Getting pregnant is a very special time in a woman's life, and as we've learned over the years, it's a time where you'll want to take the utmost care to protect your unborn baby. This means a proper diet and exercise, but it also means an awareness of the first pregnancy signs so that you can get on the track to having a healthy baby as quickly as possible.
So what are the first pregnancy signs? There are many, but one of the very first will be tender, swollen breasts. Getting pregnant causes your body to produce more and varied hormones, and as a result you'll notice very early that your breasts have a reaction. For many women, it will feel like a more intense version of the tenderness they eexperience during their monthly cycle. Luckly, tender breasts tend not to be so tender after the first trimester.
Antother of the first pregnancy signs is fatigue. If you suddenly feel tired - exhausted, really - that's one of your first pregnancy signs. Doctors aren't sure what causes it, but women who are recently pregnant almost always experience some level of fatigue. Luckily, like breast tenderness, that level of fatigue tends to dissipate over the course of the first trimester and becomes less of a problem in the second trimester and beyond.
Then there's the big one: Morning Sickness. Nausea and vomiting. Everyone knows about this being one of the first pregnancy signs, and if you combine it with fatigue and tender breasts, you can be fairly certain that you're pregnant. It's called "morning sickness" because most women that suffer from these symptoms do so in the morning. But it's not limited to that time of day, and the stage of pregnancy isn't limited, either. Some women experience nausea and vomiting very early in their pregnancy; others may take more than a month. It all depends from woman to woman.
Another sign, one that will usually come earlier than morning sickness, is light vaginal bleeding. Usually, if it does occur, it happens a week or two after conception (or around the time you might notice a missed period). This bleeding is lighter than your period, and usually harmless. However if you experience pain related to the bleeding, be sure to let your OBGYN know. This can be the sign of an ectopic pregnancy, and if that's one of your first pregnancy signs, then you will need medical care.