Your Pre-Pregnancy Checkup

Caring for your health before you become pregnant is good for you and your baby.
It's called preconception care. The goal is to check for any potential risks to you and your baby during pregnancy -- and to address any medical issues you may have before you get pregnant.
It's about becoming your healthiest self -- physically and emotionally -- before you take that next step into pregnancy.
You can get started by making a preconception counseling appointment with your health care provider. Here's what to expect.

What Happens at a Preconception Doctor's Appointment?

A preconception appointment is the perfect time to ask your doctor all the things that are on your mind -- whether it's your diet, prenatal vitamins, or any health concerns that run in your family.  
During a preconception office visit, you and your doctor will discuss your:

• Reproductive history:  This includes any previous pregnancies, your menstrual history, contraceptive use,  previous Pap test results, and any  sexually transmitted diseases  or vaginal infections you've had in the past.
• Medical history:  This includes any health problems you have now, so you can get those under control before you get pregnant.
• Surgical history:  Have you had any surgeries, transfusions, and hospitalizations? If so, tell your doctor.  
• Current medications:  Tell your doctor about any prescription or over-the-counter medications you are taking or have taken. In some cases, it may be time to make a change to help prevent birth defects. Also tell your doctor about any herbal medicines or supplements you take.
• Family health history:   Tell your doctor about any medical conditions that run in your family. They may also want to know if you or your partner have twins in the family.
• Home and workplace environment:  You'll talk about possible hazards -- such as exposure to cat feces, X-rays, and lead or solvents -- that could affect your ability to become pregnant or maintain a healthy pregnancy.
• Your weight:  It's a good idea to  reach your ideal body weight before you get pregnant. This means losing weight if you are overweight to reduce your risk of high blood pressure complications during pregnancy; or gaining weight if you are underweight to reduce the risk of delivering a low birth-weight baby.
• Lifestyle factors:  Your doctor will ask you questions about you and your partner's habits that could influence your pregnancy, such as smoking, drinking alcohol, and using recreational drugs. The goal is to help you stop any habits that could stand in the way of a healthy pregnancy. Your doctor will keep it confidential, so feel free to be open.
• Exercise:  Tell your doctor what type of exercise you do -- and if you don't work out, tell them that, too. Generally, you may continue your normal exercise routine while pregnant unless you are instructed to decrease or modify your activities.
• Diet :  Your doctor will ask you about what you eat and drink. It's ideal to go into pregnancy with good dietary habits already in place. That includes eating a variety of foods rich in fiber, and getting enough calcium, folic acid, and other nutrients.
• Caffeine:  Before you get pregnant, your doctor may recommend limiting caffeine to no more than 300 milligrams (mg) per day. That's about the amount in two 8-ounce cups of coffee. Remember, caffeine isn't just in coffee and tea -- it's also in chocolate, some soft drinks, and certain medications.
• Prenatal vitamins :  Before you're pregnant, you should be taking  a folic acid supplement. Folic acid makes it less likely that your baby will have a neural tube defect, and it's best to start taking it before you conceive. Your doctor will likely recommend taking 400 micrograms (mcg) of folic acid daily before conception and in early pregnancy.

Your doctor may also:

• Do a physical exam  to evaluate your heart, lungs, breasts, thyroid, and abdomen. A pelvic exam and Pap smear may also be performed.
• Order lab tests :  Some of the conditions screened for include rubella, hepatitis, HIV, syphilis, and others as indicated.
• Discuss how to chart menstrual cycles  to help detect ovulation and determine the time when you are most likely to get pregnant.
• Check on your vaccinations. If you are not protected against rubella or chickenpox, your doctor may recommend the appropriate vaccines and delaying attempts to conceive for at least one month.
• Discuss genetic counseling:  Genetic counseling can help you understand your chance of having a child with a birth defect. It may be advised for older mothers and people with a family history of genetic problems, birth defects, or mental retardation.

Pregnancy Symptoms

Do All Women Get Early Symptoms of Pregnancy?

Every woman is different. So are her experiences of pregnancy. Not every woman has the same symptoms or even the same symptoms from one pregnancy to the next.
Also, because the early symptoms of pregnancy are often like what happens right before and during menstruation , those symptoms aren't always recognized.
What follows is a description of some of the most common early symptoms of pregnancy. You should know that these symptoms may be caused by other things besides being pregnant. So the fact that you notice some of these symptoms does not necessarily mean you are pregnant. The only way to tell for sure is with a pregnancy test.

Spotting and Cramping

A few days after conception, the fertilized egg attaches itself to wall of the uterus. This can cause one of the earliest signs of pregnancy -- spotting and, sometimes, cramping.
That's called implantation bleeding. It occurs anywhere from six to 12 days after the egg is fertilized.
The cramps resemble menstrual cramps, so some women mistake them and the bleeding for the start of their period. The bleeding and cramps, however, are slight.
Besides bleeding, a woman  may notice a white, milky discharge from her vagina. That's related to the thickening of the vagina's walls, which starts almost immediately after conception. The increased growth of cells lining the vagina causes the discharge.
This discharge, which can continue throughout pregnancy, is typically harmless and doesn't require treatment. But if there is a bad smell related to the discharge or a burning and itching sensation, tell your doctor so they can check on whether you have a yeast or bacterial infection.

Breast Changes

Breast changes are another very early sign of pregnancy. A woman's hormone levels rapidly change after conception. Because of the changes, her breasts may become swollen, sore, or tingly a week or two later. Or they may feel heavier or fuller or feel tender to the touch. The area around the nipples, called the areola, may also darken.
Other things could cause breast changes. But if the changes are an early symptom of pregnancy, keep in mind that it is going to take several weeks to get used to the new levels of hormones. But when it does, breast pain should ease up.

Fatigue

Feeling very tired is normal in pregnancy, starting early on.
A woman can start feeling unusually  fatigued as soon as one week after conceiving.
Why? It's often related to a high level of a hormone called progesterone, although other things -- such as lower levels of blood sugar, lower blood pressure, and a boost in blood production -- can all contribute.
If fatigue is related to pregnancy, it's important to get plenty of rest. Eating foods that are rich in protein and iron can help offset it.

Nausea (Morning Sickness)

Morning sickness is a famous symptom of pregnancy. But not every pregnant woman gets it.
Here's why it happens. A pregnant woman's hormone levels can slow the emptying of her stomach. That contributes to nausea, often called morning sickness, though it can happen at any time during the day.
Also, some women crave, or can't stand, certain foods when they become pregnant. That's also related to hormonal changes. The effect can be so strong that even the thought of what used to be a favorite food can turn a pregnant woman's stomach.
It's possible that the nausea, cravings, and food aversions can last for the entire pregnancy. Fortunately, the symptoms lessen for many women at about the 13th or 14th week of their pregnancy.
In the meantime, be sure to eat a healthy diet so that you and your developing baby get essential nutrients. You can talk to your doctor for advice on that.

Missed Period

The most obvious early symptom of pregnancy -- and the one that prompts most women to get a pregnancy test -- is a missed period. But not all missed or delayed periods are caused by pregnancy.
Also, women can experience some bleeding during pregnancy. If you are pregnant, ask your doctor what you should be aware of with bleeding. For example, when is bleeding normal and when is it a sign of an emergency?
There are reasons, besides pregnancy, for missing a period. it might be that you gained or lost too much weight. Hormonal problems, fatigue, or stress are other possibilities. Some women miss their period when they stop taking birth control pills. But if a period is late and pregnancy is a possibility, you may want to get a pregnancy test.

Other Early Symptoms of Pregnancy

Pregnancy brings changes in your hormonal balance. And that can cause other symptoms..

• Frequent urination. For many women, this starts around the sixth or eighth week after conception. Although this could be caused by a urinary tract infection, diabetes, or overusing diuretics, if you're pregnant, it's most likely due to hormonal levels.
• Constipation. During pregnancy, higher levels of the hormone progesterone can make you constipated. Progesterone causes food to pass more slowly through your intestines.  To ease the problem, drink plenty of water, exercise, and eat plenty of high-fiber foods.
• Mood swings. These are common, especially during the first trimester. These are also related to changes in hormones.
• Headaches and back pain. Many pregnant women report frequent mild headaches, and others experience chronic back pain.
• Dizziness  and fainting. These may be related to dilating blood vessels, lower blood pressure, and lower blood sugar.

A pregnant woman could have all of these symptoms, or maybe have only one or two. If any of these symptoms become bothersome, talk with your doctor about them so you can make a plan to offset them.

Pregnancy Brain: Myth or Reality?

You may have heard about little bouts of forgetfulness during pregnancy. It's sometimes called momnesia or sometimes "pregnancy brain." At least one Australian study has cast doubt on whether there is such a thing as pregnancy brain.
But what if it's real? What can you do about it while you're pregnant?

Pregnancy Brain Is Real, but...

Pregnancy does not change a woman's brain even though some women don't feel as sharp as usual when they're pregnant.
Helen Christensen, PhD, of The Australian National University, says, "If you read pregnancy manuals and listen to pregnant mothers -- yes, there is such a thing as pregnancy brain or momnesia. And there is also evidence from research showing deficits in memory."
But, she adds, "the evidence from our study shows that the capacity of the brain is unaltered in pregnancy."

What Causes “Momnesia?”

It’s 100% normal to have memory lapses or be forgetful when you’re busy, stressed, or short on sleep, Christenson says.
Jane Martin, MD, director of the Neuropsychological Testing and Evaluation Center at New York's Mount Sinai Medical Center, agrees. "When you are not getting enough sleep and are multitasking, nobody's memory is good," she says. "You are not cognitively sharp when you haven't slept well."
Surging hormone levels and new priorities may help explain why pregnancy brain happens.
"There is 15 to 40 times more progesterone and estrogen marinating the brain during pregnancy," Louann Brizendine, MD, director of the Women's Mood and Hormone Clinic at the University of California, San Francisco, says. "And these hormones affect all kinds of neurons in the brain. By the time the woman delivers, there are huge surges of oxytocin that cause the uterus to contract and the body to produce milk -- and they also affect the brain circuits."
Pregnancy also shuffles what gets your attention. Your IQ doesn't change, but your priorities do.
"You only have so many shelves in your brain, so the top three are filled with baby stuff," Brizendine says.
Hormones may also affect spatial memory -- which includes remembering where things are -- in pregnant women and new moms, a British study shows.

What Pregnancy Brain Feels Like

Pregnancy brain is "the feeling of walking into a room, going after something, and not remembering what you went for about five to 10 times a day," Brizendine says.
There may also be an evolutionary aspect to it. Women’s health expert Donnica Moore, MD, says, "It has been postulated that, from an evolutionary standpoint, this memory impairment may be helpful so that women will forget about other stuff and focus on caring for the child."
Many pregnant women and new moms spend a lot of time thinking about the changes that having a baby will bring or taking care of their newborn. As a result, their short-term memory may suffer.

How to Help Your Memory

Moore says if you feel you're not as sharp as usual, that should be "your first tip-off that, when you are preparing to have a baby, you need to simplify other areas of your life because life is about to get a lot more complicated."
After the baby arrives, sleep deprivation is clearly a contributing factor. Brizendine says, "Women accumulate up to 700 hours of sleep debt in the first year after having a baby, and that causes the brain not to be at its best for things other than caring for the baby."
So what can you do?
Write things down. Ob-gyn Geeta Sharma, MD, of New York-Presbyterian Hospital/Weill Cornell Medical Center, says, "Most patients comment, 'I have to write my questions down or I will forget,' and then mention that they are more forgetful in general."
Jotting things down, whether on a grocery list or a list of questions to ask your obstetrician, helps. "Make lists, use a day planner, and keep your sense of humor," Moore says.
Get more sleep. This may be tricky for new parents. But it can make a real difference. "Most moms need more deep sleep, and within a week of getting better sleep, some of this momnesia stuff goes away," Brizendine says.
"If your memory problems are getting in the way of taking safety precautions or if you find yourself doing things like forgetting to put your child in the car seat, worry," Brizendine says. "Otherwise, it's normal."

Gain Weight Safely During Your Pregnancy

Eating a healthy, balanced diet will help your baby get the nutrients he or she needs and grow at a healthy rate. But how many extra calories do you really need?
Though you do need some extra calories, it's not necessary to ''eat for two.'' The average pregnant woman needs only about 300 healthy calories more a day than she did before she was pregnant. This will help her gain the right amount of weight during pregnancy.
Ask your health care provider how much weight you should gain. A woman who was average weight before getting pregnant should gain 25 to 35 pounds after becoming pregnant. Underweight women should gain 28 to 40 pounds. And overweight women may need to gain only 15 to 25 pounds during pregnancy.
In general, you should gain about 2 to 4 pounds during the first three months you're pregnant and 1 pound a week during the rest of your pregnancy. If you are expecting twins you should gain 35 to 45 pounds during your pregnancy. This would be an average of 1 ½ pounds per week after the usual weight gain in the first three months.
It's especially important to gain the right amount of weight when you're expecting twins because your weight affects the babies' weight. And because twins are often born before the due date, a higher birth weight is important for their health. When carrying twins, you may need between 3,000 and 3,500 calories a day.

Where Does the Extra Weight Go During Pregnancy?

• Baby: 8 pounds
• Placenta: 2-3 pounds
• Amniotic fluid: 2-3 pounds
• Breast tissue: 2-3 pounds
• Blood supply: 4 pounds
• Stored fat for delivery and breastfeeding: 5-9 pounds
• Larger uterus: 2-5 pounds
• Total: 25-35 pounds

Is It Safe to Lose Weight When Pregnant?

If a woman is very overweight when she gets pregnant, her doctor may want her to lose weight. She should only lose weight under her doctor's care. But in most cases, women should not try to lose weight or diet during pregnancy.

How to Gain the Right Amount of Weight During Pregnancy

If your health care provider wants you to gain weight while you're pregnant, try these tips:

• Eat five to six small meals every day.
• Keep quick, easy snacks on hand, such as nuts, raisins, cheese and crackers, dried fruit, and ice cream or yogurt.
• Spread peanut butter on toast, crackers, apples, bananas, or celery. One tablespoon of creamy peanut butter gives you about 100 calories and 7 grams of protein.
• Add nonfat powdered milk to mashed potatoes, scrambled eggs, and hot cereal.
• Add extras to your meal, such as butter or margarine, cream cheese, gravy, sour cream, and cheese.

What if You Gain Too Much Weight During Pregnancy?

 If you have gained more weight than your doctor recommended, talk to your doctor about it. In most cases, you'll want to wait until after delivery to lose weight.
Here are some tips to slow your weight gain:

• When eating fast food, choose lower-fat items such as broiled chicken breast sandwich with tomato and lettuce (no sauce or mayonnaise), side salad with low-fat dressing, plain bagels, or a plain baked potato. Avoid foods such as French fries, mozzarella sticks, or breaded chicken patties.
• Avoid whole milk products. You need at least four servings of milk products every day. However, using skim, 1%, or 2% milk will greatly reduce the amount of calories and fat you eat. Also, choose low-fat or fat-free cheese or yogurt.
• Limit sweet or sugary drinks. Sweetened drinks such as soft drinks, fruit punch, fruit drinks, iced tea, lemonade, or powdered drink mixes have lots of empty calories. Choose water, club soda, or mineral water to skip extra calories.
• Don't add salt to foods when cooking. Salt causes you to retain water.
• Limit sweets and high-calorie snacks. Cookies, candies, donuts, cakes, syrup, honey, and potato chips have a lot of calories and little nutrition. Try not to eat these foods every day. Instead, try fresh fruit, low-fat yogurt, angel food cake with strawberries, or pretzels as lower-calorie snack and dessert choices.
• Use fats in moderation. Fats include cooking oils, margarine, butter, gravy, sauces, mayonnaise, regular salad dressings, sauces, lard, sour cream, and cream cheese. Try lower-fat alternatives.
• Cook food the healthy way. Frying foods in oil or butter will add calories and fat. Baking, broiling, grilling, and boiling are healthier preparation methods.
• Exercise. Moderate exercise can help burn excess calories. Walking or swimming is usually safe for pregnant women. Ask your health care provider what exercise would be right for you before getting started.

Your Healthy Pregnancy Diet: Top Nutrients

Eating a healthy, balanced diet while you're pregnant protects you and your growing baby. Although you should take a prenatal vitamin as insurance, choosing the right foods will help give you the complex mix of nutrients that pregnant women need. Aim for meals high in these important nutrients:

Calcium

Baby Benefits: Builds bones and teeth. (Your growing baby takes the calcium she needs from your body, so to keep your bones and teeth healthy, you need to get enough to replace that amount.)
Your Benefits: Protects your bone density. It may also help prevent high blood pressure while you're pregnant.
Pregnancy RDA: 1,000 milligrams (mg); don't exceed 2,500 mg
Best Food Sources:

• Yogurt, plain, low-fat, 1 cup -- 415 mg
• Yogurt, low-fat fruit flavored, 1 cup -- 345 mg
• Milk, plain or flavored, 1 cup -- about 300 mg
• Orange juice, calcium-added, 1 cup -- 300 mg
• Cheddar cheese, 1 oz -- 204 mg
• Tofu, firm, prepared with calcium sulfate and magnesium chloride, 1/4 block -- 163 mg
• Cottage cheese, 2% milk fat, 1 cup  -- 156 mg

Choline

Baby Benefits: Helps prevent problems in the spinal cord and brain, called neural tube defects, and enhances brain development.
Your Benefits: Builds strong bones and may help prevent high blood pressure.
Pregnancy RDA: 450 mg; don't exceed 3,500 mg
Best Food Sources: 

• Egg, 1 cooked -- 272 mg
• Pork tenderloin, 3 oz cooked -- 103 mg
• Atlantic cod, 3 oz cooked --  84 mg
• Ground beef, 3 oz cooked -- 83 mg
• Salmon, 3 oz cooked -- 65 mg
• Chicken, 3 oz cooked -- 65 mg
• Broccoli or cauliflower, 1 1/4 cup cooked -- 40 mg

Docosahexaenoic Acid (DHA)

DHA is one of the omega-3 fatty acids.
Baby Benefits: Helps boost brain development and vision.
Your Benefits: May reduce your risk of heart disease in the future.
Pregnancy RDA: 300 mg
Best Food Sources:

• Coho salmon, farmed, 3 oz cooked -- 740 mg
• Blue crab, 3 oz cooked -- 196 mg
• Canned light tuna, drained, 3 oz -- 190 mg
• Catfish, 3 oz cooked -- 116 mg
• Fortified eggs -- 85 mg to 200 mg

Folic Acid

Baby Benefits: Helps protect against spinal cord birth defects during the first 30 days of pregnancy, helps prevent early miscarriage and premature delivery.
Your Benefits: Prevents anemia.
Pregnancy RDA: 600 micrograms (mcg)
Best Food Sources

• Lentils, 1 cup cooked -- 358 mcg
• Spinach, 1 cup cooked -- 263 mcg
• White enriched rice, 1 cup cooked -- 195 mcg
• Enriched spaghetti, 1 cup cooked -- 172 mcg
• Broccoli, 1 cup cooked -- 168 mcg
• Orange juice, 1 cup -- 110 mcg
• Enriched bread, 2 slices -- 34 mcg

Iron

Baby Benefits: Helps prevent premature delivery.
Your Benefits: Wards off anemia in pregnant women.
Pregnancy RDA: 27 mg; don't exceed 45 mg
Best Food Sources

• Whole Grain Total Cereal, 3/4 cup -- 22 mg
• Cheerios, 1 cup -- 10 mg
• Enriched rice, 1 cup cooked -- 8 mg
• Canned white beans, 1 cup -- 8 mg
• Beef, 3 oz cooked -- 3 mg
• Lamb, 3 oz cooked -- 2 mg
• White meat chicken, 3 oz. cooked -- 1 mg

Your Benefits: Helps keep blood pressure in check and maintain proper fluid balance; necessary for normal heart beat and energy.
Pregnancy RDA: 4,700 mg
Best Food Sources: 

• White beans, 1 cup canned -- 1,189 mg
• Winter squash, 1 cup -- 896 mg
• Spinach, 1 cup cooked -- 839 mg
• Lentils, 1 cup cooked -- 731 mg
• Sweet potato, 1 medium cooked -- 694 mg
• Yogurt, fat-free, 1 cup -- 579 mg
• Orange juice, 1 cup -- 496 mg
• Broccoli, 1 cup cooked -- 457 mg
• Cantaloupe, 1 cup -- 431 mg
• Raisins, 1 cup -- 250 mg

Riboflavin

Your Benefits: Needed to produce energy; helps your body use the protein from food.
Pregnancy RDA: 1.4 mg
Best Food Sources: 

• Raisin bran cereal, 1 cup -- 1.7 mg
• Yogurt, plain, 1 cup -- 0.5 mg
• Mushrooms, 1 cup cooked -- 0.5 mg
• 1% milk, 1 cup -- 0.5 mg
• Frosted Mini Wheats cereal, 1 cup -- 0.5 mg
• Cottage cheese, low-fat, 1 cup -- 0.4 mg

Vitamin B6

Your Benefits: Helps produce protein for new cells, boosts the immune system, and helps form red blood cells.
Pregnancy RDA: 1.9 mg
Best Food Sources: 

• Product 19 cereal, 1 cup -- 2 mg
• Garbanzo beans, canned, 1 cup -- 1.1 mg
• Baked potato with flesh and skin, 1 medium -- 0.6 mg
• Beef, top sirloin, 3 oz cooked -- 0.5 mg
• Chicken breast, 3 oz cooked -- 0.5 mg
• Pork tenderloin, 3 oz cooked -- 0.4 mg
• Halibut, 3 oz cooked -- 0.3 mg

Vitamin B12

Your Benefits: Helps produce red blood cells and helps your body use fat and carbohydrates for energy.
Pregnancy RDA: 2.6 mcg
Best Food Sources: 

• Salmon, 3 oz cooked -- 5 mcg
• Rainbow trout, 3 oz cooked -- 4 mcg
• Light tuna, canned and drained, 3 oz -- 3 mcg
• Beef, 3 oz cooked -- 2 mcg
• Wheat Chex cereal, 1 cup -- 1 mcg

Vitamin C

Your Benefits: Makes it easier for your body to absorb iron from plant foods; builds strong bones and teeth; boosts immunity; keeps blood vessels strong and red blood cells healthy.
Pregnancy RDA: 85 mg; do not not exceed 2,000 mg
Best Food Sources: 

• Sweet red pepper, 1 cup raw -- 283 mg
• Orange juice, 1 cup -- 124 mg
• Strawberries, 1 cup -- 106 mg
• Grapefruit juice, 1 cup -- 94 mg
• Broccoli, 1 cup cooked -- 74 mg
• Orange, 1 medium -- 70 mg
• Tomato, 1 medium -- 32 mg

Vitamin D

Baby Benefits: Helps your baby's body use calcium to build bones and teeth.
Your Benefits: Helps your body absorb calcium from food and use it to build your bones and teeth.
Pregnancy RDA: 200 international units (IU); don't exceed 2,000 IU
Best Food Sources: 

• Milk, plain or flavored, 1 cup -- 100 IU
• Fortified orange juice, 1 cup -- 137 IU
• Fortified breakfast cereals, 1 cup -- 40 to 50 IU
• Egg,1 large (vitamin D is in the yolk) -- 18 IU

Baby Benefits: Brain development.
Your Benefits: Necessary to grow and repair cells and produce energy.
Pregnancy RDA: 11 mg; don't exceed 40 mg
Best Food Sources: 

• Cooked oysters, 3 oz -- 76 mg
• Whole Grain Total Cereal, 3/4 cup -- 17 mg
• Beef, 3 oz cooked -- 9 mg
• Crab, 3 oz cooked -- 5 mg
• Pork, 3 oz cooked -- 4 mg
• White beans, 1 cup canned -- 3 mg
• Yogurt, plain, fat-free,1 cup -- 2 mg

8 Early Signs of Pregnancy

Wondering if you're pregnant? A pregnancy test is the way to know for sure. But what if it's too soon for accurate results? You may notice some subtle signs of pregnancy -- fatigue, nausea, frequent urination, and breast tenderness. Here's some expert advice on how to respond to these symptoms if you're trying to get pregnant.

1. Fatigue

"Extreme, unexplainable fatigue is probably the most common sign of early pregnancy," says Gil Gross, MD, an associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Washington University School of Medicine in St. Louis.
"Don't treat fatigue with excessive caffeine if there is a chance you may be pregnant." Instead, "listen to your body, take it easy, and try to keep well-rested," says Donnica Moore, MD, a women's health expert in Far Hills, N.J.

2. Food Aversions

If opening the refrigerator makes you wince and you can't even walk past the local Chinese restaurant without gagging, you could be pregnant. Many women report that such intense food aversions are one of the first signs of early pregnancy. These can be caused by rising levels of beta-hCG hormone, Moore says. The best thing you can do to help yourself through this is to steer clear of triggers.

3. Sensitivity to Smells

Scents that were never pleasant (like cigarette smoke) and even ones that were pleasing (like your partner's cologne) can make you queasy during pregnancy's early stages. "For some women, this can be a tip-off that they are expecting," Moore says. This is likely a result of rising hormone levels. Unfortunately, "there is really nothing you can do except avoid them when you can," she says, "especially cigarette smoke, which is not good for you or the baby."

4. Nausea and Vomiting

Nausea and vomiting can be some of the first indications that you're pregnant. Blame it on rising hormones levels in early pregnancy.
One of the things that can help expectant moms get through their first trimester is the reassurance that the nausea and vomiting will likely pass by 19 weeks. "It also helps to know that morning sickness can be a good thing," Moore says, because rising levels of the beta-HCG hormone, which may cause morning sickness, indicate a growing pregnancy.
When you eat may make a difference, too. "The key is not to let your stomach get too empty," Moore says. "Keep crackers by your bedside and have them before you get out of bed in the morning."  It is also a good idea to eat small, more frequent meals throughout the day and a snack just before bed.  Lemon and peppermint flavored candies can also ease queasiness.
Prenatal vitamins can also trigger nausea for some expectant moms. "Don't take your vitamins on an empty stomach," Moore says. "A lot of women feel better if they take them at nighttime or with dinner."
If you are vomiting often, speak with your doctor about medication options.