 	        			Congratulations! Your journey to motherhood is
underway.

Changes in Your Body

During the first three months of pregnancy, or the
first trimester, your body is undergoing many
changes. As your body adjusts to the growing baby,
you may have nausea, fatigue, backaches, mood
swings, and stress. Just remember that these
things are normal during pregnancy, as your body
changes. Most of these discomforts will go away as
your pregnancy progresses. And some women might
not have any discomforts! If you have been
pregnant before, you might feel differently with
this pregnancy. Just as each woman is different,
so is each pregnancy. And, 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 your
first trimester:

Tiredness

Woman sleepingDuring your pregnancy, you might
feel tired even when you've had a lot of sleep at
night. 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. Tiredness
will pass over time and be replaced with a feeling
of well being and more energy. When you are tired,
get some rest. Try to get about eight hours of
sleep every night, and a nap during the day if you
can. If you feel stressed, try to find a way to
relax. You might want to start sleeping on your
left side, if you find it more comfortable. 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.

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 your nausea:

    *

      Eat frequent, small meals (6 to 8 small
meals a day, rather than 3 large meals).
    *

      Avoid fatty, fried, or spicy foods.
    *

      Try starchy foods, like toast, saltines,
cheerios, or other dry cereals. Keep some by your
bed and eat them before you get out of bed in the
morning and when you get up in the middle of the
night. Also keep some with you at all times, in
case you feel nauseous.
    *

      Try drinking carbonated drinks like ginger
ale or seltzer water in between meals.
    *

      Ask your doctor if you should stop taking
your prenatal vitamin for a while if it adds to
your morning sickness.
    *

      Ask your doctor if you should take vitamin
B6 treatments for severe nausea and vomiting that
doesn't get better with the dietary changes
listed above.

If you are vomiting a lot, you might want to call
your doctor to make sure you don't get dehydrated
(lose too much fluid in your body). When the
nausea and vomiting begins to go away, try to
resume a healthy eating plan, and take your
prenatal vitamins.

Frequency of Urination

Running to the bathroom all the time? Frequent
urination is common during pregnancy. Early in
pregnancy, the growing uterus presses on your
bladder. If you notice pain, burning, pus or blood
in your urine see your doctor right away. You
might have a urinary tract infection that needs
treatment.

Constipation

As your uterus begins to expand, you might notice
you're constipated. To prevent constipation, try
to eat fresh or dried fruit, raw vegetables, and
whole-grain cereals or breads everyday. Also, try
to drink eight to ten glasses of water everyday.
Some of these servings can be substituted with
fruit or vegetable juice. Try to avoid caffeinated
drinks (coffee, tea, colas, and some other sodas),
since caffeine makes your body lose fluid and
won't help with constipation.

Dizziness

Dizziness, feeling lightheaded, and even fainting
can occur at any stage of pregnancy, since there
now is extra blood going down towards your uterus
and legs. You can help relieve these symptoms by
lying down on your left side. Or to help prevent
them, try moving around more instead of sitting or
standing in one position for a long time.

Varicose Veins and Hemorrhoids

During pregnancy, pressure on the large veins
behind the uterus causes the blood to slow in its
return to the heart. This can lead to varicose
veins in the legs and hemorrhoids (varicose veins
in the vagina or around the anus). Varicose veins
look like swollen veins raised above the surface
of the skin. They can be twisted or bulging, and
are dark purple or blue in color. They are found
most often on the backs of the calves or on the
inside of the leg, anywhere from the groin to the
ankle. You can try to prevent varicose veins
during pregnancy by:

    *

      Avoiding tight knee-highs or garters.
    *

      Sitting with your legs and feet raised when
possible. If you work at a desk, you can prop your
feet up on a footstool, box or several books. Or
when relaxing at home, keep your feet up on a
footstool, some pillows on the couch, or another
chair.

Click here for more information on varicose
veins.

Leg Cramps

Calcium rich foodsAt different times during your
pregnancy, you might have cramps in your legs or
feet. This is due to a change in the way your body
processes, or metabolizes, calcium. One way to
prevent these cramps is to make sure to get enough
calcium through non-fat or low-fat milk, and
calcium-rich foods. You also get some calcium in
your prenatal vitamin, but you might need to take
a calcium supplement if you don't get enough
through your diet. Talk with your doctor first
about taking calcium supplements.

You can relieve leg and foot cramps by gently
stretching the muscle. If you have a sudden leg
cramp, flex your foot towards your body. If you
point your foot to stretch your leg, the cramp
could worsen. Wrapping a warm heating pad or warm,
moist towel around the muscle also can help the
muscle to relax.

Nosebleeds, Nasal Stuffiness, Bleeding Gums

These little discomforts are the result of
hormonal effects on the tissues of your throat,
mouth, and nose. They usually are not serious, and
you might not even notice them. When you blow your
nose, you might see a small amount of blood in the
tissue. Blow gently, and stop a nosebleed by just
squeezing your nose between your thumb and finger
for a few minutes. See your doctor, though, if you
have nosebleeds that do not stop in a few minutes
or happen often. Any nasal stuffiness that you
have during pregnancy should not be extreme and
can be helped by drinking extra water, or with
using a cool mist humidifier in your bedroom. Talk
with your doctor before taking any
over-the-counter or prescription medicines for
colds or nasal stuffiness. You can help bleeding
gums by brushing with a soft-bristled toothbrush
and flossing daily.

Click here for more information about oral health
during pregnancy.

Changes in Your Baby

By the end of this trimester, your baby is about
three inches long and weighs about half an ounce.
The eyes move closer together into their
positions, and the ears also are in position. The
liver is making bile, and the kidneys are
secreting urine into the bladder. Even though you
can't feel your baby move yet, your baby will
move inside you in response to pushing on your
abdomen.

Prenatal Care

Visits and Tests

Pregnant woman and child with the doctorDuring
these special months of pregnancy, especially the
early ones, visiting your doctor regularly is very
important. Your doctor will schedule you for
regular check-ups throughout the next nine months
to keep your baby healthy and avoid problems with
delivery. Become a partner with your doctor to
manage your care. Keep all of your appointments —
every one is important! Pregnancy typically lasts
40 weeks, counting from the first day of your last
menstrual period. The first trimester lasts 12
weeks, the second from 13 to the end of 27 weeks,
and the third from 28 to 40 weeks. Your doctor
will refer to your pregnancy by the age of the
fetus in weeks.

During the first prenatal visit, your doctor will
discuss important parts of your health history
that may have some impact on your pregnancy. These
include diseases, operations, and other
pregnancies. There also will be questions about
your family's health history. You will have a
complete physical exam, lab tests, and a Pap test.
From now on, your blood pressure, urine, and
weight will be checked at every visit.

For special genetic or medical reasons, you may
need other lab tests, like blood or urine tests,
cultures for infections, or ultrasound exams.
Click here for more information on screening tests
for birth defects that are offered during your
first trimester. Your doctor will discuss them
with you during your visits. Your doctor also will
figure out your expected delivery date and answer
questions about any concerns you might have.

Taking Care of Your Health

Smoking, Alcohol, and Drugs

By taking care of your health during pregnancy,
you're also nurturing the new life inside of
you.

    *

      Quit smoking if you smoke, since smoking
during pregnancy passes nicotine and
cancer-causing drugs to your baby. Smoke also
keeps your baby from getting needed nourishment
while in your uterus, and raises the risk of fetal
death and premature birth (a low-birth weight baby
born too early).
    *

      Quit drinking alcohol if you drink it. The
exact amount of alcohol needed to cause problems
in your baby is not known. But, drinking every day
and drinking large amounts of alcohol once in a
while both have been shown to have harmful effects
on your baby.
    *

      Tell your doctor if you are taking any
medications or using illegal drugs. Some medicines
can be harmful to your baby's development. Only
take medicines prescribed or approved by your
doctor. You should never take illegal drugs like
marijuana, cocaine, heroin, speed (amphetamines),
barbiturates, LSD, and others. Talk with your
doctor right away if you need help with quitting
smoking or drinking, or with a drug habit. You can
also talk with a member of your faith community, a
counselor, or a trusted friend.

Work

Many women continue working through pregnancy.
Staying active might help you stay healthier. If
you have a question about the safety of your
particular job, talk with your doctor.

A Healthy Diet

What you eat isn't only important for your own
health anymore, but for the current and future
health of your baby. Healthy foods are the
building blocks for your growing baby since
pregnancy is a complex time of developing new
tissues and organs. Throughout pregnancy, try to
make most of your food choices healthy ones.

Click here for more information on pregnancy and a
healthy diet

Weight gain

Weight gain during your pregnancy depends on your
height and how much you weighed before you became
pregnant. All weight gain during pregnancy should
be gradual, with most of the weight gained in the
last trimester. During the first trimester, it is
normal to gain only a small amount of weight,
about one pound per month.

According to the American College of Obstetricians
and Gynecologists (ACOG) if you were underweight
before becoming pregnant, you should gain between
28 and 40 pounds during your whole pregnancy; if
you were overweight, you should gain between 15
and 25 pounds during your whole pregnancy. Recent
research shows that women who gain more than the
recommended amount during pregnancy and who fail
to lose this weight within six months after giving
birth are at much higher risk of being obese
nearly 10 years later. Check with your doctor to
find out how much weight gain during pregnancy is
healthy for you.

Woman walking Exercise

If you have no medical problems with your
pregnancy, regular physical activity (30 minutes
per day, most days of the week), can help you have
a more comfortable pregnancy and labor. It also
helps to lower your risk for having health
problems like high blood pressure and gestational
diabetes. And you will have an easier time getting
back into a healthy body shape and weight after
the birth.

Normal, low-impact activities, like walking and
swimming, that don't involve a lot of bouncing,
stretching your muscles to their greatest extent,
or deeply bending your joints, are good for you.
Because your connective tissues stretch much more
easily during pregnancy, high impact or high
resistance exercises that involve a lot of
bouncing and extreme muscle stretching can
increase your risk of joint injury. If you
haven't exercised regularly before becoming
pregnant, you can still begin an exercise program.
Just start slowly and progress gradually. Talk
with your doctor first about what types of
exercise or activities are best for you.

One type of exercise that can help your muscles
prepare for delivery, help support your uterus
during pregnancy, and help you to control your
urine are pelvic floor exercises (also called
Kegel exercises). Pelvic muscles are the same ones
you use to stop and start your flow of urine. You
can do this exercise standing, sitting, or lying
down.

Kegel Exercises

    *

      tighten the pelvic floor muscles for five
seconds, then relax.
    *

      Repeat 10 times. You can also talk with your
doctor about how to do this exercise.

 

Bathing

Both baths and showers are fine to take during
pregnancy, but very hot baths, hot tubs, and
saunas can be harmful to the fetus, or cause you
to faint. You also might want to avoid taking
frequent bubble baths or baths with perfumed
products that might irritate your vaginal area,
and increase your risk of a urinary tract
infection or yeast infection. Do not use douches,
even vinegar-based douches, without first talking
with your doctor. Although vaginal discharge tends
to be heavier during pregnancy, you should see
your doctor if you have vaginal itching, burning
or a heavy discharge. You could have a urinary
tract infection, yeast infection, viral or
bacterial infection that needs treatment.

Caring for Your Mouth and Teeth

Woman brushing her teethA pregnant woman's teeth
and gums need special care. We know that pregnant
women with gum disease problems are much more
likely to have premature babies with low-birth
weight. This may result from the transfer of
bacterial microbes in the mother's mouth to the
baby during the third trimester of pregnancy. The
microbes can reach the baby through the placenta
(a temporary organ joining the mother and fetus
which supplies the fetus with blood and
nutrients), through the amniotic fluid (fluid
around the fetus), and through the layer of
tissues in the mother's stomach.

Every expectant mother should have a complete oral
exam prior to or very early in pregnancy. All
needed dental work should be managed early,
because having urgent treatment during pregnancy,
while possible, can present risks. Interventions
can be started to control risks for gum
inflammation and disease. This also is the best
time to change habits that may affect the health
of teeth and gums, and the health of the baby.
Remember to tell your dentist that you are
pregnant! Brush with a soft toothbrush and floss
gently at least twice a day. Click here for more
information on oral health for women.

Sexual Relations

Woman and man smilingIt is fine to have sexual
intercourse throughout your pregnancy unless your
doctor tells you otherwise. Some women who have
had miscarriages need to avoid sexual intercourse
during the first three months. You should contact
your doctor if you have any of the following
symptoms during sexual intercourse:

    *

      pain in the vagina or abdomen
    *

      bleeding from the vagina
    *

      leaking of water (amniotic fluid) from the
vagina

This page last updated: October 2004
Source: Womenshealth.gov