just the morning. Although it can seem like it will last forever, nausea and vomiting usually go away after the first trimester.

Try some of these tips to help prevent and soothe nausea:

• Eat frequent, small meals (6 to 8 small meals a day) rather than 3 large meals. Avoid fatty, fried, or spicy foods.
• Try eating starchy snacks, like toast, saltines, cheerios, or other dry cereals when you feel nauseated. Keep some by your bed and eat them before you get out of bed in the morning. If you feel nauseous in the middle of the night, reach for these starchy foods. It's also a good idea to keep these snacks with you at all times, in case of nausea.
• Try drinking carbonated drinks like ginger ale or seltzer water in between meals.
• Ask your doctor if you should change prenatal vitamins if it seems to be making your nausea worse. Sometimes taking your prenatal vitamin at a different time (e.g. at night not in the morning) can also help.
• Ask your doctor about taking vitamin B6 for nausea and vomiting that doesn't get better with dietary changes.

If you think you might be vomiting excessively, call your doctor. If you lose too much fluid you might become dehydrated. Dehydration can be dangerous for you and your baby.

For some women, the nausea of the first trimester is so severe that they become malnourished and dehydrated. These women may have a condition called hyperemesis gravidarum (HG). HG refers to women who are constantly nauseated and/or vomit several times everyday for the first 3 or 4 months of pregnant.

HG keeps pregnant women from drinking enough fluids and eating enough food to stay healthy. Many women with HG lose more than 5 percent of their pre-pregnancy weight, have nutritional problems, and have problems with the balance of electrolytes in their bodies. The persistent nausea and vomiting also makes going to work or doing other daily tasks very difficult.

Many women with HG have to be hospitalized so they can be fed fluids and nutrients through a tube in their veins. Usually, women with HG begin to feel better by the 20th week of pregnancy. But some women vomit and feel nauseated throughout all three trimesters.

Frequency of Urination

Running to the bathroom all the time? Early in pregnancy, the growing uterus presses on your bladder. This causes frequent urination.

See your doctor right away if you notice pain, burning, pus or blood in your urine. You might have a urinary tract infection that needs treatment.

Weight Gain

During the first trimester, it is normal to gain only a small amount of weight, about one pound per month.

From the Doctors at MedicineNet.com

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