Early pregnancy symptoms?

I feel retarded for asking this and not really knowing...but what are some early symptoms of pregnancy? Will you necessarily have morning sickness/nausea? Is that a definite? How about fatigue or being especially hungry? Blah. I'd just like to know from those who know.

 

not all pregnant women experience morning sickness/nausea, but it is a common symptom (although i dont think its common until you're one month along, its not so common within the first week). breast tenderness/swelling is a pretty common symptom, too. your nipples might darken. fatigue is. so are cramps, lots of salivation, constipation and backaches. you might notice a stronger sense of smell. some women crave foods, others have aversions to some foods. peeing a lot is also a symptom. headaches, bloating, and a different discharge can also be indicators. and then, there's the obvious missed period symptom, depending on your regularity.

(you know.. a lot of these also sound like symptoms of pms)

i think it depends mostly on the individual.. some people say they knew they were pregnant as soon as it happened, others have lots of symptoms, and some people can be pregnant for a couple months without knowning it. i guess this goes without saying, but taking a test might be a good idea. good luck! i hope everything is okay!

 

hahaha so true and that's why it can be so scary sometimes.

 

I'm almost two months along and it wasn't until about two days ago that I started getting morning sickness. Correction: ALL FREAKIN' DAY sickness. lol. I noticed looking back after finding out via home preg. kit that I did have some signs. I was really dizzy for about two weeks straight, dizzy and lightheaded. Also very crampy about the same time. I had shooting pains in my cervix, weird huh? I wonder why that was. Also, I was ravenous all the time. My bf actually commented on it when we found out I was preg. He said that was why I had been eating so much lately.
Anyway, you hear about those "classic" symptoms but as in everything else, I guess everyone's different!

 

Thanks a lot for answering, girls. I was beginning to think I'd get no responses at all. I really appreciate it.

 

I had slight morning sickness by the 4th week and was definaltley more tired than usual.

 

I was craving real strange things (like sushi) and stopped eating and drinking things I always loved. I had mood swings, I was sick almost all day, not really puking but more the feeling....
But i still was bleeding! that's why it took me 10 weeks before i did the test, and even then i couldnt beleive it was true. I had absolutely no clue I was pregnant, and I guess, I absolutely didn't want to be pregnant...

 

Every womyn is different and every baby is different. There are some good books about pregnancy, but PLEASE avoid What to Expect When You are Expecting. It is full of outdated, scary and just untrue things.

I like The Pregnancy Book by William and Martha Sears

A Good Birth a Safe Birth Diana Korte and Toberta Scaer

Spiritual Midwivery, by Ina May Gaskin

and a lot of others

I can find you a thread about books we like on the forum. There was almost universal dislike of WTE books. There is so many better and more books out there.

I had dizziness, nausea, mild cramping, PMS like feeling, headaches, sweating and hot flashes, and mood swings.

I'll find the thread with the books. Finding a good health care provider Midwife, Family Practice doctor or OBGYN is really neccesary. You need to take care of yourself from the beginning, now that you have decided to continue.

Blessings

 

Here is the thread with good parenting and birth books on it.

http://hipforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=50121

Also www.lalecheleague.org has some excellent birthing and parenting books.

 

I think there's a lot of difference between people. One of my colleagues had a lot of trouble with morning sickness, she was late a lot and missed a lot of work. Another who was pregnant had very little trouble with that, but retained a lot of water, her feet swelled and she felt bloated a lot.

 

is it possible to still have a lighter period for a few months in early pregnancy?

 

yes.. its even possible to have full periods the entire time your pregnant... as long as there is no cramping when you bleed... its usually ok but you still want to talk to your dr. if they turn into full periods just in case

 

oh shit!

 

"Full" periods during pregnancy are still VERY rare, and usually only occur in the early months. The baby needs that blood to nourish and protect him, and it is rare that a womyn will have "full" periods for an entire pregnancy.

Even light spotting should be reported to your midwife or doctor. It happens to people, but often is signals a problem with the pregnancy. Some womyn think they are having periods, and they have a placental problem. This needs to be dealt with. If you think you are pregnant and have any bleeding PLEASE see your HCP right away. Bleeding from Placenta Previa is often not painful and can kill the mother and baby. NOT something to be taken lightly.

 

It's not that I think I'm pregnant...But my last period, and then this one were both uncharacteristically light for my cycle. This one was even a week late. I'm bloated and I never bloat. Things don't taste right. And I'm more moody than I've ever been on a period before.

 

Thanks for all your responses. It's all greatly appreciated.

 

Can I just ask...how soon into a pregnancy do you start to notice weight gain? After a few weeks, you're not going to have a belly, right?

 

I could be wrong but I think you might notice weight gain right away. You may not see a belly but I think the body already starts preparing to supply extra nutrients for the baby. It probably also depends on your body type and how much more you are eating (obviously) if you are eating more because you feel hungrier, you're most likely gonna show weight gain. Then again, I've never been pregnant but I know lots of pregnant women and am studying the reproductive system in physiology class right now. If I find out any new info., I'll share.

 

I appreciate your answer...thank you.

 

i'm about 6 weeks pregnant right now, and i havent had morning sickness at all, just sometimes a upset stomach, i thought i was pregnant when my breasts started to get sore, and now i've noticed they have already gotten bigger, plus my stomach is always bloated now.