7 Early Signs of Pregnancy: Am I Pregnant?

Most sexually active women have had a pregnancy scare at least once in their lives. Maybe the question at this point is are these signs of pregnancy? Other women, could have been trying to conceive for a long time without success. Then all of a sudden you begin to feel some changes in your body and you are wondering, “are these the first signs of pregnancy?”

When do The First Signs of Pregnancy Appear?

As stated at the beginning of this article, early signs of pregnancy show at different times for different individuals. Some people experience none of these first signs until a few weeks into the pregnancy. However, there are women who suffer all the earliest signs of pregnancy. Therefore, it is possible to tell whether or not you are pregnant only a few weeks after having unprotected sex.

The most common sign of pregnancy is missing your period. If your periods have been delayed and you are experiencing fatigue, morning sickness, spotting, and tender breasts, you might need to take a pregnancy test either at home or at a clinic. However, there are early pregnancy signs that may be detected before you even miss your periods. We are going to discuss a few in this article. However, consult with your doctor as well to be certain as I will only be telling my story here.

1. Cramping

Based on a personal example, before I realized I was pregnant, I experienced the same kind of cramping I did during my periods. Cramps have always been my first instinct of a coming period. Ideally, my cramps come a few hours before the first drop of blood. So, when pregnancy hit, I experienced the same pain for 2 days I even wore sanitary towels waiting for a period but nothing. That is when I decided to seek medical attention since I was experiencing lower back pain too.

2. Missed Periods

After the cramps as discussed in point one, I realized no blood is coming. Mine was not an anticipated pregnancy so that realization of I could actually be a parent at that point scared the hell out of me. I kept visiting the washroom to confirm whether there is even a drop of blood but nothing. So, that was the first time it hit me so hard that there could actually be whole human baking in my womb.

3. Fatigue

Normally my body responds to stress through overall body fatigue. How I know it’s time to speak to a therapist is when I can’t leave bed because I am very tired. This has been so even before pregnancy. So, now I don’t know if this can be scientifically proven or what, but my body was really tired before I ascertained my pregnancy. I wouldn’t leave my bed unless visiting the bathroom to confirm I am not a mom, haha. I was sleepy right after waking up and rinsing my face.

4. Pregnancy Glow and Acne

I was seriously not ready for any baby so much that I never took any earliest sign of pregnancy for what it was. My whole life even at puberty, I never developed acne. I have been privileged to have good skin throughout. So during my first month of pregnancy, I grew some really rough and itchy acne on my forehead which later extended to the whole face and neck. The whole time, I didn’t interpret it as the first sign of pregnancy instead I decided to take over-the-counter dewormers. I also spoke to the pharmacist about the acne and he administered some cream to clear it. Long story, but the acne never cleared until the second trimester.

5. Nausea with or Without Vomiting

If you have been manifesting a child into your life, you ought to take some signs of pregnancy seriously as compared to the rest of us. I remember I was attending a funeral with my friend on a Tuesday morning. I was to meet my friend somewhere so we could travel together. I kept my friend waiting for some minutes because I was moving around looking for anything citrus; a lemon, orange, pineapple…something, please. The whole time I was feeling so pathetic and could vomit at any time, luckily I didn’t. I filled my handbag with oranges that I ate shamelessly throughout the funeral.

6. Bloating and constipation

When bloating and constipation are the most common response to early pregnancies, I experienced a different combination. I did experience bloating, yeah, but that came along with diarrhea. I don’t know why such a combination but yeah, this is my story. I remember sitting in the toilet and thinking “wow, my stomach feels light” after a few minutes of diarrhoeaing. One Sunday afternoon, I ate some chicken and got a real stomach upset which was followed up by diarrhea. I thought it was food poisoning but then it turned out I was pregnant.

7. Food Aversion and Inclination

During the early stages of pregnancy, your nose could be highly sensitive to smell. Although this is not an early sign of pregnancy, it would come at some point during the first trimester of your pregnancy. You would be hyper-sensitive to some foods due to their smell and develop a bad dislike or liking for the same. In my own experience, I really loathed coriander leaves. In my whole existence, I never tasted or really smelled coriander in food but during and after my pregnancy I would tell food cooked with it even from ‘one mile’ away haha. I also developed a strong liking for oranges a fruit I never related so well with before pregnancy.

I would confidently say pregnancy is a journey that pushes our limits. It takes us through twists and turns we never imagined we can be a part of. It is very important to consult with your doctor if you have any of these signs. If you are not experiencing any of these signs but you guess you could be a mom in the making, Kindly take a home pregnancy test or visit a clinic for the pregnancy blood test. If you take a pregnancy test at home and turns out positive, visit a doctor for further examination and guidance.