First of all, congratulations on your pregnancy. Whether it is your first one or fifth one, being pregnant is a truly life-changing experience. You’ve heard of some pregnancy woes and some stories about morning sickness, swollen feet, or insatiable cravings, and yet, you’re not experiencing any of them. Well, I’m going to try to help you figure out some reasons that this may be.
Pregnancies Vary
Pregnancy varies in all women. There are no two pregnancies that are identical. Where one might have morning sickness another may not. One key factor to remember is that you shouldn’t base your pregnancy off someone else’s.
1. Symptoms That Some Feel
While all pregnant women may not experience exactly the same symptoms, there are some symptoms that happen to be very common in early pregnancies. Some common symptoms during the first seven weeks of pregnancy may include:
Fatigue. Being tired while being pregnant is probably one of the most common, shared symptoms among pregnant women. Your body is literally growing another human, so it is using your energy to make this new little life.
Nausea/Vomiting a.k.a the dreaded morning sickness. While this is common, not all women experience this, and those who do are miserable because of it.
Swollen or sore breasts. This is another one that may or may not happen. Your tummy isn’t the only thing that will be changing. Your breasts will change as they prepare to nurture the baby.
Cravings or even aversion to certain foods or smells. It isn’t widely known exactly why the body craves specific items, but some studies have shown that it could be cultural, depending on where you live.
2. Your Baby at 7 Weeks.
Right now your baby is about the size of a blueberry, measuring roughly about .51 inches. It has almost doubled in size since week six.
You’re worried because you have no symptoms at seven weeks pregnant. Believe it or not, it is pretty common for women to not notice any changes within the first several weeks or even months of their pregnancy, especially if it is your first child.
The most common symptom is actually one that is missed by a lot of women during their first pregnancy. Do you know which symptom that is? Nope, it’s not morning sickness. It’s actually fatigue. Most all pregnancy women will experience fatigue and not even realize that it’s because of the pregnancy.
Reasons You Might Not Have Symptoms
There are several different reasons why you might not be experiencing symptoms early on in your pregnancy. Some reasons are scary (but rare), while others are much more common and normal aspects of early pregnancy.
1. Polycystic Ovary Syndrome (PCOS)
PCOS is becoming more and more of an epidemic. As it happens, the genealogy of the syndrome isn’t easily traced, and the exact cause of it is still unknown.
In most cases, PCOS revolves around hormone production and other chemicals naturally occurring in the body. Most that have PCOS have an overproduction of insulin. PCOS could be a reason that you’re not experiencing symptoms. If you’ve been diagnosed with PCOS, make sure your doctor knows.
2. Your Body is Just Starting to Change
At seven weeks pregnant your body is just beginning to register that it’s pregnant. Sure, that happens as soon as the egg is fertilized, but those are small, more subtle changes.
A lot of hormones and things have to change on the inside before spreading outward. If you’re expecting to feel fetal movement, do not worry when you can’t. Fetal movement typically isn’t physically felt until the 16th week. However, some have reported not feeling the first flutter or “quickening” until their 25th week.
If you haven’t felt movement after 25 weeks, you need to consult your doctor. By a second pregnancy, women have reported feeling baby movements by as early as 13 weeks.
Things to Remember When You’re Pregnant
1. Keep Active
While you may not be able to feel symptoms now, there’s no guarantee you won’t feel them very soon. Something you need to keep in mind is staying healthy.
Remaining active assures that the baby is getting everything he/she needs. The endorphins released while walking or doing light exercises helps aid in baby growth. Just be careful. You don’t want to overdo it in the gym because too much strain could put stress on your baby.
2. Balanced Diet
Now that you’re pregnant, you need to constantly be aware of everything you eat. I’m not saying eating an occasional sweet or salty snack is going to hurt. However, that doesn’t mean sit on the couch with an entire chocolate cake or bag of Doritos.
A healthy balanced diet of fruits, veggies, and healthy fats and proteins are essential for baby growth and development.
3. Plenty of Rest
While you might not feel tired, your body needs plenty of rest. Growing a baby is exhausting, even if you don’t feel it. It puts a strain on your muscles, joints, and organs if you don’t get enough adequate rest.
So, remember, even though you don’t feel all that tired now, you might in the next several weeks to come. Rest while you can, momma, and enjoy it.
When to Call Your Doctor
While you don’t have any symptoms, it’s typically not something huge to worry about. Many women experience very few symptoms throughout their pregnancy.
However, if you’re not experiencing symptoms and that abruptly changes, it’s time to seek professional help. Some of these sudden symptoms might be:
- Sudden or sharp shooting pains through your abdomen
- Heavy bleeding. (keep in mind that light spotting even moderate bleeding is often common)
- Sudden pain accompanied by heavy bleeding.
- Painful or burning sensations when urinating
- High fever
- Severe headaches
- Sudden Swelling
- Leg pain
- Sudden nausea and vomiting (more than normal)
If you are experiencing any of these symptoms, please go see your physician immediately. They could be leading to some underlying issues that could potentially threaten not only your baby, but you as well.
To Wrap Up...
Thank you so much for stopping by. I hope I have answered your questions. We all know that being pregnant can be scary, no matter how many times you’ve been through it.
A key thing to remember while pregnant, if you have any questions, worries or concerns, always ask your physician. They will be able to give you lists and suggestions to help make your pregnancy go as smoothly as possible.
Do you have any questions or comments to add? I’d love to hear from you.
References
"What are some common complications of pregnancy?". Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. 12 July 2013. Archived from the original on 26 February 2015.
"What are some common signs of pregnancy?". Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development. 12 July 2013. Archived from the original on 19 March 2015.
