I’m sure you have seen a show on television or heard of someone that was pregnant but had no idea until they were far along or they went into labor. You probably thought to yourself, how can you not know that you are pregnant? Well the truth is that each and every woman and pregnancy is different. Although you may live with your head in the toilet and take a nap every day for the first few months of your pregnancy, someone else may not feel even a hint of nausea. It’s the curse of pregnancy, but it’s also kind of the beauty of this whole baby making thing.
We all get to experience our own personalized journey while our little one is growing inside of us. And do you know what? Each and every experience is okay. (The women who experience the crazy symptoms may think it’s not fair, but I promise it is still okay!)
Baby Care
Product: Top Recommended Maternity Belts on Amazon
Pregnancy week 2 through week 5
No symptoms early in the pregnancy
It is very common for many women to find out that they are pregnant during the fifth week of pregnancy. This is the week that you have missed your period, which is a pretty big indicator that you are pregnant. For some, a missed period may be the first sign that you are expecting. Being 5 weeks pregnant with no pregnancy symptoms is okay. Other woman may experience symptoms such as:
- Bloating
- Morning sickness (which can be nausea that happens anytime during the day, not just in the morning)
- Lightheadedness
- Cramping
- Spotting
- Fatigue
- Frequent urination
- Sore breasts
- Food cravings or aversions
- Constipation
- Mood swings
All of these symptoms are caused by the sudden increase in hormones that your body is experiencing. The funny thing is that they are also all signs of your period coming, so you may not even know that you are pregnant until Aunt Flo doesn’t show up to visit you. Think that’s untrue? Let me tell you what happened to me.
My husband and I were trying to get pregnant with baby number 3. There are two things in that previous statement that you would think that would increase my awareness of becoming pregnant:
- We were actively trying (Which means I should expect it to happen)
- This was not my first baby (Which means I know what to expect)
I told my husband the week that my period was due that we weren’t expecting because I didn’t feel pregnant. With my other 2 kids, I knew right away. After a few more days passed, my period didn’t come so I took a test. What did it say? Negative. I am normally irregular so I didn’t think anything about it. It wasn’t until a few more days later that my husband said to me “Honey, I really think that you are pregnant, I think you should take another test.” (You can only imagine my response to that!) The next day, after I told him that buying another test was a waste of money, he came home from work with a box of tests. And sure enough what happened? It came back positive. So being 6 weeks pregnant and having no symptoms can even happen to an aware and experienced mom.
So what if the pregnancy continues and you don’t feel any different? Don’t worry if you are more than 5 weeks pregnant without any symptoms. It doesn’t mean anything negative about your pregnancy. Plus, things can change overnight. You can feel great one day and then the next day feel absolutely horrible. That can continue throughout your entire pregnancy too, not just in the beginning. Welcome to the roller coaster of hormones.
If you believe that you are pregnant, but you aren’t sure, take a pregnancy test such as these First Response Pregnancy Tests. They can tell you if you are pregnant up to 6 days before your missed period, and provide clear and accurate readings. The sooner you find out that you are pregnant, the earlier you can start doing things to take care of yourself and your developing baby, such as taking these Nature Made Prenatal Vitamins. If you are trying to get pregnant, or if you think you may be, taking prenatal vitamins is still beneficial for you, and won’t cause any harm. (They may even make your skin and hair look better!)
No symptoms later in the pregnancy
After the first trimester, which is 14 weeks, many women start to lose all of the symptoms that were making their life miserable. Since the hormones start to level out a bit, nausea usually passes (although some women have it the whole pregnancy), your crazy mood swings tend to get better, and you have a little more energy. At this point, if you didn’t know that you were pregnant (let’s just say you never had regular periods and so missing your period was not a red flag), then during the second trimester you may only know that you are pregnant if you start to develop a baby bump or feel the baby move.
Most women start to show between 12 and 16 weeks of pregnancy. This can vary based on a few things:
- If this is not your first pregnancy, then you will show earlier because all of your muscles have already been stretched out.
- Women who have a uterus that is tilted forward show earlier.
- The more muscle tone that you have in your abdominal muscles, the later you will start to show.
- Women with longer torsos tend to show later than those of us with short ones.
- Ladies that are overweight will show later than those that are underweight.
If you don’t show before 16 weeks, please don’t panic. If you are 17 weeks pregnant and not showing, it could just mean that your uterus is tilted backwards. It does not mean that your baby is too small and that you are doing something wrong. There is a picture that I have seen several times of two friends that are only due a few weeks apart but their bellies next to each other is look unbelievable. Take a look at it below. (Photo credit to www.okchicas.com)
If you get until 19 weeks or later and you still have no symptoms, then you still shouldn’t freak out. It is common for many moms to be (and not just first-time moms to be), to worry if they don’t have symptoms. As much as we hate them, these symptoms are a constant indicator to us that we are still pregnant. People associate not having symptoms with having a miscarriage which is not true. (Read this article about having a miscarriage at 14 weeks for signs if you are concerned.) If you worry a lot, getting a device that lets you hear your baby’s heartbeat may be a good thing for you. Try this Wusic Heartbeat Monitor, which has incredible reviews on Amazon. It is safe and non-invasive and can be used in private with headphones, or amplified with a speaker for the whole family to enjoy. This is best if it is used after 16 weeks of pregnancy, just because the baby is bigger and the heartbeat is stronger, which makes it easier to find and hear. It is important for you to understand that just because you can’t find the heartbeat, doesn’t mean that the baby is not okay. Even doctors sometimes can’t find the heartbeat in the office!
Take care of yourself, and try to not worry. (Easier said than done, I know.) Whether you have symptoms or not, someday you will miss being pregnant and being able to protect your little baby from the world. Enjoy your pregnancy!
Extra: Top Recommended Maternity Belts on Amazon
Drones For Beginner
Fitness Trackers