In the first trimester, the common causes of discomfort or pain is: cramping, nausea, breast tenderness, constipation, fatigue, etc. Typically, most women describe the first trimester of pregnancy to be by far the most uncomfortable. If you are blessed to not have any bouts of nausea or vomiting, then you will more than likely at least notice the fatigue and breast tenderness. For nausea, I have a previous post about some ways to help make that a little easier on the soon-to-be momma. Some suggest crackers by your bedside, sprite or ginger ale handy about just about all times of the day, or mints/drops to help ease the nausea. Fatigue is a little harder to deal with, especially at the early stage of pregnancy. Your body is in overdrive creating a safe environment for your baby. With my first pregnancy... before I found out I was pregnant, I was so tired, I literally told my husband that I thought I had some kind of terminal illness. I just did not feel like ever getting out of bed. Major suggestions for fatigue are to try and rest as often as possible (do not feel bad that you want to take a nap), make sure your iron levels are where they should be, and any exercise is helpful (but do not over do it). I tend to go on walks though the neighborhood. Unfortunately, there is not much that can be done to help the breast tenderness. Just make sure you explain to your partner why you don't want them touching you (or even looking at you for that matter). Make sure they understand they haven't (technically) done anything wrong and most of this "disgust" feeling you are having will pass soon. Early on in both of my pregnancies, I had cramping that honestly seemed like I would start my period any day, but it never came. That pain and cramping is due to the fetus implanting itself in your uterus. It usually stops when you are about 6 weeks. Many women also complain about dealing with constipation during the early stages of pregnancy. Much of this can be due to the prenatal vitamins amount of iron. That extra iron in your system causes you to become constipated, an unfortunate side effect for a very important vitamin the baby needs. That does not mean you should stop taking your vitamins. Instead, you can look for prenatal vitamins that do not have the extra iron. I suggest if you do this, try finding some natural ways of getting iron in your system (spinach, beans, lentils). -- That's just the first trimester.
With the second trimester comes leg cramps, stomach pain (muscles stretching), headaches, etc. There's a fairly easy stretch to remedy those awful leg cramps that wake you up in the middle of the night... Point your toes upward, toward your face. It stretches our those muscles that have cramped. It should almost instantly stop the pain. It never hurts, if you are not in a ton of pain, to get up and walk around a little too- this helps keep those muscles loosened up. There are many yoga like stretches that are good to do throughout pregnancy. These stretches work to help the stomach muscle with all the stretching that is coming. If you notice you seem to be having a ton of problems with your stomach feeling like you've pulled a muscle, try working in some of these stretches. This time around, I have had this problem so bad that I cannot walk. Below is a picture of some stretches good to do during pregnancy. I have also been dealing with terrible migraines. This is mainly due to the increase of hormones in your body during this time. I first always try the non-medicated route to relieve headaches. I have use " Tiger Balm" on my temples and across my forehead to help with the headaches. If that doesn't help, I make sure I have a quick protein filled snack. Most of the time, this works. Next, if you can, try resting in a darkened room (it doesn't have to be total lights out-unless that helps- but just not all the lights on in the room). If none of that works, all you have have during pregnancy for that is Tylenol. I never find that to help much, but it may be all you need to kick that headache to the curb.
Other women, may argue that the third trimester is the most uncomfortable. Still with the leg cramps and stomach pain, but now you also have frequent urination that disrupts your sleep, the constant kicks and jabs from within your belly, pressure on your back and uterus and this overwhelming feeling that you are done and ready for the baby to be out.I know with my first pregnancy, Braeden would kick me so hard in the ribs it would take my breath away. My doctor suggested to try laying propped up on my left side to alleviate the pressue and pain. It can help some, but once the baby gets to a certain size, there's not much that will help. There's really no remedy to the frequent bathroom trips either. The baby is stilling on your bladder and makes you have to go pee about 50 times a day (seems like 50 times at night too). I think all the nightly bathroom trips gets our body prepared for all the times we have to wake up in the middle of the night with the baby. Really, one of the best things to help your overall discomfort, I've found, is to go on a walk. It can help loosen up your muscles and the movement of your body lulls the baby to sleep (usually), so you will see a decrease in those painful kicks.
I hope reading this post, helps any or all of you soon-to-be moms with some of that pain we deal with during pregnancy.... Dealing with LABOR pain is a totally different blog! :) -One that I will work on soon....
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