Part One: Pregnancy ailments in the first trimester

Every pregnant woman experiences some kind of discomfort during her pregnancy. Some are lucky and will only have to deal with mild morning sickness and backache, and there are those of us who will have to deal with high blood pressure, water retention and thrush. This post aims to explain some of the more common complaints that arise in early pregnancy, and hopefully offers some tips on how to avoid or remedy them.

Tender breasts

One of the first signs of pregnancy are tender breasts. Your breasts may feel heavy and uncomfortable, and you may experience a tingling sensation in your nipples. This sensitivity will probably heighten as you near term and your hormones start preparing your breasts for lactation, with the milk ducts stretching as they fill with milk. Wear a good support bra and get measured for a good nursing bra as your breasts grow and require more specific support. Using a gentle cream may help to prevent sore nipples.Faintness

Faintness can result from standing up too quickly or standing for too long, especially in hot weather, and is caused by a lack of blood to the brain especially when pregnant as the uterus demands an increased blood supply. Try to keep cool and avoiding standing for long periods. If you do feel dizzy sit or lie down until you feel better.

Mood swings

It is common to feel almost pre-menstrual during pregnancy, and as your body shape changes and you start realising the enormity of what being a parent means you may find yourself getting tearful and anxious a lot more than usual. This is a very natural feeling; don’t worry and make sure you get lots of reassuring cuddles and have someone to talk to.

Morning sickness

Low blood sugar and pregnancy hormones are the main causes of morning sickness, which most women will experience in some form during the first three months of their pregnancy. Morning sickness can occur at any time during the day, though as its names suggests is most common in the morning when your stomach is empty. The main symptoms are nausea and vomiting, though some very unlucky women will have difficulty keeping anything down at all and may even need to be admitted to hospital for a few days for monitoring and rest.

One of the mains ways to ease morning sickness is to eat little and often and drink lots of fluid. Try eating plain biscuits and ice lollies and avoid caffeine and fried foods as these can aggravate morning sickness. Ginger is also a well known remedy and can be ingested through tea, biscuits or even ginger beer.

Anaemia

Feeling tired or short of breath can be signs of anaemia, which in pregnancy is often caused by iron deficiency. Anaemia is one of the conditions tested for during your antenatal visits, and if your body is showing signs of anaemia you will probably be prescribed additional pregnancy vitamins or an iron supplement. You should ensure you eat a varied diet to avoid developing anaemia, including beef, spinach, eggs and lots of fruit and vegetables. You may also want to consider taking extra vitamin supplements, such as Pregnacare.

Backache

Backache is one of the symptoms of pregnancy that the majority of women will experience. You will usually experience backache as your posture changes and you get bigger, resulting in discomfort in your lower back and sometimes even pain across your bottom and legs. You can help to relieve backache with massage, rest and heat pads. It will also help if you can keep your weight under control and do some light exercise, such as yoga or pilates. Pregnancy classes have now become very popular and you should be able to find something on offer at either your local gym or in your local community hall. Wearing low-heeled shoes will also help.

Constipation

Constipation is a common ailment during pregnancy as our bowel movements can become more irregular due to hormonal changes. As a preventative measure you should drink plenty of fluids (8 glasses of water a day) and eat high fibre foods such as baked beans and wholemeal breads, rice and pastas. Eating fresh fruit such as apples and berries can also help. Do not use laxatives unless you have been prescribed them by a doctor.

Diarrhoea

Suffering from diarrhoea during pregnancy is usually a sign of an infection or virus. As you usually would, ensure you drink lots of fluids to prevent dehydration. Drinking camomile tea and eating fresh fruit and vegetables can also help.

The next article will look at more common complaints that occur in the later stages of pregnancy.This is a two part article. This first article has dealt with pregnancy complaints and ailments that typically arise in the first trimester. The second article contains details of the typical pregnancy complaints and ailments that arise in the later stages of pregnancy. To read the full article please visit my website at www.baby-solutions.co.uk