Early Signs of Pregnancy & First Trimester Questions

Early Pregnancy Symptoms: The Science and Natural Remedies

Wondering what to expect during your first trimester? Maybe you’re wondering: what does the first trimester feel like? What are the chances I’m having a miscarriage? And is cramping or blood normal while pregnant?  Not to worry, NoMo Nausea is here to answer your questions! From Pukeology Podcast 13, we will give you the science behind the answers to common pregnancy questions.

Early Signs of Pregnancy FAQ 

No matter if you're a first-time mom or a returner, a new baby means new questions. These are the most common questions those in their first trimester have and NoMo Nausea is here to provide you with the answers!

What does first trimester pregnancy feel like?

The flu! You may feel tired and exhausted even if you haven’t done much. You may or may not want to eat due to upset stomach or morning sickness. You feel under the weather, and with even more raging hormones, sometimes tears will make an appearance. Oh yeah, and your boobs are sore.  You also could have “pregnancy bladder” and be running to the bathroom every 5 minutes too (check out Pregnancy Pukeology Podcast Episode 11 to find out why you’re constantly running to the ladies’ room).

Is it normal to hate being pregnant?

NO!  Ladies, this does not make you a bad mom if you can’t wait to get this baby out.  If you’re ever having the worst pregnant day, grab a stethoscope (or just go into CVS Minute Clinic, don’t forget to buy NoMo Nausea Kids while you’re there) and listen to your baby’s heartbeat.  Sometimes spending a little time with the little one growing inside you is all you need. Remember every pregnancy is unique and different, so you may not get nauseous during one pregnancy and then your next pregnancy nausea may seem constant. But, that's why NoMo Nausea bands are here, to make your pregnancy more comfortable. And here’s some good news: the second trimester is around the corner and it’s more like what you see on TV, so you can start enjoying the journey a lot more. 

What are the chances of miscarriage per week?

This is probably every pregnant woman’s worse fear. Sometimes it can be so overwhelming that you have nightmares about it, or you question what you did even before you knew you were pregnant. But guess what? That is normal. It’s a motherly instinct. Mothers want to protect their children and offer them the best foundation (see you’re already doing a great job by reading this article to get your questions answered). But, we are here to tell you don’t stress!

Besides the list of food you cannot eat during pregnancy (Pukeology Podcast Episode 5: What Not to Eat During Pregnancy) or keeping your body temperature elevated for prolong period of time, you can pretty much do anything you use to do like: workout (just don’t lift over 20 pounds), take a bath, get your nails done, or fly on an airplane. And don’t worry about what you did right before you knew you were pregnant, it’s in the past and as long as your OBGYN can still hear the heartbeat you’re okay.

The breakdown of the miscarriage probabilities are:

• 9.4% at 6 weeks pregnant
• 4.6% at 7 weeks pregnant
• 1.5% at 8 weeks pregnant
• 0.5% at 9 weeks pregnant
• 0.7% at 10 weeks pregnant

However, like I said earlier, each of your pregnancies is unique, and so these percentages can vary tremendously. They depend on health history, the maternal age, the paternal age, and the fetal heart rate.  Remember a high heart rate for baby means they are healthy.  Your baby should have a heart rate over 100.

Are cramps or diarrhea normal in the first trimester?

Implantation (when your baby attaches to the lining of your uterus) cramps & crap do happen, so don’t worry.  Stretching of the uterus and even your round ligament can most definitely cause cramping. Your round ligament is a connective tissue that has a connection point to your uterus. So as the baby’s growing and your uterus expanding, the excess force on your round ligament can cause some pain.

These type of cramps, as long as they occur without bleeding, are normal! Now, if your cramps are accompanied with blood then you need to see your health care provider ASAP, especially if it is bright red blood.  If you soak a pad within an hour of bright red blood it means you are actively bleeding. But, old blood will look brown in color. Often you will experience some light bleeding with implantation. Some women think their implantation bleeding is their period and do not recognize that they are pregnant until later. Whoops! But regardless, a little bit of bleeding early in your pregnancy is ok, but if it's ever excessive or a large flow of bright red blood, check with your doctor.

Stomach cramps can also be mistaken for diarrhea, which is a common side effect of high progesterone, a pregnancy hormone.  Implantation diarrhea is very common because of these changing hormone levels. That said, through the rest of your pregnancy, you’re more likely to be constipated because that wonderful growing baby is using all the useful vitamins and such that you are not. That’s why you should take a prenatal vitamin with a stool softener. If you’re curious about what are the best prenatal vitamins or why you should take them, listen to Pregnancy Pukeology Podcast Episode 3, you can thank me later.

Remember, the pregnant immune system is also decreased. So be sure to stay away from anyone with communicable diseases and stay healthy! Keep in mind that if you have baby #1 in daycare, they exposed to more germs than we want to think about. So be sure to take personal hygiene measures to protect yourself against the cold, flu, or Rotovirus.  And if you do get a nasty bug with excessive puking and pooping, be sure to stay hydrated! While diarrhea during your first trimester may occur, it often doesn’t mean much. But diarrhea later in pregnancy is worrisome and can be associated with miscarriage.

Natural Remedies for Pregnancy Symptoms

First trimester pregnancy we have concluded to feel a lot like the flu. But not to worry! Let’s go over some natural ways to feel better fast for each of those pesky symptoms:

Exhaustion:

Being tired all the time is a sign that the baby is growing.  Remember you are creating a small human so you are going to expend more calories, your body temperature will raise slightly so you will get hot quickly, and you need your beauty rest.  Try to get at least eight hours of sleep.  If this is baby #2 this may or may not be possible.  But, follow these suggestions to help alleviate any pregnancy fatigue!

• Have a consistent light workout routine.  Think about swimming.  You will feel weightless, the movement is not damaging on your joints with the added weight, it helps to circulate the extra edema you may have on your feet and ankles, and ultimately, it’s something you can do with a little one too. Brisk walking, yoga or low impact aerobics is also a nice way of getting a community workout.  Take a friend to gym or plan a walk around a nearby park.  Don’t forget if you are in your third trimester never lay on the ground flat. Exercise routines will help increase endorphins, happy hormones, but will also wear you out so you will fall fast asleep as soon as your head hits the pillow. 
• Recent studies suggest that smelling peppermint oil wakes people up and gives them energy. NoMo Nausea Bands are perfect for this. Since it's a wristband you can smell the energizing peppermint at any point you feel fatigue setting in. Plus, since they are peppermint aromatherapy infused and use acupressure, you get the energy boost AND the morning sickness relief too.  It’s a BOGO! 

Morning Sickness:

There are multiple podcasts and blogs on natural morning sickness relief, so be sure to check them out! But in summary:

• Apples, lemons, ginger, and peppermint help to relax the stomach so it doesn’t toss and turn.  
• Be mindful of what you eat.  Pregnant women should AVOID anything raw (meat, shellfish, sushi, unpasteurized milk), lunch meat, unpasteurized cheeses, smoked foods, or store bought chicken salad. Fish is good for its omega oils but avoid larger fish because of high mercury levels. This includes: king mackerel, swordfish, ahi tuna, marlin, or bigeye tuna. For more info, you’ll want to listen to Episode 5 of our Pukeology Podcast.
• Listen to Home Remedies for Vomiting & Morning Sickness Pregnancy Pukeology Podcast Episode 4.
• Acupressure at P6 on the wrist (pressing here helps to create anti-nausea hormones) and the NoMo Nausea Band it combines peppermint, acupressure and distraction technology and are clinically proven to stop vomiting in 30 seconds. Stop by CVS to pick up a band or just click on the link below!  

Cramps or Ligament Pain: 

Don't let soreness or achiness get the best of you! There are plenty of simple ways to relieve these aches and pains. Try:

• Icy-Hot, Tiger Balm or other capsin infused rubs or patches. Sometimes the temperature change of your skin caused by these guys is enough to trick your body into forgetting the pain. 
• Gentle massage, or even sex (yes, sex!), can help relieve the pain by relaxing your overly contracting muscles. 
• Try NOT to take any over the counter medication for pain but if you have to always choose Tylenol.  Avoid aspirin and other NSAIDs like Ibuprofen, Aleve, etc.

Diarrhea and Constipation:

You can say it. Yuck. No one likes these pregnancy symptoms, but luckily there are a few easy home remedies for diarrhea or constipation during pregnancy.

• Take prenatal vitamins with stool softeners. Check out Episode 3 of our Pukeology Podcast mentioned earlier for recommendations on prenatal vitamins.
• Have a high fiber diet Try incorporation oatmeal, whole grain breads and leafy greens into your diet.
• Avoid fatty foods to avoid the runs. 

While first trimester may be fraught with some uncomfortable pregnancy symptoms just remember, your beautiful baby growing inside of you! Even though the first trimester may include too many bathroom trips to count, random tears and raging hormones, second trimester is just around the corner! And it’s way better, I promise. If you still have questions be sure to check out the Pukeology Podcast for this Episode below and some of the other podcasts I mentioned!