Approved by the What’s Up Moms Medical Advisory Board
On the one hand your little embryo already seems so human-y: nose, mouth and ears are beginning to form, limbs are budding, and toes and fingers are in process. The heartbeat can now be picked up on an ultrasound, though it’ll probably be a few weeks til you get to see or hear it. Still, though, things are looking more tadpole-y than they are cuddly little baby.
Some women don’t start to feel truly preggers til morning sickness starts and that may be right about now, as it usually kicks in around 6-7 weeks. A few things on the nausea front right off the bat: First of all, morning sickness isn’t just for mornings (surprise!). It probably earned that name because you don’t eat overnight, and an empty stomach can exacerbate pregnancy queasiness. Also, historically, husbands would see their wives feeling sick in the morning before zipping off to work, so “morning sickness” it became. Anyhoo, it helps to eat small amounts frequently – you might even want to keep some crackers by your bed. For some women, the nausea is intense, and they actually lose weight in early pregnancy. Fortunately, this symptom usually peaks around 8-10 weeks and often dissipates by week 16. And to those of you who don’t get morning sickness at all: don’t worry – it doesn’t mean your pregnancy isn’t a healthy one, it just means you won’t need to hurl in a barf bag on the way to work. Enjoy!
You may find that foods you normally love are grossing you out to even think about – and new cravings may crop up, some of which will be super random. Never much a fan of juice? Well, you’re guzzling the stuff now. Never paid much mind to Nutella before? Lucky for you it’s spreadable – so sky’s the limit!
If you’re so zonked you can barely make it through the day, just slow down as much as you can. This is a really tired time for many pregnant women. Staying hydrated helps. And though you have every intention of exercising, right now you may be more tempted to crawl into bed, and that’s fine. In a few weeks you should get some energy back.
While we’re on the topic of foods and sleepiness let’s discuss the elephant in the room: coffee. Some women swear off caffeine completely during pregnancy, though many docs say that small quantities (< 200 mg caffeine per day – approximately 1 Starbucks dark roast) are OK. So, if your daily joe is a legit pleasure in your life and you’re a mess without, check in with your doc, or better yet, switch to decaf. After all, girl’s gotta do what a girl’s gotta do.
