Signs of Pregnancy

When a woman finds out that she is pregnant a whole burst of emotions will go through her mind and body. She might feel excited, surprised, nervous, delighted, scared and so many other emotions. After the first wave of emotions has passed the first thing that will be on her mind is the need to tell someone about her pregnancy and spread the news.

A woman will more than likely tell her partner first that she is pregnant. It can often happen that he is by her side waiting for the colors to show on the home pregnancy test she has just bought, or she might do it herself and then take him for a nice dinner to tell him the happy news. There are also many other creative ways on how to announce your pregnancy to your partner. It can be even a lot of fun to find a way to let him know in an unusual and unexpected manner.

After the partner the next on the list are her closest family members and friends. In most cases and if the pregnancy is wanted a woman will be anxious and filled with excitement to tell the happy news to everybody she knows and cares about. Pregnancy is such an exciting time for any couple and it is even hard to hide the happiness you are experiencing.

Some years ago it was thought wise not to tell people about the pregnancy during the first trimester. The risk of miscarriage is highest in the first three months of pregnancy and the data collected from hospitals about miscarriages supports this argument. Most of the people still think it is better to let people know when these first three months have passed. It would be difficult to tell the bad news rather delaying the good news.

Nowadays, women have completely different approach to this matter. Some women are eager to share the news as soon as they find out that they are pregnant and cell phones have made this a lot easier. Even if a friend is working or is perhaps unreachable by phone, there is text messaging allowing instant messages to be sent and received right away!

Your pregnancy will be big news for everybody so regardless of when you want to announce it, making a plan on how to do it is a good idea. Same as with announcing it to your partner, there are various creative ways in which you can announce the pregnancy to your closest family members and friends. Of course, the exact manner in which you will announce your pregnancy will differ depending on your relation with the group of people you plan to tell. In example, announcing it to your best friends will surely differ from announcing it to your grandparents.

There are many interesting and creative ways to announce that you are going to have a baby. If it happens that you just have had your very first ultrasound, use the opportunity to share the news with a picture. The phrase “a picture can say thousand words” seems perfect for this situation. Another creative way of announcing your pregnancy to the family members is increasing the family tree and leaving the space empty for the newcomer. The blank family trees are available on the internet and are downloadable. You can download one and fill in the necessary information. Another way to announce it is to wear a funny T-shirt. There are many T-shirts available in the markets which have “announcing good news” imprinted on them.  Get a T-shirt with the saying you like the most and wear it on the next big family get-together or a night out with your best friends. As soon as somebody notices your T-shirt, you will be receiving congratulations without any need to explain anything.

Technology is another way, although it is not so personal.  You can send out a cute e-card, email or announcement!  Perhaps you have a family website you could announce it on.  If it is a family website, you could update the site to show the different stages with pictures and blogs.  It is amazing how the Internet connected people who are living in different time zones even. Having family far away is sometimes hard but having the updates online would make it convenient for those far to see how things are going.

How you choose to share the good news with the rest of the world is your decision. To shout it out loud, make a fun announcement or just keep quiet and let your expanding tummy tell the news for you in a few months, will be all up to you. There are many women that only tell the happy news to their closest family members and a best friend. One must remember that every person who hears the news will react differently to the situation. Some will be happy, and some may even start to plan a baby-shower!

Announcing that a baby is on its way is a happy news to most of the families.

Every woman is different and every pregnancy is different. Even if you already had a baby there is a great chance that your second pregnancy will be different. When it comes to complications that may occur during the pregnancy, not all women experience the same things. For some women pregnancy is easy as a breeze, and a very joyful and exciting experience. Well, apart from the morning sickness if they have it! Unfortunately, there are some women that experience complications from day one.

Complications can happen at any time during the pregnancy and can last for any period of time.  There are some normal complications that may occur throughout the pregnancy and there are some fatal complications that may occur to both the mom and baby.

Ectopic pregnancy

“Ectopic” is a term used for something that is misplaced. Ectopic pregnancy is a common complication. The egg does not arrive in the uterus, but instead attaches itself outside the uterus. If the egg attaches itself to the fallopian tubes then it is considered a tubal pregnancy. The egg could attach to many areas inside the female. If it attaches to anywhere outside of the uterus it means that the pregnancy cannot continue. There is no way to take the egg from another part and place it in the uterus. If this condition is not detected early then the woman would experience great pain. This pain would be caused by the fallopian tube rupturing. Whether detected early or late during the pregnancy, the pregnancy must be terminated.

Miscarriage

Miscarriage is one of the common complications.  This is when the baby is born within the first-trimester. There are various causes for this to happen, and even causes that cannot be explained. Usually spotting may occur when this happens, but spotting does not necessarily mean that you are going to miscarry. If a woman notices that she is spotting she should contact her physician right away.

Couples are often very discouraged when they have a pregnancy that ends with miscarriage.  Statistics show that over half of those couples that go through this, whether planned or not will conceive again within a year.

Preterm labor

Preterm labor is another of the more common complications. This is when the baby is born before the due date, but not in the first-trimester. Again there are many assumptions and theories why a preterm labor may occur. As for symptoms, a woman may see spotting or even have a heavy bleeding. She may even feel cramps as if getting her period. If a woman has contractions she is considered to be in premature labor. How the baby is going to be will be determined by the week when it is delivered. The closer the woman is to her due date, the better the chance for a healthy baby.  In today’s world of medicine it is fascinating how the small babies can survive being delivered prior to due date. Well trained and professional neonatal units and specialists give babies the chance to survive. With the advancement in technology it is possible for premature born babies to have a healthy life and grow to be of normal size.

Gestational diabetes

Gestational diabetes is another complication that may occur. A woman is tested for gestational diabetes at 24-28 weeks of her pregnancy.  The test is to see how high her glucose level is. If the woman’s test is positive, she will have to pay extra attention on her health and diet. Those daily cravings for chocolate ice-cream and pizza will have to stop. Regular checks will be done to keep this condition in check. In some cases, women that test positive for gestational diabetes will later in life develop diabetes.

Low amniotic fluid

Low amniotic fluid is another complication that may occur. The amniotic fluid surrounds the baby and it shouldn’t be too low since it is needed for baby’s growth, moving, kidney function and to protect baby from any bumps.  An ultrasound should be the first means of confirming if this complication occurred. During the ultrasound, the fluid level can be measured.

Minor complications

There are also plenty of minor complications that may occur during pregnancy.  The day to day ailments could be considered as a complication as well and same goes for back pain and bloating/swelling a woman endures during her pregnancy. There are many variants of uncomfortable and painful states that a woman may go through during her pregnancy and of course, it all depends on an individual and how she takes it.

Every pregnancy brings many happy times but also some hard days and emotions. These emotions vary woman to woman, and pregnancy to pregnancy. With the help of today’s technology all of the potentially dangerous situations can be avoided since any potential complications can be diagnosed early enough to be treated properly.

Once you find out that you are pregnant, do regular ultrasounds and tests in order to prevent any possible complications that may occur.