So, you’ve peed on the stick and it was positive! Now what? There are many changes a woman’s body will go through in her first trimester of pregnancy. But is it normal to experience all the things you hear about pregnant women going through? Does it really need to be that bad?
Let’s dive into some common things women go through. We’ll find out whether common equals normal and what you can do to ward off some of these common complaints.
“Morning” Sickness
“Morning” sickness… I put it in quotations because it’s never just in the morning. For many women morning sickness lasts ALLLL day and doesn’t quit! Morning sickness can be explained by looking at it on a spectrum; some women experience no morning sickness at all while others have it so severely that they are hospitalized and need fluids for days at a time because they cannot even keep liquids down.
Some health professionals have had success helping their patients ward off morning sickness by advising them to take extra B6 and magnesium. Which begs the question: is morning sickness partly a disorder brought on by an underlying nutritional deficiency in the mother? And could it have begun even before pregnancy?
Herbal remedies are an excellent way to nourish your body during pregnancy. Give your hard-working body and your baby all the beneficial nutrients necessary with a natural herbal tincture.
Food Aversions
Aversion to common foods you enjoyed before pregnancy is another common first-trimester complaint. This one goes along with having morning sickness. Many women who don’t experience vomiting in their first trimester still have trouble with food aversions.
Some say the aversion to certain foods can help keep a woman from consuming something harmful. Perhaps a leftover defense mechanism from our ancestors who didn’t have access to modern food preservation methods and encountered spoiled food more often.
If food aversions are keeping you from getting all the nutrients your body needs, you might want to consider adding a good supplement that provides the nutrients needed for a growing baby and mama, all in a food-based, bioavailable form.
Constipation
Constipation is an alarmingly common first-trimester complaint. But it is certainly not normal! The body goes through a cast hormonal change which some health professionals believe is the reason for the lack of poop. But women don’t have to suffer through their pregnancies with constipation.
Constipation can easily be relieved by eating adequate fruits and vegetables, drinking plenty of water, and remaining active. If these things don’t work magnesium is a natural way to relieve constipation that’s not habit forming.
The straining a woman does to have a poop while pregnant puts too much pressure on her pelvic floor and could contribute to pelvic floor dysfunction after delivery.
Fatigue
Fatigue can be common and also normal in early pregnancy. A woman’s body is going through a crazy amount of change. Her hormones are all out of whack, and she’s working hard to grow an entirely new human being!
Many women find that they need to go to bed earlier in their first trimester to catch up on rest. It’s best to listen to your body on this one and get the rest you need!
Frequent Urination
Are you making so many trips to the bathroom you think you might have a UTI? Have no fear, you might just be pregnant! Some women will get their first hint that they might be pregnant when they realize they come to the realization that they’ve peed at least 30 times that day.
Why does this happen? A woman’s bladder and uterus are located right next door to each other. When a woman becomes pregnant her uterus begins to grow and until the second trimester remains within the pelvis. This means that her uterus is taking up real estate that her bladder used to which means that there is less room.
Once in the second trimester, the uterus moves up and out of the woman’s pelvis and her bladder has more room again. Phew! Fewer trips to the bathroom! For a little while at least 🙂
Breast Tenderness
Sore boobs are another first symptom of pregnancy for many women. Not only are sore boobs common but it’s a very normal symptom for women to experience in early pregnancy. As soon as conception occurs a woman’s breasts get the message that they’ll soon have a very important job to perform once that baby is born. So they go to work making new milk ducts right away! This new growth can cause discomfort for a lot of women. Even the water of the shower for some women can be too much!
Rest easy knowing that breast tenderness and nipple sensitivity tends to decrease once you hit your second trimester.
Final Thoughts
There are so many changes a woman’s body goes through in their first trimester. It’s good to know if what you’re experiencing is normal or just common and what you can do to help relieve your symptoms. The first trimester is often the hardest for many women, so at least you can get the hard part out of the way and then enjoy the rest of your pregnancy!
Being a newly pregnant mama can be overwhelming. I always find that I feel more at ease when I have all the information in front of me. To read about common fears many women have in pregnancy read this post. It will help to put your mind at ease!
If you’d like to read more about what’s normal in your second trimester stay tuned for an upcoming post!
