Your first taste of motherhood, maternity, is one of the most enlightening, wonderful and terrifying experiences you will have. Individuals who are going through pregnancy for the first time will find themselves dealing with mood swings, the wonderful feeling of kicking feet and having to manage through life with morning sickness.
Each pregnancy will be unique; each mother will feel differently during her pregnancy, too. Take the time to sit back and realize just what is happening during this very early stage of motherhood. What you may find is that the process is a miracle unto itself.
The First Months
Maternity during the first months of pregnancy is usually a process of change. During this time, a woman’s body will begin to change. The process is gradual as the baby grows. Initial symptoms may include:
- Bloating and the feeling of being heavier
- Morning sickness
- Being very tired even after a full night’s sleep
- Cramping, slight discomfort
- Missed menstruation
During the first month of pregnancy, few, if any symptoms are seen in the body, until the first missed period. During this time, there may be some slight bleeding, which is usually much lighter in color and amount. This is called implantation bleeding and should not be anything to worry about unless it continues. For most women, there is no real indication of pregnancy right away.
During the second and third months, changes may be seen. During this time, women may start to experience morning sickness, which is a time where hormones and the changing body cause nausea and vomiting for some women. These conditions are normal and as long as they do not cause other illnesses or stresses on you, there is no need to worry about them. During maternity, morning sickness will vary in intensity from one woman to the next. Some do not feel bad at all, while other women experience morning sickness daily and often all day long.
The Second Trimester
During the second trimester, motherhood becomes a reality. The baby is growing and during this time, women will first begin to realize what it is that is happening to them. The process of changing is gradual, but a bit faster than in the previous months simply because the baby is larger. Some symptoms will include:
- Added weight gain
- Frequent urination
- Movement or a fluttering in the abdomen
- Water retention
- Mood swings
- Food cravings
Doctors are not sure what causes the intense food cravings that some women having during their second trimester, but usually these should not be worried about. Some doctors believe that cravings are simply an indication of the lacking minerals and nutrients in a woman’s body during their maternity months. As long as the foods are healthy, there is generally no reason to worry.
Many women begin to get nervous when they realize what is actually happening to them. As they begin to enlarge around the middle, it becomes more important for soon to be others to wear loose fitting clothing that’s comfortable for them. Maternity clothing is designed to grow with you, but also to provide you with ease of movement.
Motherhood during this time often requires a lot of patience. While morning sickness will begin to fade during these months, there will be additional feelings and experiences to contend with. For example, you may feel moody. Mood swings are often a tell tale sign of the changes in hormones in a person’s body. These hormonal changes can be large, or small.
Maternity is often very real during the second trimester. Women often begin wondering what life with a baby will be like for them, as well as how they will contend with all the demands of the child. For this reason, many women are under some stress. Physical activity will also change during this time.
Third Trimester
During the third trimester, many women begin to become uncomfortable. Motherhood is in full swing during this time since you will be able to feel the baby kicking and moving regularly. You will be able to tell the gender of the baby as well as be able to see images of the child through ultrasound pictures now. Growth of the child will continue which means an increase in weight gain and size of the soon to be mother. Other symptoms will include:
- Weight gain in increasing amounts
- Bloating
- Physical and emotional exhaustion
- Cramping
- Nervousness
For many women, the third trimester will show the most change in both your physical appearance and in the way you feel. Your larger size often makes movement in normal activities quite hard to do and many women will experience mood swings. Being nervous and worried about what you are going through is quite common; though most women are begin to be anxious at this point. By the final month of pregnancy, many women are ready for the child to be born in terms of emotional strength.
The third trimester of maternity is often a good time to ready the nursery and home for baby. For this reason, many women will experience what is called a nesting syndrome in which they spend a good deal of time cleaning and preparing for baby. As part of motherhood, this is simply your way of preparing your home for your baby’s arrival.Maternity during the last month is often the most physically demanding and therefore you should not spend a lot of time doing physical activities especially if doctors will limit you from doing so.
Motherhood will feel different from one baby to the next, as well as from one mother to the next. It is quite common to feel overwhelmed, happy and worried at all at the same time. Maternity is a time to slowly change from a woman into a mother, which is often a change that’s not just physical, but emotional as well. Most mothers have no problem with pregnancy and with today’s modern advances in medicine, even those risky pregnancies often go well.