Morning sickness or 'all day and all night sickness', involves feeling nauseated and possibly vomiting. It is one of the most common physical complaints of early pregnancy and is due to your body's reaction to the high levels of pregnancy hormones in the body.
The most obvious sign that lets a woman know (or suspect) she is pregnant is missing her menstrual period.
Some newly pregnant women become extremely fatigued during the first 12 weeks of pregnancy.
Gruelling headaches tend to happen in the early days of pregnancy thanks to the abundance of hormonal changes in the weeks after conception.
It’s hard work growing a baby and when you’re pregnant your under-stress body needs to get a decent nights sleep more than ever.
Dizziness can be common in early pregnancy, though fainting - also known as syncope - tends to be rare.
Here are seven of the most common, often unpleasant, ailments during pregnancy and tips on how you can treat them and when they might require some medical intervention.
Many women will complain of needing to pass more urine during early pregnancy.
The amount of bleeding after delivery can be quite frightening, but it’s completely normal and – if you think about it – expected.
Most pregnant women will receive confusing and conflicted advice about drinking alcohol during pregnancy. So what are pregnant women risking if they drink alcohol?
Pregnancy requires dramatic changes in blood flow, the most obvious being that which occurs in the uterus and the development of the placenta to make a baby grow.
Stomach bloating, constipation, or both are common first trimester pregnancy symptom, which tends to reappear again in the last trimester.
Many women experience bloating, mild cramping and slight backache as a pre-menstrual physical symptom, and the same thing happens in early pregnancy as the uterus grows.
You can minimise the bad effects of some pregnancy symptoms by maintaining a regular exercise routine, and there are many benefits to take advantage of.
Nearly 9 out of 10 pregnant women develop stretch marks on their breasts, tummy, hips buttocks and/or arms. Stretch marks may appear early or later in your pregnancy.
Varicose veins occur to some degree in most pregnant women. Varicose veins are blood vessels that are engorged with blood. They occur primarily in the legs but may also be present in the vulva and rectum.
Pregnant women most often develop haemorrhoids during the second and third trimester. Hormone changes and the growing foetus are contributing factors.
Many women notice they produce more saliva. Some women find excessive salivation during pregnancy makes morning sickness and nausea more unpleasant.
When a woman finds out she is pregnant, it is not unusual for her to develop a renewed motivation to consider a few lifestyle changes (if she has not already started these in preparation for the pregnancy). Find out how to make these changes safely here.
We generally obtain adequate amounts of our required vitamins and minerals through a well balanced diet. However, there are some circumstances in which supplementing may be recommended and beneficial for people who are deficient.
Stopping smoking and drinking is something that is hard to do but will largely benefit you and your child. Learn some strategies on how you can do this
The truth about how your skin can react to pregnancy, including causes and treatments.
Regardless of whether you are a mum-to-be with a diagnosed Anxiety Disorder, or simply someone who’s experiencing “normal” levels of nervousness around the pregnancy and birthing process, it’s important to make sure you’re looking after your mental and physical health during pregnancy
Foetal alcohol syndrome is the direct result of prenatal alcohol exposure. The more a pregnant woman drinks, the greater the risk to the child.
Pregnant and breastfeeding women should not suffer pain unnecessarily as there are safe pain medications while pregnant or breastfeeding.
While morning sickness can make you feel like death, it is generally only in rare and serious enduring cases of morning sickness that medication is deemed necessary.
Despite how poorly you may be feeling it is extremely unusual for morning sickness to have any negative effect on your unborn baby. However, the possible weight loss and dehydration that can accompany chronic morning sickness is more concerning for you and your baby
Morning sickness is a condition that plagues up to 85% of all pregnant women. Mainly a feature of early pregnancy morning sickness often strikes first thing in the morning but it isn’t unusual for sufferers to experience bouts of morning sickness at any time of the day or night.
Pregnancy is a wonderful time but it can also bring a range of complaints ranging from making you uncomfortable to being quite painful.
Pregnancy can put extra demands on your body's supply of vitamins and minerals. For a healthy pregnancy, a balanced diet including a variety of foods from the main food groups is essential to meet those demands and give your baby the best start.
