Morning Sickness
Nobody’s entirely sure what causes morning sickness. Hormone shifts and dropping blood sugar are the leading suspects, and stress tends to make queasy mornings worse. It can hit any time of day, not just morning, which feels like a bit of a cruel joke. Eating smaller meals more often and skipping anything greasy or spicy tends to help. A few crackers or a piece of dry toast before you even get out of bed can settle things before they start. According to Mayo Clinic, it usually eases up as the first trimester winds down, though for some women it lingers longer. Call your doctor if you can’t keep any food or liquid down for more than 12 hours, if you feel dizzy or lightheaded, or if your heart is racing. Never start a nausea medication without checking with your doctor first.
Tiredness
Growing a person is exhausting work, even when you’re just sitting still. Give yourself permission to sleep more than usual. A couple of 10 to 15 minute breaks during the day can make a real difference by evening. Staying rested isn’t lazy. It’s one of the better things you can do for both the physical and emotional side of pregnancy.
Back Pain
As your baby gets bigger, your center of gravity shifts and your back pays for it. Squat instead of bending over, and let your legs do the lifting instead of your back. Standing up straight throughout the day helps more than you’d think, and shoes with real support beat flip flops every time your feet hit the floor.
Sore Breasts
Your breasts will get bigger, heavier, and sometimes genuinely sore. A supportive bra, even one you wear to bed, can take a lot of that ache away. You might also notice a clear or milky fluid leaking from your nipples now and then. That’s completely normal. If your nipples feel raw, skip the soap and just rinse with water, and a little lanolin can soothe the soreness.
Heartburn
This one catches a lot of women off guard. As your baby grows, stomach acid gets pushed up into your esophagus, and that burning feeling is the result. Smaller, more frequent meals beat three big ones, and steering clear of greasy or spicy food helps too. Try not to lie down right after eating. Ask your doctor before reaching for an antacid, since not every brand is a good fit during pregnancy.
Vaginal Discharge
Thicker, heavier discharge is common as pregnancy goes on, and it can have a mild odor. Most of the time this is completely normal and not an infection. Call your doctor though if it comes with burning or itching, since that combination is worth checking out.
Frequent Urination
Your growing uterus presses right up against your bladder, so bathroom trips get more frequent. Laughing, coughing, or sneezing might catch you off guard too. Neither is anything to worry about, just something to plan around.
Urinary Tract Infections
Pregnancy makes urinary tract infections more likely than usual. Burning or pain when you pee is the signal to call your doctor right away rather than waiting it out, since an untreated infection can turn into something more serious.
Moodiness
One minute you’re thrilled, the next you’re in tears over nothing in particular. Shifting hormones are behind most of that, and it really is normal. But if the sadness feels heavy or constant, or you’re having thoughts that scare you, talk to your doctor or someone close to you. You don’t have to carry that alone.
Skin Changes
Stretch marks show up for a lot of women, and there’s really no proven way to stop them from forming. The good news is they tend to fade well after delivery. Your face might darken in patches too, something sunscreen and a bit of shade can help prevent. The skin around your nipples and below your belly button often darkens as well. Most of this fades back to normal once your baby arrives.
Bleeding Gums
Pregnancy hormones can make your gums more sensitive, so brushing and flossing matter more than ever right now. If you see your dentist while you’re pregnant, mention it. It changes a few things about your visit.
Constipation
Pregnancy can slow everything down, digestion included. Drinking plenty of water and loading up on fiber, think bran cereal, raisins, fruit, and vegetables, keeps things moving. A daily walk or some light exercise helps too.
Hemorrhoids
These are swollen veins around the rectum, and they show up when your growing uterus puts pressure on the veins nearby. They can be itchy and uncomfortable. The same fixes for constipation, fiber, fluids, and staying active, also help keep hemorrhoids from getting worse.
Leg Cramps
As your baby grows and adds pressure lower down, your legs can end up shortchanged on blood flow. Cramps tend to show up when you’re overtired or not getting enough calcium. Resting with your legs propped above heart level helps, and so does working more milk, yogurt, and cheese into your day. It’s worth asking your doctor whether a calcium supplement makes sense for you.
Varicose Veins
These are swollen, often bluish veins, usually in the legs, where blood isn’t moving through as well as it should. They tend to run in families, and a growing baby plus long stretches on your feet both add pressure. Resting with your legs raised above your heart helps if they show up in your legs. If they show up around your genital area instead, a small pillow under your bottom while you rest can ease things. Either way, they typically fade after delivery.
Swelling
Your fingers, feet, and ankles might puff up more as pregnancy goes on. Lying down two or three times a day with your legs raised above your heart for 10 to 15 minutes helps bring the swelling down. Sleeping on your left side improves blood flow back from your legs, which also helps prevent swelling. Cutting back on salt while cooking makes a difference too. Keep drinking plenty of water even though it feels backwards, staying hydrated is actually part of the fix. Skip diuretic supplements altogether.
Round Ligament Pain
Bands of tissue called round ligaments hold your uterus in place on either side. As your uterus grows, those ligaments stretch, and that can cause a sharp or achy pain low in your belly. It’s normal and not something to worry about. Lying down on the side that’s bothering you tends to bring some relief.
Toxoplasmosis
This is an infection pregnant women can pick up from undercooked meat or contact with cat feces, and it can cause serious problems for your baby. Cook meat all the way through, and wash your hands well after handling anything raw. If you have a cat, it’s safest to have someone else scoop the litter box. If that’s not possible, wear gloves, wash your hands afterward, and change the litter daily, since the parasite needs a few days in the litter before it becomes infectious, according to HealthyChildren.org. Wear gloves when you garden too, and wash your hands well afterward.
Every pregnancy feels a little different, and you don’t have to push through the rough parts alone. Our pregnancy nutrition guide can help with several of these symptoms directly, and our prenatal appointment timeline shows you when you’ll get a chance to bring all of this up with your doctor in person.
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