Your midwife or doctor will want you to be taking prenatal vitamins, and often extra folic acid, at this early pregnancy stage. It is important that you get enough of “the right stuff” to help prevent birth defects. It is also wise to stop smoking and taking birth control pills, if you are still doing either.

How can you tell if you might be pregnant?

There are many common symptoms at this stage of early pregnancy. Not all pregnant moms have all the symptoms, but you are likely to have at least one or two of them – maybe several. Take a look at the symptoms common at this stage of early pregnancy.

One of the first indicator for women is to miss their menstrual period. Sometimes it is late, but more often a pregnant woman will skip it altogether. Many women may notice light spotting – which is quite a bit lighter than a regular period, though it happens about the same time that the period would be expected. The spotting is caused by the implantation of the fertilized embryo into the uterine wall, letting off some blood. It is usually a brownish color, like dried blood. It should not be bright red, or in great quantity.

For some women, they suspect they are pregnant before they even miss their period. There are other symptoms that can lead them to that conclusion. A very common symptom at this stage of early pregnancy is to have exhaustion. Considering all the work your body is doing – making a new being – no wonder it takes its toll on the body! Also, there are hormonal shifts in the pregnant woman’s body that can make the mommy-to-be feel practically drugged. For example, progesterone, which is in high levels during pregnancy, tends to be sedating. If you have this situation at this stage of early pregnancy, take a nap.

It is also common to have headaches or back pain early in pregnancy. This is caused by the hormonal changes as well as the other physical changes to the body that come with pregnancy.

Another symptom that is common is the need to go to the bathroom much more often than before. There are several reasons for this, including the bladder getting irritable with the extra blood in the pelvic region, but the bottom line is, you may not want to go too far from the security of a bathroom during this stage of early pregnancy.

Most women in the early pregnancy stage notice that their breasts become swollen and tender. The blood vessels on them can look like road maps, and the Montgomery glands (the little “pimple” looking things by the nipples) get bigger, along with the areolas (the red “target” around your nipple). These changes are in preparation for breastfeeding your baby.

At this early pregnancy stage, probably the most frustrating symptom is that of the nausea of morning sickness. While it doesn’t stick just with morning (some women have nausea all day) and not all women even get it, it is very common among pregnant women. Fortunately, it usually only lasts for the first trimester.

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Sorting It All Out

When a woman becomes pregnant, the egg in her fallopian tube has become infiltrated by the little squiggly sperm. The egg finishes its trip down the fallopian tube and implants itself somewhere along the wall of the uterus. If the egg doesn’t make it to the uterus, but instead implants along the wall of the fallopian tube – trouble! There isn’t enough room within the fallopian tube to grow a baby! That pregnancy is doomed. The mother will experience abdominal cramping and bleeding, as her body works to expel the “misbehaving” egg.

Once the egg attaches itself to the uterine wall, it has to burrow its way inward. This releases a bit of blood, so some mommies-to-be will see a bit of spotting, about the time that they would normally have their menstrual period. The bit of spotting is really nothing to worry about – as long as it is brownish or pinkish and not bright red, and just a bit and not a lot of blood, things are going as they should.

After burrowing and getting situated, the egg will begin to produce hormones. These hormones (including progesterone – the one that makes the pregnant woman incredibly sleepy) are responsible for most of the symptoms that the pregnant woman will experience. Even that back pain, though early in pregnancy, is caused by those hormones that rise quickly. Symptoms of early pregnancy – acne, headaches, constipation, food cravings, swollen/tender breast with darkening areolas,…all are affected by these hormones.

What Can One Do About Back Pain Early In Pregnancy?

The best thing to do to support your back and avoid pain early in pregnancy is to take care of your back. Get the rest that you need, and the exercise that benefits your entire body. While you should be careful to not overdo it (in terms of exercise) you can and should keep up with any exercising you were doing prior to getting pregnant. Talk to your doctor about how long you can keep up that form of exercise. Some forms can be maintained throughout the pregnancy, and are beneficial, like walking and yoga. Others need to be modified once a little one is on the way – like distance running and mountain climbing. Chances are, the exercise you are doing will be fine. If you haven’t been exercising, this is the perfect time to start! A safe way to begin is with adding a walk to your routine every day.

Related posts:

1. Spotting In Early Pregnancy – What Does It Mean?
2. Spotting During Pregnancy? Whether To Worry
3. Early Pregnancy Stages – What It Is And What Do These Symptoms Mean?