Pregnancy Phases & Symptoms

In our previous blog https://vishwarajhospital.com/what-are-the-dos-and-donts-when-planning-for-pregnancy/ , we talked about the dos and don’ts while planning for pregnancy. In this latest blog, we will be taking all the women (the ones who are planning for pregnancy or the ones already experiencing this beautiful phase of life) through a quick pregnancy journey.

There are 3 main phases of pregnancy:

1. The First Trimester (Week 1 – Week 12)
2. The Second Trimester (Week 13 – Week 28)
3. The Third Trimester (Week 29 – Week 40)

Let us quickly go through the week-by-week pregnancy symptoms and the development taking place inside a woman’s body.

1. The First Trimester (Week 1 – Week 12)

During the initial phase of pregnancy, i.e. the First Trimester your body undergoes several hormonal changes which affect the organs in your body. These hormonal changes can even activate symptoms in the first week of pregnancy itself. Apart from the halt in your period cycle, below are the several other changes that your body goes through during the First Trimester of pregnancy:

• Heavy mood swings
• Always feeling tired
• Swollen yet tender breasts
• Unavoidable cravings or disliking of certain food items
• Frequent urination
• Constipation
• Constant headache
• Heartburn
• Weight gain/Weight Loss

2. The Second Trimester (Week 13 – Week 28)

This is the phase where most of the women might see a drop in the symptoms they might have faced in the First Trimester.  During the Second Trimester, you would observe a lot of physical changes happening to your body as the baby inside the womb slowly picks up at the pace of growth.

• Expansion of abdomen
• • Back pain, pain in abdomen region and thighs
  • Observing stretch marks on your breasts, abdomen, thighs, or even buttock
  • The skin around the nipples starts getting dark
  • The appearance of a line on the skin starting from the belly bottom to the pubic hairline
  • Dark skin patches noticeable over cheeks, nose, upper lip, forehead
  • Numb hands
  • Itching in the abdomen region, palms, and soles
  • Swollen face, fingers, ankles
  1. The Third Trimester (Week 29 – Week 40)

  Few of the symptoms from the Second Trimester get carried forward as additional pain during the Third Trimester pregnancy phase. During this phase of pregnancy, you may start facing breathing problems and may have to visit the washroom frequently. The only reason for these two major problems is the baby is now getting bigger and starts putting on more pressure on the internal organs. Be ready to welcome the new changes in your body (as mentioned below) during the Third Trimester pregnancy phase.

  • Facing little difficulty in breathing
  • Swollen face, fingers, ankles
  • Observing Hemorrhoids (cluster of enlarged blood vessels observed in the anus and lower rectum)
  • Tender breasts which might discharge thin pre-milk known as colostrum
  • Caution: Your belly button might pop-out
  • Facing trouble with sleep
  • The baby will probably start shifting towards the lower end of your abdomen
  • You might even experience contractions which are usually considered false labor pain

  Conclusion: Pregnancy is one of the most magical moments in the life of a woman where she experiences life within herself! It is also said that precautions are always better than cure and so it advisable to consult the hospital which is best & specialized in gynecology for avoiding any kind of future risks.