Week One: The first Trimester

We have decided that a fun way to use this blog would to be discussing facts, hints, tips and stories about pregnancy and throughout child's lives. You could easily do internet research on any pregnancy or child topic, but we hope to put this in simple terms and offer advice gained through experience. So, here we are with our first topic. The month of April will be all about pregnancy. This weeks topic is conception to 3 months, known as the first trimester. 


The first month:
During this month, you actually became pregnant. Congratulations! It's a long road ahead of you! Right now your baby is just a million tiny cells that are continuously multiplying. You most likely do not even know your baby is there yet! Your hCG levels are rising and your body is getting itself ready for this adventure! HCG is a pregnancy hormone. It is what is detected when you take a pregnancy test. If your hCG levels are over a certain point, the test will be positive!


At this stage in your pregnancy amniotic fluid is starting to fill in around the little ball of cells that will eventually be your baby! Although you do not know you are pregnant yet, by the end of the first month, you may have what you think is a light period or spotting. This is known as "implantation bleeding". Sometime within the next few weeks you will be taking that pregnancy test!


Symptoms of Pregnancy:


Everyones symptoms vary. You may have every symptom listed or none at all! Your symptoms could be so mild that you do not even notice them at first! 

• Tender or swollen breasts: A lot of women have experienced breast tenderness or swelling during pregnancy. This symptom may be misleading, because it is often times a sign of an oncoming period for many women.
• Fatigue: The increase in the hormone progesterone that occurs when you are pregnant, and all of the other "extra" work that your body is doing can make you feel very exhausted!
• Frequent Urination: This seems to be one of the most popular symptoms of a pregnancy. Speaking as a woman with children, its true. I think I peed more in those 9 months that I will for the rest of my lifetime!
• Heightened Sense of smell: The sudden increase of estrogen in your body during pregnancy often makes you have a more keen sense of smell. 
• Nausea: Nausea is the most noticed symptom in women who are pregnant. Also known as "morning sickness" nausea and vomiting can last for a few months of your pregnancy or the whole thing! The worst part is that morning sickness does not just occur in the morning, it can occur any time during the day or even last all day long!

The image above shows what your baby will look like at the end of the first month.During this time your baby's  organs are developing and some are starting to function. During the first month of pregnancy your baby is approximately the size of a poppy seed. Because your baby is developing and is so tiny, lots of things can go wrong. The biggest concern is miscarriage. But, don't worry. When you reach the 12 week mark the odds of a miscarriage greatly deteriorate.