Welcome to pregnancy! This will be one of the most exciting, yet nerve-wracking experiences of your life. How amazing is it to think that you are growing a tiny human right inside of your belly?!
With that ever-growing belly comes a whole slew of symptoms; some of which you’ve probably heard of numerous times before this, and others that may just surprise you! Haven’t missed your period yet? See what symptoms you may experience before your missed period. Below are just a few of the many weird symptoms that you may experience in the first trimester.
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Table of Contents
1. Frequent Urination
One of my first pregnancy symptoms was an increase in the number of trips I had to take to the bathroom. I realized I should probably take a pregnancy test when I was taking turns going to the bathroom with the pregnant girl at work.
You have probably heard that this happens frequently in the third trimester due to the increased pressure on the bladder from baby, but hormone changes in the first trimester can make this happen too! Just remember to keep drinking a lot of water as baby needs this to stay safe in there. However, never stray too far from a bathroom! (Don’t worry, this subsides in second trimester, but comes back full force third trimester)
2. Fatigue
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One of the most common symptoms in pregnancy is fatigue. It takes A LOT to grow a baby and it leaves mom feeling very tired and weak. I remember going into pregnancy thinking I would continue doing light workouts in first trimester, but quickly realized that my energy levels were NOT the same. I wanted to sleep ALL. THE. TIME. If you’re ever sitting on the couch doing nothing all day, do not feel bad. You are in fact doing one of the most important things you could ever possibly do and that’s growing your little one!
3. Constipation/Cramping/Gas
A lot of first time moms get paranoid in the first trimester when they start experiencing cramping sensations because they’re afraid of the worst case scenario. As someone who has a history of late miscarriage, I was hyper aware of my abdominal cramping and was on the phone with my doctor at least once a week, if not more. Just know that cramping is 100% normal.
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Cramps can be due to implantation, constipation, bloating, and excessive gas buildup; all normal symptoms. If you call your OB, 99% of the time they will tell you to just drink more water. Of course, if you are drinking a gallon or more a day and are still having severe cramping accompanied by other symptoms, go in to get checked out, just to make sure.
4. Headache
When I found out I was pregnant I cut out all caffeine. Now, I’m someone who drinks a cup of coffee a day and loves her Alani Nu or Celsius energy drinks, especially when working night shift. Due to this decrease in caffeine, mixed with the massive shifts in hormone levels, I found myself getting more frequent and severe headaches than usual. This is totally normal first trimester symptom and not a cause for concern. However, be aware of any symptoms that may accompany headaches such as dizziness or blurry vision, as you may have something more serious going on such as pre-eclampsia.
5. Increased Discharge
This symptom freaked me out as I had not read this in any of my books. Even people I know with kids did not report having this symptom.
That being said, it is normal for your vaginal discharge to increase due to hormone fluctuations and increased blood flow. This symptom is annoying and I did end up wearing panty liners the majority of my pregnancy.
6. Extreme Temperature Fluctuations
This symptom was horrible for me as I was freezing cold ALL DAY, despite the fact that I live in Florida, but SWEATING in my sleep. Another lovely side effect of the hormonal changes.
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7. Nasal Congestion
One symptom that was surprising to me was nasal congestion. At first, I thought it was just allergies, but it wasn’t going away! This congestion can be due to hormones as well as an increase in blood flow throughout the body. Just make sure to check with your doctor before attempting to treat it as a lot of medications for congestion are not safe during pregnancy.
8. “Morning Sickness”
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Cue the dreaded morning sickness. This is one os the most common first trimester symptoms. Do not be fooled!!!! Morning sickness is NOT just the morning. It can happen at ANY time of the day. Some people may never feel nausea during pregnancy and some people end up spending days leaned over the toilet. If you are experiencing morning sickness, don’t fret. Just make sure to drink plenty of water and eat what you can stomach (think crackers and ginger ale). If you’re worried about not gaining enough weight, just check in with your doctor! Here’s a few helpful things to have or do for morning sickness:
- Eat plain crackers
- Drink ginger ale
- Get ginger chews
- Eat small, frequent meals throughout the day
- Take vitamin B
- Preggie pop drops (people swear by them)
(If you are throwing up excessively and losing weight, speak with your doctor. They may prescribe you something to help.)
9. Vivid Dreams
Pregnancy brings all types of sleep troubles: insomnia, excessive sleeping, and even vivid dreams. I remember waking up in the middle of the night once yelling at my husband to give me his phone. I thought there were spiders crawling all over me and I needed to use his flashlight (there weren’t, and I have no idea why I couldn’t use my own phone light lmao). If you’re anything like me, this symptom will come and go throughout your entire pregnancy.
10. Cravings and Food Aversions
Everyone knows that pregnant people get food cravings. But did you know that they also get food aversions? I could not STAND pickles or spicy food even though I usually LOVE them. On the flip side, I typically prefer salty snacks, but CRAVED chocolate (and still do even 5 months postpartum).
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11. Sore Breasts/Nipples
Yes, your breasts will increase in size in the first trimester due to hormones and increased blood flow. With this comes breast soreness, nipple tenderness, and itchy skin. You will NOT be wanting your S.O. to be touching you and you will definitely want to apply some lotion daily to decrease itching and the potential stretch marks that will accompany the rapid size increase (trust me on this one, I did not expect stretch marks on my breast, but here we are).
12. Reflux
Reflux is another one of those symptoms that I did not expect to have until later on in pregnancy when baby is bigger and pushing up against your organs; however, I experienced it in the first trimester. Thankfully, first trimester reflux wasn’t nearly as bad as third trimester and was easily managed with some ginger ale and tums (Pepcid did not become necessary until 3rd trimester).
RELATED: Second Trimester of Pregnancy Symptoms
When it comes down to it, the first trimester is so exciting as you’ve just found out you’re pregnant, you see your baby for the first time via ultrasound, and you hear their heartbeat for the first time. However, there are many symptoms that come along with becoming pregnant. I hope this post has helped relieve some potential anxiety surrounding some unexpected first trimester symptoms.
Please comment below if there were any first trimester symptoms that you had that you did not expect.
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