Eight of the Most Common Pregnancy Symptoms

Written by TsangShireen

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Posted on July 28 2022

Pregnancy is undoubtedly a great joy for most pregnant women. However, soon after the excitement, pregnant women have to face a variety of distressing pregnancy reactions. Each of these reactions can cause physical and psychological pain to the pregnant woman. What can we do? We need to be well prepared. For example, throughout pregnancy, mothers' weight and body size will keep changing. We need to prepare some wholesale maternity dress.


This article will introduce the eight common symptoms of pregnancy according to the early, middle and late stages of pregnancy, explaining the approximate time of their appearance, their specific manifestations and providing solutions for their relief.

Table of content:

  • Early Pregnancy
  • Mid Pregnancy
  • Late Pregnancy

Early Pregnancy: First trimester

Pregnancy vomiting

Many pregnant women experience nausea, anorexia, acid reflux, morning sickness, gagging and poor appetite in the early stages of pregnancy, which are all specific manifestations of pregnancy sickness. Data show that more than 75% of pregnant women will experience varying degrees of nausea, 50% of them will experience pregnancy vomiting, and 0.3% to 1% of them will experience severe pregnancy vomiting. In severe cases, vomiting with a small amount of blood in the vomit, do not worry too much, usually caused by severe vomiting and pharyngeal rupture, usually do not need special treatment.

This is one of the first symptoms of pregnancy. Normally, vomiting starts in the 6th-7th weeks of pregnancy, reaches its peak around the 10th week and gradually subsides after the 12th-14th weeks. However, it varies from person to person, from none to severe, and from a short duration to the whole pregnancy. Pregnancy sickness is called morning sickness and usually occurs in the morning. However, some pregnant women may feel nauseous after meals or before going to bed.

How to relieve?

1. Eat fewer and lighter meals.
If you have severe pregnancy sickness, try to change three meals a day to five to six meals a day, eating a little less at each meal; at the same time, avoid foods or smells that make you nauseous; eat some high-protein foods and avoid high-fat foods, you can eat some soda crackers or drink some lemon water.
Also, going to brush your teeth immediately after eating and not lying down immediately will help to relieve pregnancy vomiting.


2. Avoid bending over and lying down after meals, and exercise appropriately to relieve the symptoms of heartburn


3. Take vitamin B, dry yeast and other medicines to relieve the symptoms under the advice of your doctor.
If you feel that the effect is not good, you must explain the situation to your doctor before trying to increase the amount of vitamin B.


4. Eat fruits in moderation.
Fruits are rich in vitamin C and organic acids, as well as water and sugar, which can help relieve pregnancy vomiting and replenish fluids, such as watermelon, raw pears, sugar cane and apples, but be careful not to eat too much at a time.

Lack of energy

After pregnancy, you usually experience soreness and weakness, and you even have to move step by step every day when you go out, and with the weakness of pregnancy vomiting, your whole body looks extra tired. This is a normal reaction to pregnancy. After pregnancy, the estrogen and progesterone in the body increase, which will lead to ligament relaxation and muscle flaccidity, showing the feeling of weakness and soreness all over the body.

Especially in the early stages of pregnancy, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting and loss of appetite are normal and do not require special treatment. If you experience weakness and soreness in the middle and end of pregnancy, you should check your blood pressure and blood sugar.

How to relieve?

1. Rest when you are tired and adjust your strength.
The best way is to adjust your life, adapt to a series of changes in your body during pregnancy, and pay more attention to rest. You can also take appropriate exercise, choose some mild exercises for physical exercise, such as: walking, pregnancy yoga, etc.. Regulate physical strength to prepare for delivery.


2. Regulate dietary habits.
If you want to relieve fatigue during pregnancy, a reasonable regulation of diet is also a good way. In addition to three meals a day to ensure adequate nutrition, you should also eat more vitamin-rich food. In the special period can be combined with some special diet, which can help alleviate the discomfort caused by hormonal changes in the body, thus reducing pregnancy fatigue.


3. Sunbathe regularly.
If a pregnant woman's body lacks vitamin D, it will affect the health of the pregnant woman and will also affect the normal development of the fetus, so pregnant women must adhere to the sun every day, which can promote the synthesis of vitamin D and can also effectively relieve fatigue.


4. Relaxation.
Make psychological adjustments, do not be overly anxious, learn to release their emotions, so as to relieve the body's discomfort symptoms. Ensure sleep and stay up less. Drink less water before going to bed; try not to play cell phones, do not watch TV before going to bed, to avoid excessive excitement; reduce staying up late, so as not to disrupt the normal work and rest.

Pain in the waist and back

Pregnant women are prone to low back pain during pregnancy, which is usually characterized by soreness and vague pain in the lower back, especially after exertion or exposure to cold. Due to the relaxation of the joint ligaments during pregnancy and the backward shift of the center of gravity of the torso due to the forward protrusion of the enlarged uterus, many mothers experience mild low back pain due to the continuous tension in the back muscles, which leads to poor sleep at night.

Back pain may start after 40 days of pregnancy. Usually, after more than 40 days of pregnancy, pregnant women will experience back pain and swelling, but the exact timing should be judged according to the individual physical condition of the pregnant.

How to relieve?

1. Avoid prolonged sitting or standing.
To relieve back discomfort during pregnancy, pregnant women should try to avoid standing or sitting for long periods of time. If it is necessary, attention should be paid to the standing and sitting postures, such as lifting the upper body when standing, dropping the shoulders backward and tilting the pelvis slightly backward to reduce the pressure on the waist; when sitting, pregnant mothers try to choose a chair with a backrest to give the waist a support, and stand up and move the muscles and bones every hour or so to relieve the fatigue of the waist.


2. Adjust sleeping posture.
As the abdomen increases in late pregnancy, it is recommended that pregnant women sleep on their left side and put a pillow between their legs and abdomen to reduce the pressure on the pelvis and back when they sleep. When lying up slowly, do not move too much to avoid spraining the waist.


3. Hot compresses.
Hot compresses are also a way to relieve pain. When your lower back hurts, you can use a hot towel to apply a local hot compress to the lower back of a pregnant woman, or you can use hot water to rinse your lower back in the shower.

Mid Pregnancy: 5-7 months of pregnancy

Constipation

During pregnancy, a woman's body secretes a large amount of progesterone, which may cause the gastrointestinal muscle tone to weaken and intestinal peristalsis to slow down, leading to constipation during pregnancy. The most common manifestation of constipation during pregnancy is dry stools, a significant decrease in the number of bowel movements, or even the absence of bowel movements for several days in a row. Prolonged constipation may lead to loss of appetite, accompanied by bloating, anorexia, nausea, vomiting and other symptoms.

Constipation occurs in the middle and late stages of pregnancy, and the most serious constipation is in the last month of pregnancy.

How to relieve?

1. Change of diet.
Green leafy vegetables are rich in dietary fiber, which can promote intestinal peristalsis and help with bowel movements. Drink more water to moisten the intestines. Wake up every morning to drink a glass of warm water, to ensure that the amount of water to drink normally. Prunes, pears, apricots, peaches and other fruits will also help you.


2. moderate exercise.
It is also important to insist on moderate exercise during pregnancy, especially after meals. Because the right amount of exercise can increase gastrointestinal peristalsis, promote gastrointestinal emptying, can relieve constipation symptoms. The amount of exercise per day is based on the fact that you do not feel tired.


3. Medication.
Medication should be administered under the guidance of a doctor.

Anemia

The general clinical manifestations of anemia during pregnancy are fatigue, and in severe cases, pallor, weakness, palpitations, dizziness, dyspnea, and irritability. Anemia in pregnancy is a common and frequent comorbidity in pregnant women, and World Health Organization data show that more than 50% of pregnant women are anemic.


During the growth and development of the fetus, it begins to synthesize its own hemoglobin, which requires large amounts of iron. And the fetus gets all its nutrition from the mother. Even in the case of anemia, the mother will supply her body with iron to the fetus first, giving priority to the needs of the fetus.

How to relieve?

1.Food.
On top of the diet, pregnant women can eat more iron-rich foods, such as egg yolk, kelp, nori, wood ear, animal blood, etc. Pasta also contains more iron.
Usually eat more vegetables and fruits, they contain vitamin C can also promote the absorption of iron in the intestine. Therefore, while eating iron-rich foods, it is best to eat more fruits and vegetables together, which also have a good effect of iron supplementation.
In addition to iron supplementation, pregnant mothers should also eat more folic acid-rich foods, such as liver, kidneys, green leafy vegetables and fish, eggs, soy products, etc.

2. Drugs.
Pregnant women should use iron supplements under the guidance of a doctor. Timely maternity checkups will allow the doctor to better understand the physical condition of the pregnant woman and provide help and guidance.
In addition to iron supplements, pregnant mothers should also take a small dose of folic acid (400ug per month) and start taking folic acid supplements from the first 3 months of pregnancy until the second 3 months of pregnancy. This is beneficial not only for the prevention of megaloblastic anemia, but also for the prevention of congenital neural tube defects.

Late Pregnancy: From the eighth month of pregnancy to the birth of the baby

Cramps

Cramps during pregnancy are manifested as muscle spasms in the lower limbs, with cramps in the thighs and a sore feeling. There are many reasons for the appearance of cramps during pregnancy: the main reason is the lack of calcium, and secondly, improper diet, overexertion and incorrect sleeping position may cause cramps during pregnancy.

Muscle cramps are more common in the later stages of pregnancy and often strike at night, mostly relieving quickly.

How to relieve?

1、Adjustment of living habits
Pregnant women should pay attention to keeping their feet warm while sleeping, especially before going to sleep, to avoid letting their calves blow cold air. And it is best to adopt a side-lying posture during sleep, which is not only good for the pregnant woman and the fetus to breathe, but can also reduce the discomfort caused by cramps. When lying flat, you can slightly put your feet up to allow the calf muscles to be stretched.

2, diet focus on calcium supplement
First, pregnant women should eat more calcium-rich foods, such as milk, dairy products, ribs, dried small fish, etc., and also to increase the intake of vitamins, especially vitamin D, or to pay attention to the sun to promote calcium absorption.
Secondly, pregnant women can also drink freshly squeezed juices such as orange juice, guava juice or tomato juice to help replenish minerals and prevent cramps.

3, stretching techniques when cramping
If cramps occur, let your heels hit the ground immediately, or lie flat with your heels against the wall and bend your feet upward to help stretch your calf muscles. This small action can help the mother-to-be relieve cramps.

Edema

Due to some physiological changes during pregnancy, such as hormonal changes in the body, changes in water and sodium metabolism, and compression of veins by the enlarged uterus, oedema often occurs in pregnant women. And it becomes more serious with the increase of pregnancy months.

How to relieve?

1. Wear compression socks and comfortable shoes
Since swelling often occurs around the feet and ankles, take care of your feet when you are pregnant by choosing the right shoes and consulting your doctor about compression stockings.


2. Use cold compresses
You can apply a cold compress to the swollen area to help reduce swelling and relieve pain.


3. Give your feet a rest
Resting your feet during pregnancy can also help reduce pain and swelling.

Hypotension

In late pregnancy, if a pregnant woman is in a supine position for a long time, the enlarged uterus compresses the inferior vena cava, causing a sudden decrease in the amount of cardiac blood return and cardiac blood output, resulting in hypotension.

How to relieve?

Change the lying position, take more left side lying position and change the habit of lying on the back.

Since we got pregnant, we have been well prepared for the arrival of our new baby. We learned about parenting from books, bought children's clothes from wholesale kids clothes websites and gathered everything we needed for our child from various sources. However, we don't pay as much attention to pregnant women as we do to children.

Only a pregnant woman can truly experience the happiness and pain that comes with the conception of a new life. All the things mentioned in the article are common pregnancy reactions, which are normal. During pregnancy, the most important thing is to keep a relaxed mind, pay attention to the pregnant woman's emotions and look forward to the birth of the baby together.

 

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