Earliest Signs of Pregnancy

When You May Notice the Earliest Signs of Pregnancy

Some women know from the moment they conceive a baby (no joke) – it’s just a feeling they have while others can actually experience major signs liked missed periods and still not notice because a pregnancy is unexpected. When you consider that around 50 percent of women have unplanned pregnancies, it makes it easy to see why someone could be totally surprised. It’s not uncommon to not notice a pregnancy until two or more months have past since conception.

Why It’s Better to Know Early

Women who find out about their pregnancies early have a distinct advantage over women who don’t find out until later. The major reason for this is that the first trimester of pregnancy is when a baby’s major organs and brain are being formed. Proper pregnancy behaviors by the expecting mother are highly important during this fetus development stage.

With that said, here are some advantages of knowing the early signs of pregnancy:

• An expecting mother can adjust her behaviors accordingly by quitting smoking or stopping alcohol.
• A healthy eating and exercise plan can begin.
• Early prenatal care can be sought.
• If for any reason a woman wants to terminate a pregnancy, a decision can be made early. As far as physical health goes, it’s safer to terminate early rather than later.
• Mothers can form early bonds with their baby.
• Partners of an expecting mother can address their feelings about the pregnancy.

Early Subtle Signs of Pregnancy

The following subtle signs of pregnancy are also sometimes called presumptive or subjective signs of pregnancy, meaning they might also indicate an issue or condition other than pregnancy – all the more reason to pay close attention to your body. If you have these early pregnancy symptoms and body signals, you can take an early pregnancy test or talk to your care provider.

Tiredness

It’s been said that a pregnant woman’s body is doing the same strenuous work as an uphill hiker...but for nine months! It’s not an entirely false analogy. Pregnant bodies are in constant change. The metabolic activities taking place are huge and energy consuming. Not all women feel tired early on, but some feel an overwhelming tiredness. Statistically, women who are pregnant for the second (or plus) time report more feelings of tiredness, which likely has to do with already caring for another child on top of a pregnancy.

Breast changes

Many times, this is the one of the earliest signs of pregnancy women notice because, well, breast changes are sort of obvious. During early pregnancy, breast changes may feel sore, bloated, or both, such as they might during your menstrual cycle. Breast changes occur because, almost right away, breasts begin to prep themselves for breastfeeding. A woman with small breasts is more likely to notice a change in size sooner, but all women may notice that the veins across the breasts become much more pronounced due to increased blood flow during pregnancy.

Other early breast changes include darkening areolas (the dark part around the nipple) and more noticeable bumps on the areola.

Nausea

Morning sickness is not so "morning" as movies and books might have you believe. Nausea can occur during anytime of the day and, unfortunately, for some women will continue throughout their pregnancy. The real reason its called morning sickness is because you presumably haven’t eaten all night as you sleep and when you wake up your blood sugar is low, which can contribute to morning nausea. Quick tip: keep saltines, an apple, or bottle of unopened Gatorade by your bedside and have some before getting up for the day.

Some women feel just queasy and some women actually vomit. Neither is pleasant. One thing to try is ginger tea as ginger is known to soothe nausea. There is also a cool product called Preggie Pops that you might try. Preggie Pops come in lollypop or round hard candy form and head off nausea with all natural and safe ingredients. Ah, candy for breakfast: very nice.

A few additional signs may include: headaches, increased urination, or pain in your side. Don’t forget: although these signs may be markers of early pregnancy, they can also indicate another issue. It’s always a smart idea to make an appointment with your care provider if you experience any of the above.

Early Emotional Signs of Pregnancy

Strangely, some of the earliest signs of pregnancy are feelings of simply knowing that you’re pregnant. Something may feel not quite the same or you may feel heightened emotions such as exhilaration or weepiness. It’s unclear if this is more common among women experiencing a planned rather than an unplanned pregnancy, but research has shown that either way, some women just know.

Dreams can be super charged during pregnancy and some women actually will have a dream that they are pregnant before a pregnancy test is ever confirmed. Sometimes, dreams of pregnancy occur even before the earliest subtle signs noted above occur. Pregnancy dreams are not made up illusions either, they’ve actually been studied by scientists. There aren’t any conclusive thoughts on pregnancy dreams but there are some mighty interesting theories.

What Comes Next

Up next will be the more obvious signs of pregnancy: missed menstrual cycles, actual early pregnancy tests, and a popping belly, but the first early signs of pregnancy are special and exciting. To learn more, take a look at two great articles: Signs of Pregnancy and Frequently Asked Pregnancy Questions..