Nobody Told Me There'd Be Days Like This

While some women don’t feel many pregnancy symptoms at all, you may spend much of your first trimester dealing with discomfort. Fatigue, nausea, aches and pains are all normal during the early weeks and months as your body adjusts to the surge of pregnancy hormones in your bloodstream.  Rising hormone levels can cause tenderness in your breasts and a “heavy,” cramping sensation in your abdomen, similar to menstrual cramps.

Despite the term “morning sickness,” nausea can happen at any time of the day or night. Eating small snacks and meals throughout the day will keep your blood sugar levels even and may help control nausea. Many women swear by ginger candy, ginger ale or ginger root, all of which are considered safe for pregnant women. Other supposed remedies include acupressure bands, peppermint and eating small snacks before getting out of bed in the morning. Don’t take any over-the-counter medications without speaking to your care provider first. Take naps or lie down when you can—nausea tends to increase if you don’t get enough sleep—and try to get some exercise every day to help increase feelings of well-being. Also, get up from a seated position or out of bed slowly; standing up too quickly can lead to dizziness.

There’s a good reason you’re feeling this way. Your body is busy creating the placenta, an organ that will nourish your baby as he or she grows in your uterus. The placenta is growing until about the 16th week of pregnancy, and that can really sap your energy reserves.