1st Trimester of Pregnancy

The 1st trimester of pregnancy starts two weeks before conception and it lasts basically the first three months of the pregnancy. The 1st trimester is the most unstable trimesters of the pregnancy. During this time the mother is at the highest risk for miscarriage. Because of this most people wait until the 2nd trimester to tell people that they are expecting.

1st Trimester Symptoms of Pregnancy

There are a lot of symptoms that are going to develop during the 1st trimester of your pregnancy. In fact, many of the symptoms that you will develop will appear before you even know that you are pregnant. Some of the symptoms that can signal to you that you are pregnancy include: breast tenderness, mood swings, morning sickness, headaches, spotting, cramping, faintness, dizziness, food cravings, food aversions, lower back pain, and the need to urinate frequently.

What is Happens in Your Body During the 1st Trimester

Pregnancy all begins when an egg is fertilized by a single sperm. Fertilization can occur inside the body as a result of intercourse, or it can occur outside of the body as a result of artificial insemination. After the egg has been fertilized an amazing transformation occurs as the two sex cells join together to create a new life. In less then two weeks the cell ball travels through the fallopian tubes and implants itself in the uterus. When implantation occurs it is not uncommon for the woman to experience cramping and light bleeding. During the rest of this trimester the fetus will develop rapidly and establish the major support systems that it will need for the rest of the pregnancy including a placenta and an umbilical cord.

Hormonal changes in your body are also going to impact your emotional, psychological, and physical state. For example an increase in blood production that will be needed to support both you and your baby will lead to faintness, headaches, and fatigue. Hormonal changes will change how you feel and react to stimuli. You may notice that small things trigger your cry response, and that you quickly switch between bouts of weeping and laughing hysterically.

Staying Healthy During Your 1st Trimester

Because the 1st trimester is critical to the health of your pregnancy you need to take extra steps to make sure that you stay as healthy as possible. First of all you will want to take prenatal vitamins. These can be prescribed to you by your doctor. You will also want to get proper prenatal care. You will also want to get regular exercise, however, you will probably want to tone down your workouts to include more low impact exercises, especially if you have a history of miscarriages of fertility issues. Finally, you will want to improve your diet. To do this you should cut out alcohol and caffeine, and increase your calcium intake. At this point you will also want to stop smoking and using other harmful substances.