The first trimester of pregnancy is defined as a period that starts from the first day of a pregnant woman’s last period and continues until the end of 12 weeks. To make your first trimester healthy, you need to take certain precautions. These are listed here:
- Take your vitamin supplements — At Northwest Women’s Center, we provide you will necessary vitamin supplements like calcium, folic acid, vitamin D, magnesium, probiotics, fish oil, and others as they help fulfill the necessary nutritional requirements for both mother and baby.
- Get your rest — Fatigue is common during early pregnancy, so you need to rest as much as possible.
- Eat well — Now is the time to up your food choices. Eat lots of fresh leafy vegetables, fruits, sweet potatoes, fish, dairy items such as yogurt, eggs, chickpeas, lentils, and more. Cut out the fast food and processed food. Drink lots of water throughout the day, no matter how much it makes you pee.
- Keep active — When you’re not tired, be sure to keep up with light exercise.
- Don’t overeat — While you will need to put on weight, it needs to be within reason. This isn’t an excuse to eat everything in sight. Our team will give you appropriate weight numbers that you can keep up with.
- No drinking — Alcohol consumption at any point of your pregnancy is out, as it can negatively affect brain development. This is particularly an issue during the first trimester.
- Keep travel to a minimum — Local travel is fine for up to 36 weeks, but this isn’t a time for exhaustive distant travel.
- No drugs — Recreational drugs are also out for your entire pregnancy. They can cause birth defects, and they increase your chances of miscarriage.
- No smoking — The toxins you inhale with cigarette smoke are extremely dangerous for your baby. They pass through the bloodstream and reach your baby’s body.
Labor typically starts soon after your water breaks, but that’s not always the case. But if your water breaks and you don’t go into labor before it does or shortly thereafter (occurs in 8 to 10 percent of women), we need to hear from you. If this happens preterm (any time before 37 weeks of pregnancy), you need to contact us immediately.
When your water breaks, you may still have some time before active labor begins. But you should still give us a call at Northwest Women’s Center so we can get an update on what is going on.
Typically, your belly bump becomes noticeable during your second trimester. The time between 16-20 weeks is usually the time your body will start showing your baby’s growth. This time frame may be at 12 weeks if you are a person at a lower weight with a smaller midsection, and closer to 16 weeks if you’re a person with more weight.