Now that you have boarded the journey toward parenthood, how’s the study going? Yes, you need to educate yourself on the various aspects of pregnancy! Don’t worry, we’ll help!
If this is the first time you are becoming a parent, you must be wondering what the three trimesters of pregnancy look like, what’s the tenure for each, what happens during the time, which is the easy one, which phase brings out the adverse in you, and so many questions. Relax, everything would be covered here!
Until now, you had just heard of trimesters or maybe found a little bit of information from here and there, but never studied in detail. Well, you never needed it! But now that you have started the journey, you must know this!
If you already have a deeper idea about the three trimesters of pregnancy, it’s amazing, after all, knowledge never goes to waste. However, if not, let’s find out!
Trimester 1: The First Phase of Pregnancy
The first trimester starts from Week 1 of your pregnancy and lasts till the 12th week.
In 12 weeks (three months), the most significant change happens with the hormone that starts affecting almost all organs of the body. In some cases, the symptoms are seen triggering right in the first week. While missing periods is the first sign, others include:
- Fatigue and tiredness
- Swollen and tender breasts and sticking nipples
- Stomach upset without reason (morning sickness)
- Food distaste or cravings for a particular food
- Mood swings
- Frequent urge to urinate
- Constipation
- Weight Loss or gain
- Headache and Heartburn
As the body changes, you need to change the daily routine and practice going to bed earlier and eating frequent small meals. In the later stages of pregnancy, these discomforts shall go away.
Note:
There are also conditions where women do not observe or feel any noticeable or significant change in the first three months. Also, women experiencing pregnancy for the second or third time might have a different experience than before and all of these conditions are considered normal!
Solutions to Combat Symptoms of First Trimester
There’s no medicine that will help you eradicate the situation, it is there and would be there till the phase is over. However, you can try and calm the storm following a few step listed below:
- As per your discussion with your gynae, take your prenatal vitamin without miss and as per prescription.
- We know you don’t like eating much, but still focus on diet and try to walk a little to charge the body. Include more fruits as they are fresh and light for the stomach.
- It is the most crucial time, thus, take a lot of care in terms of rest and tiredness so that the baby is safe.
Trimester 2: The Second Phase of Pregnancy
The second trimester starts from Week 13 of your pregnancy and lasts till the 28th week.
For most women, the second trimester feels a lot better than the first one. However, when you educate yourself on the various stages of pregnancy, it should be complete.
At the beginning of the second trimester, you might notice nausea and fatigue going away and some visible changes happening to your body. The abdomen starts expanding outwards as the baby grows and by the time this trimester is done, you would start to feel the movements of your baby! Yes, it’s true.
Some common symptoms of this phase include:
- Back and abdomen groin, or body and thigh pain
- Stretch marks on thighs, breasts, abdomen, and buttocks
- Skin darkening around nipples
- A skin line running from the belly button to the pubic hairline
- Dark skin patches over areas like cheeks, forehead, nose, and upper lip. These patches are often called pregnancy mask
- Tingling and numbing of hands called carpal tunnel
- Abdomen, palm, and sole itching on the feet
- Swelling of fingers, ankles, and face
Note:
You also start glowing during this time of pregnancy. Your skin starts getting better, hair becomes thicker and gums also get healthier. However, not every woman experiences the same.
If at all, any symptom gets extremely adverse, immediately call up your gynae!
Solutions to Combat Symptoms of Second Trimester
The same thing repeats, symptoms are normal and indicates a healthy pregnancy. However, to relieve symptoms you can follow the steps below:
- Consult your gyane and ask if she can prescribe anything for swelling and back pain, there definitely is going to be a medicated solution for it.
- For the stretch marks, consult an expert (dermatologist or a pregnancy dermatologist) and take advice and suggestions.
- Start with prenatal yoga for healthy and normal labor in a professional class
- Take the proteins and vitamins regularly.
- More than anything, stay happy
Trimester 3: The Third Phase of Pregnancy
The third trimester of pregnancy starts from week 29th and lasts till the 40th week till you give birth.
At this time, you are in the home stretch and some discomforts you had in the second phase might continue. Additionally, many women also face breathing problems and the urge to urinate increases more than ever. The reason for this is the fact that as the baby starts to grow bigger, there is more pressure on the organs. Worry not, it’s a healthier sign of pregnancy. Once you have given birth, the problem slowly goes away.
Body changes you might notice in the third trimester include:
- A leak from the breasts of a watery substance that is a pre-milk called colostrum.
- Sticking out of the belly button
- Trouble sleeping
- Baby moving down the abdomen and other movements
- Contractions ( real or fake labor)
Note:
As you get closer to the 40th and final week of pregnancy, the cervix becomes thinner. This is normal indicating the vagina’s opening for normal birth.
Solutions to Combat Symptoms of Third Trimester
To calm down heart burning sensations and combat extreme heat, you must drink lots of water to keep yourself hydrated
- Keep yourself active unless you experience extreme swelling and pain
- Indulge in a diet that fulfills the requirements of fruits, low-fat protein food, green vegetables and fiber
- Eat more than what you would on a normal day
- Get lots of sleep and rest
And once you have all these phases passed, start the countdown, it’s time for arrival. For any concern, the first person to consult is your gynae!
