Ok, this is it, folks. You’re officially trying for a baby, which means you’ve ditched the birth control, dimmed the lights and made love, sweet love, many times over.
But that nail-biting wait until you can take a pregnancy test is just not working for you. Hold the pee stick, here are eight early signs that you could be pregnant.
1. Ergh, so queasy
You’re at work concentrating on Facebook that important report and suddenly feel like you’re gonna hurl. If you haven’t been out till 3am skolling tequila, then nausea and vomiting may mean you’re expecting. Congratulations!
Keep a paper bag handy and DO NOT THINK ABOUT TEQUILA. Oh, god, someone said “tequila”.
2. Hello boobies!
If you normally have breasts the size of cumquats and suddenly sprout cantaloupes, it’s a good early sign you’re pregnant! Ditto if your boobs are tender and looking a little veiny, with darker areola. Just go with it – it could be time to shop for a maternity bra!
3. So snoozzzzzzzy
Your new catchphrase is, “I’m sooooo tirrrrred. Wake me up in half an hour.” Guess what? You totally could be preggers. In the first four months of pregnancy it can feel like someone’s slipped you a horse tranquiliser, then forced you to stay awake for 72 hours. In the nicest possible way. Blame the hormone progesterone, which slows your metabolism during pregnancy.
4. It’s a pee-a-thon
If you’re off to the loo for the nineteenth time today and keep saying, “I feel the need, the need to pee,” there’s a chance that you’re up the duff (and have a thing for Top Gun). Don’t worry, frequent peeing is common early sign in the first weeks of pregnancy, when extra fluid is pumping around the body, the kidneys are firing on all cylinders and the uterus starts to cosy up to the bladder. The Top Gun thing we’ll keep to ourselves.
5. Hungry, but not as you know it
Tempted to grab a pickle off a stranger’s burger? If you’re pregnant, this is normal because food cravings are common with a baby on board. On the flip side, foods you used to love might not look so appetising. And don’t be surprised if the smell of your morning coffee makes you gag.
6. “I am woman, hear me breathe!”
You know that breathless feeling you get at a 70 per cent off sale? Well, pregnancy can have the same effect. It’s because progesterone ups your lung capacity to carry more oxygen to bubba and whisk away carbon dioxide, so huffing and puffing can be par for the course.
7. Mood swings for everyone!
You’re watching an ad for toilet paper and feel really sad when that last sheet runs out. Then it occurs to you – someone’s been scrunching not folding! And that makes you angry. Until the lady in the ad replaces the roll and you’re sooooo happy for them. Yep, some newly pregnant women moods change like the wind.
8. Period, you’re late!
If Aunt Flo (who even says that?) hasn’t paid you a visit when she normally does, then it’s time to get thee to a pee stick! And if Flo arrives early and/or is a bit lighter than usual, you might still be pregnant. Sometimes implantation bleeding happens when the embryo settles into the guest room, we mean, uterine wall.
And that’s just for starters
Pregnancy sounds like a barrel of laughs, doesn’t it? According to the Better Health Channel, these are just the early signs of pregnancy. Soon there’ll be back pain, constipation, heartburn, leg cramps, headaches, haemorrhoids and – ok, we’re gonna stop now.
Trust us, though. That first time you hold your new baby in your arms, you’ll forget about everything except that wonderful moment.
Now, while you’re anxiously waiting for the pee to dry on that stick, take a look at our article about whether or not you can afford a baby on one wage.
