Pregnancy Symptoms for Each Trimester and All Natural Remedies

Pregnancy Signs at 10 Weeks Pregnant, 20 Weeks Pregnant & 30 Weeks Pregnant

Want to know what each trimester has in store? Or maybe you're desperate for natural relief from pregnancy symptoms like morning sickness, leg and back cramps, breast tenderness, or swollen feet. But not to fear, NoMo Nausea is here! Keep reading to find out why you’re feeling this kind of way and learn some fantastic tips to relieve some of these uncomfortable symptoms. After all, all good things come in three’s; that’s why there are three trimesters.

First Trimester Symptoms: Conception to Week 12

This trimester is often categorized as the one with the MOST amount of changes.  That’s because your body is getting ready to support another life! And that life is your beautiful baby. If you're wondering "When does morning sickness start?" Sorry to say, but it's during this trimester, oh the notorious morning sickness. (Spoiler alert:  I totally have the BEST morning sickness remedy, stay tuned.) Other women will get cravings. Sometimes these cravings can really show us how much work our body is putting into growing your beautiful child. For instance, if you’re craving salty foods, like Dr. Darna (our very own CEO) was, it’s probably a sign that you need more electrolytes. Electrolytes are incredibly important to keep our water and salt balance at the perfect numbers for our body to function. An imbalance can lead to muscle cramps, which is also a common symptom pregnant women experience. Since muscle cramps are caused by an imbalance of electrolytes and water, you can get cramps from not having enough water too. So, it’s super important to drink lots of water to avoid dehydration.

Aversions to foods are very prevalent because of the heightened sense of smell. Also, your brain has a heightened sense of disgust because your brain is being cautious of everything you eat. It is super careful at this stage because it does not want you to eat something that could hurt your baby. If you want to learn more about this unique pregnant phenomenon check out the psychological study done by Fessler in 2005: “Elevated disgust sensitivity…”. Even if it is food you used to love, sometimes our brain is just ultra-cautious.

Another common experience pregnant women have during these first few weeks is fatigue. The uncontrollable feeling of exhaustion can hit you hard during your first trimester because you are making a human or humans.  Your body is putting in a lot of work to make muscles, organs, cells and protect your own little human, in other words, you have a right to be tired. Another effect of growing a human can be mood swings because of the many hormones your body is producing. You actually probably found out you were pregnant because of one of these hormones: named hCG. hCG stands for Human Chorionic Gonadotropin and when it’s present in your pee, your pregnancy test comes back positive. If you’re craving some more information on Early Symptoms of Pregnancy, check out our podcast, Pregnancy Pukeology Episode 13. 

Second Trimester Symptoms: Week 13 to Week 26

This is often called the “golden period”, and for good reason. You’re not too big or too small, and as Goldilocks would say, “it’s just right”. Another reason for this being the favorited trimester is because you get to feel your little one kick. It feels like a little flutter. Through your pregnancy, you’ll start finding out what causes them to move more or less.  In addition to their organs, they’re developing a little personality inside there. However, the second trimester isn’t all rainbows and unicorns. Sometimes women experience round ligament pain during these weeks.  The round ligament is located in the hip region on both sides.  It actually begins at the uterus and attaches in your pelvis. A hormone called relaxin helps move your hips into the correct position which can sometimes make the ligaments attached to it hurt. Sometimes morning sickness will stop by this point, but for others, it may continue. But don’t worry we have the remedy for you coming up soon! Your nipples may also start to get darker, almost as a target for the hungry little hunters.  Unfortunately, the second trimester is well known for headaches and migraines.  Luckily an easy remedy is making sure you’re well hydrated; so drink plenty of water. Check out Pregnancy Pukeology Podcast Episode 8, How to Cure a Migraine, if you are one of the many women who get terrible second-trimester head pain. Or head on over to the products tab at the top of the screen and check out our NoMo Migraine Band!

 

 

Third Trimester Symptoms: Week 27 to Delivery!! 

Now I say to delivery and not 40 weeks because every pregnancy is different.  Some will babies will get their eviction notice early and some will want to bake in there forever and stay late.  Your baby is getting really strong by this point and you may feel like they’re preparing to be a boxer which all their kicks. Since your babies are growing in size and your body is running out of room, it’s common for the babies to “sit” on your bladder.  The extra pressure will cause you to have to pee every couple of minutes. Episode 12 Frequent Urination in Pregnancy gives the science behind why we pregnant women have to pee all the time.

Likewise, your body is producing extra fluid, usually 500mL to 1L, to compensate for the potential blood loss during delivery and this extra fluid tends to follow the law of gravity. So, you that’s where the swollen feet pregnancy sign comes in. If your feet are becoming significantly swollen, you may want to check your blood pressure.  If you have VERY swollen ankles and feet, vernacularly called CANKLES (extended calves and no ankles are visible) and medically called edema (or swelling) it’s time to go to your OB. Although it just may be from standing too long, it’s better to be safe than sorry. This trimester your breasts and nipples will become engorged with milk and could potentially start leaking. But then something miraculous happens…your baby is born!! But to make sure your pregnancy is as comfortable as possible, check out the pregnancy FAQs and tips below!

How do I stop pregnancy leg cramps?

1. Buy a good prenatal vitamin that has high concentrations of magnesium and calcium. List to Episode 3 Why Take a Prenatal Vitamin to see all the benefits of getting proper nutrition.
2. Walk or exercise daily. Make sure you stretch your muscles when they are nice and hot.
3. Don’t be so ladylike. Stop crossing your legs. It will help with blood flow.
4. Drink plenty of water and have foods with electrolytes (bananas, mustard, pretzels, etc) 

Do you burn more calories when pregnant?

Yes!  During your second trimester, you will likely need to eat about 340 more calories a day. During your third trimester, you will likely need to eat about 450 more calories a day. After all, you will be gaining about one pound per week during your second and third trimesters due to your beautiful growing baby.   

How to stop morning sickness?

Natural is always best. Foods like ginger, lemons, or the pectin of apples have been shown useful but when I know when you’re sick the last thing you want is to eat. After all, food increases stomach acids. Women during pregnancy have an increase in acid reflux, hence the Tums next to the nightstand.

But if you’re tired of feeling like you’re going to puke, try acupressure! Put pressure on your wrist at P6 and smell some peppermint essential oil. Some people like using an essential oil diffuser while others just like putting a few drops of it on their skin. Acupressure after 45 minutes helps your body increase anti-nausea hormones which help stop your morning sickness when you place the band on at night. Acupressure at P6 has been equivalent to the effects of Zofran, the most commonly prescribed morning sickness medicine. But unlike Zofran, acupressure has no links to birth defects and you don’t need a prescription. Peppermint essential oil when smelled helps to stop vomiting immediately because the fastest way into the brain is through the nose. Each technique is about 50% effective at reducing morning sickness. 

But what if you combine the two? Well, you’re in luck. NoMo Nausea Band has made it so easy to stop morning sickness by combining acupressure and aromatherapy into a stylish & waterproof wristband that is clinically proven to stop 80% of your worst pregnancy upset stomach. Hurry over to www.NoMoNausea.comto buy one. 

How to stop round ligament pain?

1. Before you cough or sneeze bend at the hips to avoid pulling on the ligaments with rapid movements
2. YOGA! Keeps your core muscles strong and helps to stretch all your muscles in a controlled fashion. 
3. Use a heating pad or Tylenol if you have to. Try sitting in a hot bath or heat up some washcloths and putting them at the crease of your hips. Notice I said Tylenol as a last resort and not Advil or Ibuprofen because those are NSAIDs. NSAIDs are nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs that can cause miscarriage during early pregnancy and health issues during late pregnancy and labor.

How to get ready for breastfeeding?

Dr. Darna’s Peruvian aunt gave her great advice.  While you’re in the shower take a washcloth and scrub your nipples.  They are likely sensitive, but eventually, you’re going to have a small human’s mouth sucking, biting, and playing with it, so think of it as building tolerance. Squeezing your boobs in a hot shower is great for getting the colostrum (or super yellowish thick “stuff” leaking from your boobs, which is full of nutrients) to come out. This techniques also works really well if you get mastitis (breast inflammation). This usually happens when a milk duct gets clogged and your breast becomes red and painful, but luckily antibiotic and this technique can help! 

How do I stop peeing all the time?

Bladder training includes lots of kegel muscle workouts.  In order to do these exercises, squeeze your vagina together.  In other words, pretend like you’re trying to stop peeing when in full stream.  You have two sphincters that control your pee. The one you can control is your outer sphincter and the one you cannot control is your inner sphincter. If you have a strong pelvic floor (which you can get through these kegel exercises), it will decrease the chance of you being peeing on yourself all the time. Also, try to avoid drinking liquids before bed and stop drinking caffeine (you only get one cup a day anyway).  Caffeine is a natural diuretic, so you’ll naturally have to pee more. You should make sure you get a balanced amount of fiber in your diet too because too much or too little can cause constipation.  But, avoiding constipation will help decrease the weight and stress on your pelvic floor.

How to decrease swollen feet during pregnancy?

1. Avoid standing or sitting for long periods
2. Try to get your feet above your heart to help the flow of fluid the other way.
3. Wear comfortable shoes that allow your feet to swell
4. Wear compression socks or support hose. They will help to pump the blood back up to the brain.  Think of it as a helpful device for your feet (which in your 3^rd trimester you will not have seen in months). 

Now you know what symptoms you may experience at each of the three pregnancy stages. But no matter how inconvenient or uncomfortable these pregnancy signs may be, it'll all be worth it in the end. Remember, NoMo Nausea is here to help! Morning sickness? NoMo Nausea Band. Headache remedy? NoMo Migraine band. More information on pregnancy? NoMo Blog and Pregnancy Pukeology Podcast. Click below for the Podcast version of this blog post for even more info and funny pregnancy stories! 

Listen to "Pregnancy Symptoms by Pregnancy Trimester Episode 20 - Pregnant Pukeology Podcast" on Spreaker.