These are common pregnancy ailments per trimester | kek mama

There are women who feel fantastic during their pregnancy and are barely bothered by anything. Let’s just say: those are the lucky ones. Because most women can put a few ticks on the list of pregnancy ailments. They often suffer from it especially in the first trimester, because that is when the hormones are most confused. Many women experience the second trimester as the best, because during the third and last trimester, other ailments come into play again, in the run-up to childbirth.

We have listed the most common pregnancy ailments per trimester (apart from that emotional rollercoaster) that you can have to deal with.

First trimester: 1-12 weeks

A lot happens in your body during the first trimester: from nothing your mini-me grows into a whole person (albeit still super small) in a few weeks.
You can’t see it at all on the outside of your belly, but many women do feel it: the changing hormones cause various ailments:

Fatigue

Have you walked a block to the supermarket and come home exhausted? Don’t worry: considerable fatigue is part of the first trimester. Accept it and rest a little more.

Nausea

Some women are hardly bothered by it, others hang over the toilet every day. It usually occurs mainly in the morning and there are all kinds of ways to try to reduce the morning sickness, but here again, what works for one person may not make any difference at all for another. For what it’s worth, have a rusk in the morning before you get up and a cup of ginger tea.

sore breasts

For many women, in addition to not having a period, this is one of the first signs of their pregnancy. Your breasts may become larger and more sensitive, and as your pregnancy progresses, your nipples will darken in color.

Also read:
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Second trimester: 12-27 weeks

In the second trimester, your baby develops very quickly. And the nice thing: you can finally see that on the outside, because between 16 and 20 weeks (depending on your first or next pregnancy) a tummy starts to become visible! Most women experience this as the best trimester. Nasty ailments such as (extreme) nausea from the beginning have disappeared and their stomach is not really in the way yet. However, there can be a few ailments that you can suffer from:

Pain in your ligaments and pelvis

Do you suddenly suffer from abdominal pain during your pregnancy? Don’t panic, there’s a good chance it’s because everything is stretching down there. Two bands run on the sides of your uterus through your groin to your legs; your uterus hangs on it, as it were. Because it stretches, the ligaments stretch and you can feel that in your groin and lower abdomen.

You may also experience pain in the pubic bone and your tailbone and/or buttocks. Your pelvis becomes more flexible and that can cause complaints. Do not ignore this and if it bothers you a lot, contact a (pelvic) physiotherapist or your doctor. If you do not do this, you can continue to have complaints after your pregnancy.

Heartburn

When you finally get rid of your nausea, you start to suffer from heartburn. The sphincter of your esophagus works less well when you are pregnant, because the pressure on your stomach increases due to your growing belly. If it bothers you a lot, be careful with coffee, orange juice and carbonated drinks. Fatty foods are also smart to avoid.

hard bellies

Suddenly your stomach feels tense and then the feeling is suddenly gone: is that a contraction? No, in most cases that’s just a hard belly. It is caused by the contraction of your uterus. It doesn’t hurt, it just makes you feel a little uncomfortable. Hard bellies can start as early as the beginning of the second trimester, but they usually appear from the 24th week of your pregnancy. If it bothers you a lot, take a little more rest.

stretch mark

Okay, it’s not really sexy, but luckily it disappears on its own after your pregnancy. How does that pigment stripe on your stomach arise? Got them again: blame it on the hormones.

Also read:
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Third trimester: 27-42 weeks

The third and final trimester has arrived and your baby is still growing a lot. What’s called: his weight has quadrupled in these last weeks. So your belly also becomes a round horn and not only feels heavy, it also gets in the way quite a bit. Think again about putting on your shoes or shaving your legs. You can also suffer from the following ailments that also go along with ‘the last stretch’:

Swollen limbs

Some women retain fluids throughout their pregnancy. Your ankles, feet and hands may be swollen. Make sure you keep drinking enough.

Varicose veins

Due to the changing hormone levels, the amount of progesterone in your body increases. As a result, your vessels can easily expand and you can get varicose veins, usually in your calves. Hemorrhoids are also a typical pregnancy problem because the veins around your anus swell. If it bothers you a lot, ask your midwife for advice.

Cramp

Au: a big shot of pain in your calf, while you were just sleeping. Many pregnant women suffer from these calf cramps and they can really hurt. Fortunately it can’t hurt, but it is annoying. Drink enough, make sure you don’t cross your legs and do stretching exercises for your calves. It can also help to pull your toes in during such a shooting pain, while keeping your leg straight.

Pee a lot

Some women already suffer from this at the beginning of their pregnancy because of the hormones, but in the last trimester you may also have to go to the toilet often. The cause: your uterus pressing on your bladder.

Stretch marks

Because your belly still makes a big growth spurt in this trimester, it is possible that your skin is stretching (too) quickly. The result is stretch marks. There are various stories about whether liniments and creams help against this or can prevent it. You just have to think like this: it doesn’t help, it doesn’t harm.

Little sleep

A bulging belly, constantly thinking about your baby, those damn hormones… chances are you’ll be staring at your ceiling for hours when you’re in bed. While you still want to get as much sleep as possible right now. Accept it and try to get some more sleep during the day if you haven’t had a good night.

Source: La Vie Midwives & 24baby.nl