New Delhi, March 30 Becoming a mother is a very special phase in every woman’s life. If you are a first time mother-to-be, there are a lot of small changes you might not be aware of or may scare you. While some you take with a pinch of salt, the others require you to be cautious.
Dr. Vaishali Joshi, Obstetrician and Gynaecologist at Kokilaben Hospital and Cloudnine Hospital Mumbai, with over 25 years of experience in this field shares, “The first trimester starts right from the time of conception till the 12 weeks of pregnancy. This is the time where every woman is getting used to the pregnancy hormone and since the body is experiencing this hormone for the first time there are a lot of changes that happen in any individual.”
Dr. Joshi lists downs the common problems faced in the first trimester of pregnancy. Read on
Nausea and vomiting: The most common symptom of pregnancy is nausea and vomiting. This tells us that the pregnancy is ongoing but is not something that you enjoy in pregnancy. As this problem is common in pregnant women, there are set drugs to treat this problem. One can start with simple measures like not staying empty stomachs and eating small frequent meals. The ideal thing would be to start the morning by a bite or even a nibble of dry toast or bread. These can be simple measures that help control nausea without medication. The medicines used to control nausea and vomiting are completely safe in pregnancy and one may need to use them to sustain the first 3 months. Sometimes and in fact very rarely this nausea and vomiting can continue over 9 months but the intensity of these symptoms tends to go down over time. Its been seen that the peak time for nausea and vomiting is 10-11 weeks and then it gradually goes down and one will start enjoying food when they reach 14-15 weeks of pregnancy.
Sometimes vomiting can be very severe and is medically called “hyperemesis gravidarum”. This is the condition where one seeks medical attention and we as doctors need to hydrate the patients with fluids because the women can’t tolerate even a sip of water and we may have to give anti-sickness medicines and replenish and the fluids or electrolytes that one is losing so that the pregnant woman doesn’t get dehydrated.
Bleeding in pregnancy: One needs to take bleeding seriously and not be casual about it. If one experiences bleeding, one needs to talk to their doctor and make sure that this bleeding isn’t harmful to the ongoing pregnancy.
One needs to undergo a gynecological or medical examination and have an ultrasound or sonography test done to make sure that the baby is healthy, the heart is strong and there are no internal hemorrhages or the neck of the womb is long and closed. Accordingly, the doctors will advise and give the right medication to help the pregnancy continue without any future problems.
Minor symptoms: Now coming down to minor or other symptoms that can take place in pregnancy and may not be that bothersome but the woman may feel some difference during this stage.
The most common is breast tenderness or an oversensitivity of the breast tissue. This is also due to water retention or hormone changes that take place in pregnancy.
Pain in the lower part of the tummy which is common, because the body is also confused due to the growing foetus and there are also a lot of changes taking place in the uterus and pelvic organs. The blood going to the uterus has increased, stretching of the muscles of the uterus, etc so the body perceives these changes and interprets the pain and one can get a little anxious about these symptoms.
One may feel lethargic, lose all the energy, not feel like getting out of bed or even sleep throughout the day.
Mood swings – sometimes your family or partner may notice how you are vulnerable to mood changes or even crying/getting irritable for silly reasons. We call it mood lability. This is also due to pregnancy.
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