Pregnancy Symptoms and Signs

How can you tell if you are pregnant? There are a number of signs and symptoms to watch for. Chances are you will only experience a portion of the symptoms. Each pregnancy is different, and the same mom to be can experience different pregnancy signs each time she gets pregnant.

Pregnancy symptoms can begin for some mothers immediately after conception. Some pregnancy signs require that you chart your cycle, noting your daily basal body temperature.

Implantation

While a rare minority will experience pregnancy symptoms sooner, typically the first pregnancy signs occur when your baby implants around 8-10 days after ovulation. Implantation causes an increase in progesterone levels, which can lead to higher temperatures giving you a tri-phasic chart. If you temperature remains high for fifteen or more days after ovulation, you may be pregnant. Some women will see a slight temperature drop at implantation. Implantation bleeding sometimes occurs and can be pink, red, or brown in color. You may also have lower abdominal cramps.

Positive Pregnancy Test

The next and best sign that you are pregnant is a positive pregnancy test. Home pregnancy tests measure the pregnancy hormone hCG in your urine. The most sensitive home pregnancy tests will show a positive result when the hCG levels reach 20, which can happen as early as four days before your period is due, or approximately 10 days after ovulation.

False negatives are common when testing early with a home pregnancy test, so I recommend you wait to use one until eighteen days after ovulation to avoid false negatives. The usual recommendation is to wait until 14 days after ovulation before testing. Blood serum pregnancy tests performed by your doctor are much more sensitive. They can detect hCG levels as low as five. If you continue to experience pregnancy symptoms, but your home pregnancy test continues to show negative, you can make an appointment with your doctor to confirm your pregnancy.

Missed Period

One of the most common pregnancy signs is a missed period. For women with a standard 28-day cycle, their period is late if it has not arrived fifteen days after ovulation, or twenty-nine days after the first day of their cycle. Elevated basal body temperatures for 15 or more days will typically accompany the missed period.

Frequent Urination

Frequent urination is a very common early symptom of pregnancy. You may find yourself unable to be away from a bathroom for more than hour at a time, or waking up in the middle of the night to urinate.

Morning Sickness

Morning sickness can begin as early as 2 to 4 weeks after conception. The term morning sickness is something of a misnomer, as you can experience the nausea and vomiting throughout the day. Morning sickness typically is worst during the first trimester, and most pregnant women will have their morning sickness symptoms lessen or subside completely during the second or third trimester.

Breast Changes

Breast tenderness usually begins around 3 to 4 weeks after conception. This can also be a sign of your impending period. Usually the degree of breast tenderness is much stronger with pregnancy than with your period. You may also notice a slight tingling sensation.

Another change to your breasts early in pregnancy is the appearance. Your areolas can become larger and darker.

Fatigue

Fatigue can be an early sign of pregnancy. This symptom is not just being a little tired; it is more like feeling totally wiped out. Your normal daily activities can send you to complete exhaustion.

Body Discomforts

The physical and hormonal changes you experience with pregnancy can cause a long list of body changes that are annoying and uncomfortable. You may experience headaches, backaches, acne, constipation, heartburn, mood swings, constipation, diarrhea, bloating, indigestion, and abdominal cramps.

Food Cravings

Food cravings are a very common pregnancy symptom. Approximately 85% of women will experience some type of food craving during their pregnancy.

Food Aversions

The other side of food cravings is food aversions. They are also a very common sign of early pregnancy. You may find that a favorite food suddenly makes you feel nauseated just thinking about it.

Smell Aversions

A heightened sense of smell may cause some odors to seem stronger than normal when you are pregnant. Some smell aversions can cause food aversions.

Baby Movement

You can feel your baby moving as early as 16 weeks, but for first-time mothers may not feel the baby moving until 20 weeks or more.

Intuition

For some women, they just "feel" pregnant, even though they have had no other signs or symptoms. A mother's intuition is frequently accurate.

It is possible to experience some of the signs and symptoms of pregnancy, yet still not be pregnant. It is important that both you and your baby get under a doctor's care as early as possible. If you think you might be pregnant, treat your body as if you are pregnant until you know for sure. Take a home pregnancy test if you miss your period. If the test shows positive, then you are pregnant. Congratulations!

Home Remedies to Prevent Foot Swelling During Pregnancy

Among the many changes that occur during the pregnancy months of the female is the swelling of feet. The whole feet may swell up, or just some parts like the ankles or the shins may swell.

Swelling of the feet generally starts becoming apparent during the fifth month of the pregnancy, though this time limit can vary from one woman to another. It occurs due to the accumulation of fluids in the feet of the woman. Swelling of the feet can be painful to some women, due to which they may not be able to move about or do their normal work as the months pass on. In some women, the swelling of the feet is very temporary; it subsides when the woman takes rest for a while, or massages the feet.

This article tells some of the home remedies you can use when pregnant to prevent the swelling of feet.

Simple Remedies to Prevent and Treat Swelling of Feet during Pregnancy

- Drink a lot of water when you are pregnant. You must drink at least six to eight glasses of water per day. Water is the most natural therapy to flush out the excess toxins from the body. Thus, the water will expel all the toxic fluids of the body which would otherwise settle in the feet and cause them to swell. Drinking a lot of water could increase the frequency of urination in pregnant women, but that is actually a good sign, as urination is a way to expel the wastes from the body.

- Avoid remaining in a standing position for long periods of time. This gives direct access for the fluids to enter into the lower parts of the body and cause the feet to swell up.

- Hot temperatures are not good during pregnancy. Hot temperatures can reduce the water content of the body, due to which the proportion of the fluids increase proportionately in the body. Therefore, going out when there is a hot climate must be avoided as much as possible.

- It is a misconception that swelling of feet during pregnancy is caused by excessive intake of salty foods. Though over-intake of salt is definitely not good, eliminating salt totally from the diet also does not help. Salt must be taken in moderation. The same idea applies to spicy foods also.

- Keep your diet well-balanced. This is extremely important for a pregnant woman. If the diet is deficient in any kind of food, or if the woman takes the wrong kind of food, then there is more chance of undigested toxic wastes accumulating in the body, and causing the feet to swell.

- Do not wear tight trousers or jeans when you are pregnant, as this would increase the pressure on the legs. Instead, you could wear somewhat loose stockings or pantyhose to give good support to the feet.

- While sleeping, try to change your position frequently. Lying in a single position for a long time will increase the pressure on one side of the body and increase the chances of the feet getting swollen up. You can put some elevated support for the feet, such as propping them up on cushions or pillows, so that the fluid does not accumulate into the feet region.

- Here's a recipe for preventing the swelling of feet during pregnancy. Take two cups of water and add a teaspoonful of palm sugar in it. Add two teaspoons of fennel seeds to it. Boil this mixture, till the volume reduces to half; i.e. only one cupful of water is left. Drink this mixture thrice in a day. It will help protect the feet from getting swollen.

- Add a few tablespoons of coriander in two cups of water. Boil this mixture till it reduces to half its quantity, i.e. to one cup. Drink this coriander decoction thrice in a day. It will prevent from swelling of feet during pregnancy. In order to improve the taste, you can add sugar and milk to it, so that it becomes like a herbal tea.

- The most important thing to prevent feet from swelling up during pregnancy is to keep them exercised often. Pregnant women tend to reduce their normal activities in the fear that it would harm the fetus. But in fact, the opposite is true. Walking for half an hour per day is ideal. Keep your feet moving about. This is a very sure way of preventing the accumulation of fluids in the feet.

- While sitting, do not press your legs by crossing them. Keep them free and separated so that there is no undue pressure on them.

Puffy Face During Pregnancy - Is It Normal? Causes and Symptoms

Many women suffer from a puffy face during pregnancy. Normally we assume they've gained weight or are retaining excess water, since weight gain with pregnancy is normal and will often show itself in the face among other places. In fact, during the third trimester, most women wake up each morning with a swollen face. This is due to increased circulation, and is often not harmful. There are however, some causes of that need to be taken very seriously. Preeclampsia can cause a puffy face during pregnancy. This condition can be very dangerous, and if you suspect you may have it, a call to the doctor is recommended.

Characterized by edema (excess water retention), hypertension, protein in the urine (proteinuria), and sudden rapid weight gain, preeclampsia must be monitored closely. A swollen face, along with swollen hands, ankles and feet, is typical of edema. An easy test is to press in the tips your fingers and make an indention. If the flesh stays depressed longer than normal, it can be a sign of edema.

Treatment may include bed rest, elevation of legs, water increase, and avoiding salt. If these symptoms accompany mental confusion, headaches, or other neurological signs, get to your doctor or hospital right away. Dehydration can also cause a puffy face during pregnancy. When you don't take in enough water, the body tries to retain the small amount it has. Therefore the blood vessels enlarge and boom! you end up with a swollen face.

Stay away from alcohol, caffeine, and excess sodium, and watch your urine color. If it's too yellow, drink more water.

Lack of vitamin C and/or beta carotene are other causes of puffy face while pregnant.

Puffy face during pregnancy should be diagnosed with every possibility. Make sure you take pregnancy vitamin supplements (as recommended by your doctor), and eat foods rich in Vitamin C, and all other required vitamins and minerals.

Due to belly size, leg pain, and other conditions, women find it hard to sleep during the last stages of pregnancy. Alas, if you don't get enough sleep, you may wake up with a swollen face. Lack of sleep is probably the most common cause of a puffy face during pregnancy. If you can't get comfortable in bed, try a big comfy chair. If you can't sleep at night, sleep during the day. If other children keep you up, ask a friend to babysit a few hours so you can get your needed rest.