Baby-Mommy Health

Being a mother is the most wonderful experience of a woman’s life. However pregnancy might be a harrowing experience. Nausea, fatigue, anger depression are some of the common experiences during pregnancy apart from a number of changes in a woman’s body. Therefore it is essential to know what to expect when you are expecting.

Pregnancy is divided into three periods of three months each called the trimesters. The first three months are called the first trimester. During this period the body learns to adapt itself to the growing embryo. The embryo also needs nourishment from the mother which causes the mothers body to go through a lot of changes and develop various symptoms. These symptoms however do not persist for long. They go away is the pregnancy proceeds. During the first few days of pregnancy a woman may have vaginal bleeding in small amounts. This is a regular occurrence hence not a cause of concern. However if a large amount of bleeding is seen after the first trimester then a doctor must be immediately consulted.

Fatigue and sleeplessness are common complaints. An expectant woman must try to sleep eight hours during the night and nap during the day. During pregnancy a woman goes through several problems like nausea, vomiting, constipation, headaches, frequent urination, gas and acne. All of them are consequences of the hormonal changes that the body goes through during the first few weeks of pregnancy and cannot be avoided. Swollen and tender breasts also result from such hormonal changes. A change in breast size is, in fact, indicative that pregnancy has occurred.

The second trimester consists of the fourth fifth and sixth months. Many women say that the second trimester is easier than the first. The old symptoms of nausea and fatigue disappear but fresh symptoms occur. As the size of the fetus grows an expansion in the abdomen size is seen. There is continued breast growth as the hormones activate the milk producing glands and a small amount of fat also accumulates. During this period tingling and numbness of the fingers is felt. Itchiness, foot cramps, nasal problems, dizziness, vaginal discharge and bleeding gums may also be seen. Women may also feel their skin glowing as a result of increased blood circulation. Women may also feel painless contractions during this trimester. If these contractions become painful women must immediately consult their ObGyn.

During the third trimester, the abdomen size increases considerably causing discomfort and backaches. Women may constantly complain of aches and pains, heartburns, breathlessness, perspiration and rashes. During this time complete rest is advised. Drinking large amounts of fluids taking proper diet is very crucial. To ease pain it is advisable to sleep on one’s left side with an extra pillow. There is a continuation in breast growth and leakage may also be seen as the breast prepares itself for milk and many such symptoms will be observed by pregnant women till the baby is delivered by her after the delivery of the child all these symptoms vanish.