1st Trimester

Your journey to motherhood is underway.

During your 1st Trimester of pregnancy, your body will go through various hormonal changes and you will often experience mood swings, depression, anxiety and fear due to the changes. You will also begin to notice some changes in your body that you normally do not see. These include frequent urination, breast changes, body fatigue, headaches, heartburn, constipation and nausea. You may also notice that you are gaining more weight than usual. You may be thinking to yourself that this is just too much to bear. However, the good news is that these are just temporary discomforts that will go away in the later stages of pregnancy.

The 1st trimester typically starts from week 1 to week 12 of the pregnancy cycle. During this period, your baby will change from a single fertilized cell called a zygote to a more developed embryo that attaches itself to the wall of the uterus. It will then further grow to the size of a peach. The embryo will also begin to form its limbs, organs, hair follicles, nail beds, muscles, white blood cells as well as the development of vocal cords. That is how much the embryo will grow in your body within just a span of 3 months! However, you will not notice much difference from the outside of your body as the embryo is still the size of a peach, and will continue to grow in later stages of pregnancy.

When the 1st trimester begins, it is important to go for a checkup with your doctor. A series of tests will be performed to determine your health and if it will affect the growth of the embryo. These tests include Pap smear, urinalysis, blood tests, diabetes tests and genetic illness tests. This is also a good chance for you to ask any questions that you have regarding pregnancy. As it is just the beginning of your pregnancy, it is still not too late to alter your lifestyle and eating habits in order to have a healthier baby. Bring your husband along with you during your visit to the doctor so that he can understand what you are going through. Nothing is more important at this point than the support of your husband and family.

During pregnancy, especially in the 1st trimester, it is extremely important to maintain a healthy and balanced diet as part of the nutrients that you consume will be used to nourish and grow the embryo. Feeding the embryo with the proper nutrients is important during its initial stages of development as this will have a huge impact on your baby when it is finally delivered. If you are unsure of the diet you should take, consult your doctor or dietician for some advice. Also, try to avoid any caffeine drinks if possible as caffeine is known to affect iron absorption, and iron is an important nutrient for the embryo as its growing stage. Try not to miss any meals and eat dry snacks in between your meals to keep your energy level high as you will be draining more energy than ever before.

Pregnancy can be an amazing process to go through, and the reward at the end is well worth it. Although you might be having a mixture of feelings and mood swings during your 1st trimester, do remind yourself that what you are feeling now is normal. Try not to stress over it but instead embrace it positively and you will go through this period without much trouble.