Earliest Pregnancy Symptoms and Signs
Wondering if you are pregnant? I was in your shoes before!
Here are super early pregnancy signs and symptoms that women have to let them know they are having a baby!
I remember when I was pregnant with my first baby and I was so tired, I assumed I was getting my period because I normally got really tired before my period. The last thing on my mind was that I was pregnant!
This was just the first sign of pregnancy for me personally with my first baby. My second baby I had major food aversions and food cravings first before any other symptoms.
The first signs of pregnancy can be different from one woman to the next! Here are the most common symptoms to tell you to get ready for that baby bump!
So, before you get that home pregnancy test to give you some answers, below are some early pregnancy symptoms that may make you think your’e pregnant!
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1. Fatigue and Exhaustion
Like I mentioned above, this was one of my first pregnancy symptoms! I was so tired with all four of my pregnancies in the first trimester and then the third trimester. Exhaustion was an understatement!
I remember taking a nap with my third pregnancy in the middle of the day for ten minutes when I normally never did that! My husband looked at me and said how odd it was for me to fall asleep like that because that was usually something he would do, not me!
That right there should have given me a hint that I was pregnant again!
However, it is completely normal to fee exhausted during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. Your body is using more blood to produce nutrients to your growing baby inside of you. So your blood volume is basically working overtime and your hormone levels increase which is responsible for making you tired.
It’s crucial to get as much rest as you possibly can while you’re pregnant. Also, eat healthy foods that are rich in protein that help give you the energy you need during pregnancy.
Most importantly, be sure you’re taking a great prenatal vitamin! This is my favorite prenatal vitamins that I used with all four of my kids and it helped me so much!
2. Breast Changes
Sore breasts and breast tenderness were the number one early symptom that told me I was pregnant. As mentioned before, every woman is different but during all 4 of my pregnancies, my breasts were very tender and sore to touch. If someone even bumped me, it would hurt!
Hormonal changes during pregnancy is what causes the breasts to swell and feel heavy. The areola may darken around the nipple as well.
Sometimes a heating pad or the right bra can help ease this tender breasts but for the most part, you may just have remove your bra as often as you can and wait it out!
After a few weeks, this breast tenderness will go away but it always was a very good sign for me and my friends that we were pregnant.
3. Nausea or Morning Sickness
Nausea and morning sickness are the WORST! If you are feeing nauseous out of nowhere at random times or feeling sick to your stomach after your morning coffee, then these are good clues you may be pregnant!
Some lucky women never experience any nausea and then there are others, like myself, who have terrible morning sickness and nausea! It is no picnic, that’s for sure!
Nausea can start as early as 2 weeks pregnant and can peak at about 6-9 weeks. Normally by the time the second trimester rolls around, the nausea and vomiting subsides, thankfully.
It can get so bad for some new moms that they may have hyperemesis gravidarum. Hyperemesis is the intractable vomiting during pregnancy that leads to weight loss and volume depletion. To read more about this, click here.
To find out how I was able to treat my morning sickness and terrible nausea through all 4 pregnancies, click here.
This tea and nausea lozenges below were life-savers for me during my pregnancies and calmed my nausea so much!
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4. Frequent Urination
Frequent urination can be an early pregnancy symptom that many women have. However, for me personally. I tend to urinate frequently right before I get my period as well so this was wan’t a clear sign to me that I was pregnant.
Frequent urination for some women isn’t that common so this can be a dead giveaway for some new moms.
What causes frequent urination during pregnancy? The amount of blood flow in your body increases during pregnancy which causes our kidneys to produce extra fluid.
And trust me, with my fourth pregnancy, I peed A LOT! I couldn’t go more than 20 minutes to a half hour without having to run to the bathroom! A woman’s body sure does go through a lot during pregnancy!
5. Spotting or Light Bleeding
Spotting or light bleeding is another early pregnancy symptom. This may confuse women and they might think they’re starting their period but it’s a common early pregnancy symptom that can happen.
Light spotting is also known as implantation bleeding which happens 6-14 days after conception. Implantation bleeding is when the fertilized egg attaches to the lining of your uterus.
This was not an early pregnancy sign for me and not all women get this pregnancy symptom.
These organic panty liners below are great for pregnancy spotting:
6. Headaches
Headaches are another common pregnancy symptom that many women experience early on. I had many headaches with my second and fourth pregnancies.
Headaches are no joke either, especially if you have a toddler to chase after! They just don’t care!
Many experts say that headaches are due from the rise of pregnancy hormones and blood volume increase that causes these annoying headaches. Luckily, they should subside by the second trimester.
To learn the 9 best ways to treat those pregnancy headaches naturally, click here!
My go to for treating pregnancy headaches were cayenne pepper and peppermint oil! Find out how to use them here!
7. Food Aversions or Food Cravings
You may notice certain foods you normally love you can’t eat anymore or foods that you’ve never liked somehow taste amazing! These common food aversions and cravings can happen during the early stages of pregnancy.
When I was pregnant with my first baby and didn’t know it, I went to dinner at my husband’s uncle’s house and he made us steaks. I liked steak but when I took a bite of this steak, I had the hardest time chewing and swallowing it. I remember I almost threw the entire thing up but had to stop myself because I didn’t want to be rude.
I told my husband later on because he really enjoyed the steak and had no issues and we couldn’t figure out what was wrong with me until the next day when I took a pregnancy test!
Food aversions and cravings can happen very early on and are incredibly common throughout the entire pregnancy.
8. Mood Swings
Are you noticing some crazy mood swings? Pregnant women can tend to have some crazy mood swings!
I noticed I cry much more easily when I’m pregnant! Mood changes or mood swings are very normal during pregnancy and can be an early sign of pregnancy if you notice you’re more emotional than usual.
Mood swings are related to the changes in a woman’s hormones that affect the neurotransmitters of the brain. If you notice you have more lows then high mood swings, contact your healthcare provider to see how they can help.
9. Missed Period
I feel like this one doesn’t even need to be mentioned here since it’s pretty obvious. If you have a regular menstrual cycle and then all of a sudden miss one, then you know there’s a good chance you could be pregnant!
Having a missed period is the most common earliest signs of pregnancy. If you are at least a week late, then there’s a good chance you’re pregnant. Even if you’re just a few days late, it’s a good idea to get an at-home pregnancy urine test to see what it says.
The only way to know for sure is once you go to the doctor and they give you a blood test. This blood test will give you the most accurate results. The blood test a doctor gives you measures the human chorionic gonadotropin rate in your blood. If the hCG levels are anything over 25 mIU/mL, then you are considered pregnant. Click here for more info on hCG.
If you’re having most of these early pregnancy symptoms, then there’s a great possibility you’ll have a positive pregnancy test at the doctor’s office.
Other Early Pregnancy Signs and Symptoms
A few other early symptoms of pregnancy that you may notice are:
- weight gain
- heightened sense of smell
- backaches
- darkening of the Areolas
- constipation
- bloating
So, there you have it! A pregnant woman could experience all of these symptoms or only a few of them. To know for sure, you’ll have to call your doctor and make an appointment.
Hope these 9 super early pregnancy symptoms help you decide if you have a little bun in the oven or not!
You may also be interested in:
- Pregnancy symptoms of a baby boy– 9 signs that told me I was having a boy after having 3 girls!
- How to prevent Stretch Marks During Pregnancy (from a mom of 4)
- First Trimester Pregnancy Must-haves I couldn’t live without!
- Morning sickness Remedies that Work!
- 8 Pregnancy symptoms for a Baby Girl
- Linea Nigra Pregnancy Belly Line Explained!
- Best Maternity Leggings!
