Pregnancy symptoms
A pregnancy cannot always be recognised immediately. Pregnancy symptoms vary with every woman and every pregnancy. It is a good thing to recognise pregnancy symptoms early. The most common pregnancy symptoms are listed below for you.
Pregnancy ailments
There are many more ailments during pregnancy that may bother you, such as Braxton Hicks contractions or chloasma (darker patches of the skin). It is important to realise that when you experience one of the symptoms below it doesn’t always mean that you are actually pregnant. Therefore, always take a pregnancy test, just to be sure. Still in doubt? Contact your family doctor.
Very common pregnancy symptoms.
Lack of menstruation
When you have a regular menstrual cycle this is usually the first physical sign. Some light spotting may still occur around your usual start of menstruation, even when you are just pregnant. If you are not known to have a regular cycle, you might notice other pregnancy symptoms earlier.
Iron flavour in the mouth
A weird and persistent metallic flavour in the mouth can occur rather early in the pregnancy. This is a direct result of the hormonal balance shift in your body. The medical name for this is dysgeusia. Unfortunately there is nothing that really relieves the nasty taste in your mouth. A breath mint or brushing your teeth only lasts for a short term.
Fatigue
You may experience extreme fatigue during the first two weeks of your pregnancy, caused by the increase of progesterone in your body. Progesterone helps preparing the uterus for the pregnancy.
More bathroom visits/ more vaginal discharge
6-8 weeks after conception you might have to urinate more frequently, due to the growth of the uterus which is pushing on your bladder. After 8 weeks the position of the uterus shifts more upwards relieving the pressure on your bladder again.
Nausea/ acid reflux
Pregnancy nausea, usually occurring in the morning, is common for 60 – 80% of all pregnant women. You can suffer from morning sickness from the moment you miss your first menstruation. Therefore it is one of the most recognised symptoms. Most pregnant women don’t experience nausea anymore after their 4th month.
This nausea is caused by hormonal changes at the beginning of the pregnancy. Your digestive system slows down due to progesterone, causing your stomach to remain full for a longer period of time. This can cause nausea.
What can you do against morning sickness?
- Eat smaller portions evenly divided during the day.
- High-fibre foods have a laxative effect.
- Don’t consume heavy meals with a lot of fat and sugar.
- Eat something small like a cracker before getting up.
Sensitive breasts
Do you experience sensitive or painful breasts? Do they appear bigger than usual? This may be a sign of pregnancy.
Emotional/ mood swings
Crying without a cause? Hormones can cause mood swings making you emotionally less stable at the beginning of your pregnancy.
Headache
Headache is also a very common pregnancy symptom. Even though it is painful and annoying, it is nothing to worry about. Most women usually experience headaches during the first trimester, caused by hormonal changes, tension and stress. In some cases caused by lifestyle changes such as quitting smoking or drinking coffee.
Better sense of smell or repulsion towards certain foods, smells or drinks
Does the smell of coffee or certain meats make you nauseous? Or are you able to pick up on certain odours better? This is for sure a sigh of pregnancy. It isn’t uncommon that you are now repulsed by (odours of) things that you loved earlier. Also, you can experience weird cravings, such as the weird pickles and whipped cream craving.
Abdominal pains
Does your lower abdomen feel uncomfortable? This may be caused by the implantation (nidation) of the fertilised egg in your uterus wall. This can cause light cramps. The growing of the uterus can also cause pains or discomfort; your internal organs are pushed aside and have less space.
Back and pelvic pains
Hormonal changes, shifted body posture and increase in weight can cause lower back pains or pelvic pains. They usually occur in the last trimester. A warm bath, massage, belly band or pelvic support band may relieve some of the discomfort.
Dizziness
Dizziness during pregnancy is very common. It is caused by a diminished blood flow to the brain. Your body needs more blood and when the blood production is not quick enough to meet the needs, you might experience some dizziness. Low blood pressure can also be a cause. The increase of progesterone dilates blood vessels, inducing a reduced blood flow to the brain
Calf cramps
Almost 50% of all pregnant women experience calf cramps during the 2nd trimester. They predominantly occur at night, disturbing your sleep. Calf cramps are muscular contractions causing intense pain. The cramps last from a few seconds to several minutes. The cause of calf cramps during pregnancy has not been determined exactly but it might have something to do with fatigue, shortage of important minerals or electrolytes, reduced mobility, lack of fluids or poorer circulation.
Familie Evers
Kraamverzorgende: Jolanda
Jolanda werd onze kant op gestuurd en wat een geweldige kraamverzorgster is zij! Dankzij haar snelle actie rondom de borstvoeding, kolven en bijvoeden hebben wij sinds dag 4 een heel tevreden meisje dat goed kon herstellen van de heftige bevalling. Dankzij Jolanda kon ik de rust die ik zo hard nodig heb echt pakken om mijn lichaam te laten herstellen van de zware bevalling.
En daarnaast was Jolanda nog zoveel meer! Een gezellige klets, hulp in het huishouden, schat voor onze oudste en steun en toeverlaat tijdens de kraamtranen.
Enorm bedankt dat jullie ons zo last minute toch deze geweldige kraamweek hebben kunnen bieden. En wauw, wat fijn dat Jolanda voor jullie werkt en veel gezinnen van haar mogen genieten! Bedankt.
Teun
Kraamverzorgende: Patricia
“Een goed begin is het halve werk” zeggen ze wel eens. Dat is bij kraamzorg natuurlijk extra belangrijk. Hierbij gaat het niet om een klein projectje, maar om het opvoeden van een mensenkind.
Na een zware bevalling hadden wij de behoefte om met z’n drieën rustig bij te komen. Gelukkig kregen wij daarvoor van Patricia alle ruimte. Hierbij was zij niet alleen goede hulp met betrekking tot het opvoeden van een baby, maar was zij een betrokken luisterend oor.
Zonder uitvoerig vooraf te hebben gesproken voelde Patricia haarfijn aan waar onze behoeftes lagen en wat onze visie op opvoeding is. We vonden het erg prettig dat hier weinig woorden voor nodig waren.
Nadat we de deur achter Patricia sloten op de laatste kraamdag misten we haar prettige gezelschap al meteen. We hopen haar in de toekomst nog eens tegen te komen.
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