pregnancy.about.comA Complete Overview of Pregnancy Signs and Symptoms

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Signs & Symptoms Pregnancy Tests Tools Ovulation Calculator Pregnancy Due Date Calculator How to Talk About Postpartum DepressionEditorial Process Privacy Policy Contact Us Verywell Family’s content is for informational and educational purposes only. Our website is not intended to be a substitute for professional medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment. Ⓒ 2024 Dotdash Media, Inc. — All rights reserved Are You Pregnant? Signs & Symptoms An Overview of Pregnancy Signs and Symptoms Here are the basics to know if you are planning to become pregnant By Robin Elise Weiss, PhD, MPH Updated on August 25, 2020 Medically reviewed by Meredith Shur, MD Print katleho Seisa / Getty Images Table of Contents View All Table of Contents Diagnosing Pregnancy Prenatal Care First Trimester Second Trimester Third Trimester Emotional Aspects Common Complications Labor and Birth Postpartum Recovery So much happens during pregnancy that its basic definition—the period of time when a human being grows from the combination of genetic material from a single egg and sperm—seems almost too simplistic when you say it out loud. Over the course of about 40 weeks, two cells grow and mature into a fully developed baby. Pregnancy is divided into three nearly equal trimesters , each with its own challenges and changes for both the pregnant person and baby. Diagnosing Pregnancy Pregnancy is usually first diagnosed with a home pregnancy test , which uses urine to detect the presence of the pregnancy hormone human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). You can take a home pregnancy test from about the time you would expect your period. Once you have a positive pregnancy test, you will make an appointment to see your obstetrician or midwife to confirm the pregnancy and begin your prenatal care. They may have you repeat the test or use physical symptoms to diagnose your pregnancy for the medical record. Stay Calm Mom: Episode 1 Watch all episodes of our Stay Calm Mom video series and follow along as our host Tiffany Small talks to a diverse group of women and top doctors to get real answers to the biggest pregnancy questions. 6:08 Am I Pregnant? Real Women Share Their Early Signs Prenatal Care Prenatal care encompasses the nine months plus of medical care that you receive from a doctor or a midwife over the course of your pregnancy. You will usually see a provider once a month for the first two trimesters of pregnancy, every two weeks during weeks 28 through 36, and then weekly until the birth of your baby. The goal of prenatal care is to keep you and baby healthy through screenings and preventative care. These visits will include routine weight checks, listening to your baby’s heartbeat, routine blood work, and more. You may also receive other tests including: Blood pregnancy test Genetic testing Non-stress tests (NST) Ultrasound exams Your practitioner will help you determine which tests are needed for you and your baby in your pregnancy, as recommendations will vary based on many factors. Your provider also will work with any other medical care providers or specialists that you regularly see. They will work together to support a healthy pregnancy. Your Prenatal Care Appointments First Trimester (Weeks 1 to 13) One of the things that makes the first trimester unique is that based on how healthcare providers calculate your baby’s gestational age, it begins with the first day of your menstrual cycle. You may not even be planning to be pregnant at this point, nor will you know that you are pregnant until around the four-week mark (at the earliest). So, for at least about a third of this trimester, you will identify the weeks retroactively. From the point of a positive pregnancy test, you will be aware of the pregnancy, though it won’t be evident to the outside world just yet. You may not be "showing," but there is a lot going on inside your body. From those two cells to an embryo with a beating heart, the changes in these first weeks are amazing. Every organ system is beginning to form, as are the baby’s arms, legs, fingers, and toes. You may be feeling the effects of pregnancy starting around the sixth week of pregnancy. This can include a host of things, including: Morning sickness Sore breasts Fatigue Heartburn Insomnia You also may be concerned about the pregnancy and its viability, and that concern is not without reason. Miscarriage is most common in this first trimester, with as many as 10% of pregnancies ending before the second trimester. While potentially scary, those stats also mean that a majority of pregnancies are viable and end with a healthy baby. Your doctor or midwife can help you determine if there is a threat to your pregnancy. They will help you strive to have the healthiest pregnancy possible. Second Trimester (Weeks 14 to 27) The second trimester usually has you feeling a bit better physically. While you may have a bit of nausea in the first weeks of the trimester, most of this is likely to dissipate before too long. You also may have a lot more energy now than you did in the first trimester. Still, there are a few people who simply don’t feel great being pregnant. That doesn’t necessarily mean that anything is wrong. One thing that many people enjoy about the second trimester is that your baby is getting big enough that your abdomen begins to show a little bump. You may not be quite ready for maternity clothes , but you will notice that your clothes fit differently, and others may notice too. You also may begin to feel the first flutters of your baby’s kicks by the end of this trimester, though potentially earlier if you have had a previous pregnancy. While baby has been moving around a lot since last trimester, they are now getting big enough for you to feel these kicks, punches, and flips. Your baby is growing bigger both in size and in maturity. They are busy doing things like forming fingerprints and the permanent teeth behind their baby teeth. Third Trimester (Weeks 28+) The end is in sight with this trimester. A healthy goal is to make it to at least 37 weeks. Your baby is growing larger and stronger. There is brown fat being deposited to help the baby maintain a proper temperature after birth. The lungs are maturing, and the brain is growing and becoming more mature as well. All of these continue to develop all the way through labor. The majority of pregnant women will start feeling tired again during this period. This also can be seen with insomnia, which is not particularly fun as a combination of...