Early Signs of Pregnancy
These early pregnancy signs and symptoms are based on real women's experiences of pregnancy rather than the usual pregnancy symptoms you will find in books, some are my own personal experiences ( I am currently in the very early stages of my 5th pregnancy!) and on a wide group of women I have met over the years, from family, friends, ladies I met during check up's at the hospital or antenatal classes and online. Some are very unusual and some I have heard often from the women I have spoken to. Below are 10 Early pregnancy signs based on real pregnancies.
1
Hunger!
I spoke to a mother of four who said that she always knew she was pregnant, nearly as soon as it happened because she was hungry. Not just normal hungry but the I could eat twice what I normally eat and feel starving again an hour later hunger. She described it as having a big empty space in her tummy that she couldn't, no matter what she ate, fill.
2
Restless Legs
About two weeks into my own pregnancies I would start to experience this, always at night and it was always the first pregnancy symptom I experienced that I knew meant I was pregnant, unlike other symptoms that could be down to ovulation or menstruation. This would last my entire pregnancy and drive me absolutely crazy!
3
Sneezing
Have you been sneezing uncontrollably lately? According to quite a few women this is an early pregnancy sign they have experiences, similar to a sudden bout of hay fever but at any time of the year, any time of the day or night although apparently it didn't last too long!
4
Unquenchable Thirst
This one is not that uncommon but is not often discussed as an early pregnancy sign. Combined with a dry mouth, thirst seemed to be a big give away to some women who reported drinking so often that they had to carry drinks with them everywhere they went for the first month of pregnancy.
5
Fainting
This also seems to be common enough, I know it happened to me during my first pregnancy but it seems I am not the only one to pass out in the early stages of pregnancy. If you have experienced this you should speak to your medical professional as it can indicate other causes such as anemia.
6
Sleeplessness
I had this with one of my pregnancies, long before I discovered I was pregnant (and I am a champion sleeper, alarms do not wake me!) I could not sleep, no matter how tired I was going to be my eyes would just not close, for hours. I was exhausted and still I wouldn't sleep.
7
Breakout
A lot of women report a breakout of acne, similar to when they were teenagers so it's not that uncommon but is still one of the less talked about early pregnancy symptoms.
8
Baby Dreams
Almost all of the women I spoke to brought this one up and yet it's rarely in any pregnancy book, most of the women said they dreamed of a baby, or babies in some form before they found out they were pregnant. Some had dreams that kept repeating and others just one but most women agreed that their bodies were telling them they were pregnant before a pregnancy test could!
9
Feeling Amorous
Might seem hard to believe and depending on timing could be a cause rather than a result but many women found themselves with an amorous disposition in the first few weeks after conception.
10
Experience
While this isn't particularly helpful to all you new mom's to be out there but many of the women I spoke to who had more than one child said that they could tell within a day or two that they had conceived. They put it down to experience and there is a lot to be said for that, but apparently I am not the norm on this one and am always later to find out!