Every expectant woman experiences week by week symptoms of pregnancy and tries her best to adjust with them.
What are the symptoms of pregnancy week by week? Pregnancy describes the period that a fetus is conceived and starts to grow in a woman’s womb.
Even though at times it’s not very comfortable because of hormonal imbalance in the body, it’s quite an honour to be a mother.
Every expectant woman experiences pregnancy week by week symptoms and tries their best to adjust to them. Some women go through challenges like miscarriages, stillbirth, or even lose the baby on delivery.
For those who finish the whole pregnancy term, they end up with a bundle of joy.
There are different stages of pregnancy that are accompanied by possible sicknesses, hunger, mood change, cravings, and other feelings that one has to learn to deal with wisely.
We are going to look at pregnancy symptoms and how to handle them:
Symptoms of Pregnancy Week by Week
Tender and Swollen Breasts
Once a woman is pregnant, one of the pregnancy symptoms in week 1 is that the breasts become tender and swollen. The breasts veins enlarge preparing your breasts to produce the baby’s milk.
The skin also stretches out and could be itchy at times. The breasts will have a different shape and you need to get a new comfortable set of a bra with good support to stop the breasts from sagging.
Nausea with or without vomiting
You may feel nauseated early in the morning and feel like vomiting sometimes or any other time during the day.
This pregnancy week by week symptoms normally could be due to hunger or comes after one eats something disagreeing with the pregnancy.
Mood change pregnancy symptoms
You may feel different kinds of emotions in the first months due to different reasons. This is the same feeling you get when your periods are almost coming. The imbalance of hormones can make you feel irritated by minor things.
Try your best to balance your moods to avoid affecting the baby, especially crying and anger. Try and adjust to being joyful always as this is a major pregnancy week by week symptom.
Missed Periods and Frequent Urination
The majority of women miss their 4th week periods once they are pregnant and feel completely different from week to week when they become pregnant.
Some decide to wait or go straight for a pregnancy test. You also urinate quite frequently as the bladder is pressed down as the baby continues to grow.
Later on, the baby grows upwards and the baby stops pressing the bladder and you stop urinating frequently like before.
Fatigue and Sleepy
Pregnant women experience a lot of fatigue and sometimes feel sleepy during the day. Some choose to take a little rest and sleep to deal with it.
After resting and sleeping they are always relieved.
The tiredness is a result of the energy used by the baby growing inside you. Some women feel energetic when pregnant which is wonderful.
Hunger
Excess hunger is a common pregnancy week by week symptoms during the first few months as you need to feed extra well for two and a healthy diet is a must. No cause for alarm here.
Above symptoms are quite normal and we are now going to look at pregnancy symptoms week by week:
What happens week by week during pregancy
Week 0 to 8
The egg is fertilized and goes into the Fallopian tubes towards the womb. You will have normal menstrual signs, sore breasts, and mood change.
Week 9 to 12
The face starts to form, and the eyes are quite obvious with colour. Signs of sickness and tiredness are still on for some women while for others the signs completely disappear.
Week 13 to 16
The baby is now 85mm in length from toe to head and signs of fatigue already gone.
Week 17 to 20
The baby is quite big now and starts getting into proportion.
Week 21 to 24
The organs are not formed yet at this stage and therefore no chance of survival if the baby is born at this time.
Week 25 to 28
The baby has a real pattern of sleeping and waking and it is quite different from the mother as the baby wakes up and plays while the mother is asleep.
Week 29 to 32
The baby’s head is now lying with the head facing downwards, a sign of readiness for delivery.
Week 33 to 36
The bones of the baby start to get hard but the skull bones are still soft and not attached for ease of birth canal delivery.
Week 37 to 40
The amniotic fluid becomes waste and is termed as meconium which is in the intestines of the baby. The hair on the baby’s skin is almost gone at this stage.
Week 41 to 42
Awaiting delivery as most women start getting labour pains at this stage. If it goes longer than 42, you can request for induction. In case you don’t prefer induction, you can be monitored to check how your baby is doing as the risk of stillbirth is high.
If you get induced after the baby’s due date chances of a cesarean section delivery are less.
Questions and Answers
Q1. Is smoking and taking drugs when pregnant?
Smoking cigarettes is not as good as the chemicals are poisonous. Your baby will inhale the same hence affecting the baby’s lungs and feet.
You can also give birth to a baby who is addicted to drugs. The baby cries a lot and is very small in size.
Q2. Can you drink alcohol when pregnant?
Alcohol affects the development of the baby’s brain and birth defects.
Q3. Can you take any medication when pregnant?
The first three months are critical to take any medicines as they can harm the baby. Consult your doctor for any medications when pregnant for the sake of your baby’s health.
In summation, take good nutrition when pregnant as the baby grows every day and adjust to the pregnancy week by week symptoms.
Ensure that your food, fruits, and vegetables are well washed to avoid any food poisoning as your baby feeds on what you eat.
If you are trying to get pregnant and have challenges, take 0.4mg of vitamin B9 or folic acid daily before and after pregnancy. This can be sourced from whole grains, green vegetables, and oranges.
Do not overwork yourself and avoid bedding a lot towards the final weeks of the pregnancy. Be at peace and joyful so that you don’t give birth to a stressed baby.
