Am I Pregnant? 13 Early Signs of Pregnancy

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Are you wondering, “Am I pregnant?”  Our list of the 13 early signs of pregnancy below is a quick checklist to see if your pregnancy suspicions are on track. Use these common pregnancy symptoms as a starting point to figure out if you might be pregnant.
Even if you haven’t missed your period yet, you may be experiencing one or more of the early signs of pregnancy and be waiting until you can take a home pregnancy test to know for sure.  If you are pregnant, it is important for you to know as soon as possible so you can start taking prenatal vitamins and watching your foods, drinks, and activities.
Pregnancy symptoms vary according to the stage of the pregnancy, and also in the frequency and duration they occur. Trust me – every pregnancy is VERY different. I’ve been pregnant with 6 children and I can tell you that my symptoms were different each time!
Or, if you just can’t wait to know for sure, buy a pregnancy test here. The home pregnancy tests are EXTREMELY accurate now and most work 6 days before you’ve even missed your period!
BUT…
Don’t be fooled. You CAN still have your period while you’re pregnant.
Below are 13 very common pregnancy symptoms that can happen in the early stages of pregnancy.  Print out the checklist of early pregnancy symptoms below and put a check mark next to each one that you have right now.

Pregnancy Symptoms Checklist: 13 Early Signs of Pregnancy

_____ 1.  Spotting: Spotting is a light bleeding of a pink or brown color.  Sometimes spotting comes with menstrual-like cramps and can be felt in the first 1-3 days after ovulation has happened. If you got pregnant during this time, you might have what is called “implantation bleeding.”
_____ 2.  Frequent urination: Frequent urination is a very common in the early signs of pregnancy.  Having to go to the bathroom more than normal (or all the time, even if you haven’t been drinking a lot of liquids) is an important change in your body, so it should make you take a closer look at the other early pregnancy symptoms.
Most women are prone to having to urinate a lot or not being able to hold their bladder very long as a pregnancy symptom even before missing a period.
_____ 3.  Missing a period:  Missing your monthly period is the most obvious of the early pregnancy symptoms.  Missing a period almost immediately sets off a red flag for most women.
However, if you’re feeling some of the other early signs of pregnancy but haven’t missed your period yet, it’s still possible that you might be pregnant.  Although it’s not very widely known, many women do continue to have periods while they are pregnant!  This can be one reason that pregnant women don’t know they are expecting until they are in their later trimesters.
_____ 4.  Increase in body temperature: Body temperature tends to increase after ovulation and, if you are pregnant, your temperature will rise and stay hotter than usual. You may feel warm from inside, flushed, or almost feverish as an early pregnancy symptom. For me in the last pregnancy, my ears were scorching hot and bright red!
Some ladies notice they are suddenly wanting to sleep with a fan on when they never have before, or turning the air conditioning down to a colder temperature when other family members are complaining that it’s freezing.
_____ 5.  Morning sickness: The feeling of nausea and frequent vomiting first thing in the morning happens to some women early in pregnancy. This early pregnancy symptom can be short-lived in some women or lasting all the way through the first trimester in other women.  If it is too hard for you to keep a full breakfast down or even an light snack, munch on saltine crackers to help soothe your stomach.
But don’t let the absence of morning sickness fool you into thinking you can’t be pregnant if you have other symptoms. I have 6 kids and I’ve never had morning sickness even once. Some women get it and others don’t!
_____ 6.  Night sickness: Night sickness is a feeling of nausea or vomiting at about the same time every night.  This symptom is commonly called morning sickness, but depending on the person, it can happen any time of the day or night.
The good news is that it is usually around the same time every day, so you will be able to predict when you won’t be feeling well.  The bad news is that night sickness makes it very difficult to sleep and get good rest even this early in a pregnancy.
_____ 7.  Sensitive breasts: Women’s breasts tend to get swollen and tender as one of the more common pregnancy symptoms.  You will probably notice this obvious change in your breasts, since they are getting ready for producing milk and will be growing and changing a lot.
_____ 8.  Darkening of the areolas:  The skin around your nipples can turn from pink to brown or the pigment can darken even from the beginning of your pregnancy. This is a generally a pretty clear pregnancy symptom that doesn’t really indicate a lot of other conditions, but if you are concerned that it may mean something else, check with your doctor.
_____ 9.  Tiredness and fatigue: Another of the more common pregnancy symptoms is that you will feel tired and be exhausted by the end of day.  You may have uncommon urges to take naps in the middle of the day now, even if that’s never been a part of your schedule before.
Some women get a “hazy” feeling that comes over them, a “fuzzy” feeling in their head, or an unusual feeling that their eyelids are very heavy.  This sudden and strong tiredness isn’t something you can just ignore or have a cup of coffee to get through; almost always a rest or nap will be necessary to alleviate these strong fatigue and tiredness pregnancy symptoms.
Your energy levels mainly decrease due to the changes in the hormones in the initial stages, but many women notice that this early sign of pregnancy decreases later on. For me, I suddenly started falling asleep in my college classes, even though it had never happened to me before. This was a red flag to me that something was different.
_____ 10.  Food cravings: Food cravings are one of the universal pregnancy symptoms that women experience.  You may have sudden urges to eat a certain food and can’t think about anything else until you get it.  You may even crave a food you’ve never liked before or never even eaten before!
_____ 11.  Constipation:  You may have constipation due to the hormonal changes in the initial stages of pregnancy.  Constipation is one of the pregnancy symptoms you can help alleviate by making a few easy changes to your daily routine: increase your fiber intake, drink plenty of water to help with digestion, and stay physically active.
_____ 12.  Skin breakouts and acne: Changes in hormones can cause breakouts and blemishes, even if you’re not usually prone to adult acne.
_____ 13.  Dry, flaky skin:  Early in a pregnancy, you may suddenly have patches of dry skin when it was never a problem for you before.  The changing levels of hormones and oil production that can cause dry skin is one of the more common early pregnancy symptoms and one of the easiest to deal with.  Use a soothing moisturizer every time you get out of the shower and on trouble spots before bed.

How Did You Score on the Pregnancy Symptoms Checklist?

So am I pregnant or not?  You’re still wondering what it all means, so count up your check marks to see how many of the early signs of pregnancy apply to you.
1 Pregnancy Symptom – Probably Not.  This 1 symptom could be a symptom of an illness unrelated to pregnancy.  Check with your doc.
2-3 Pregnancy Symptoms – There’s a Chance!  Having 2-3 symptoms could mean you are pregnant, but you may have to wait a few more weeks for other tell-tale symptoms to develop.
4-8 Pregnancy Symptoms – Likely Expecting!  Having 4-8 of the early signs of pregnancy is a pretty good indicator that you should pick up a home pregnancy test and see if your suspected pregnancy is a reality!
9-13 Pregnancy Symptoms – Call the Doctor, Mommy!  Having 9-13 of the early pregnancy symptoms above checked off is a pretty clear indicator that you’re about to be a mommy!  Get a home pregnancy test right away or call to schedule a test with your doctor.

Am I Pregnant? Figuring Out What it All Means

Even if the first test you do says that you are not pregnant, it’s a good idea to test again in a few days to see if it is positive.
The HCG hormone builds up in your body as you get further along in your pregnancy, so if there wasn’t enough of the pregnancy hormone for the test to detect it the first time, a few extra days may show the truth.
It’s best to know about your pregnancy as soon as possible so that you can start taking care of your body in the early stages of pregnancy.  If you’re pregnant, you’ll want to pick up a copy of the#1 bestselling pregnancy book What to Expect When You’re Expecting from Amazon.
Even if you’re not a first time mom, there are still lots of good reminders and tips that will get you back in the swing of pregnancy!
Here are some more pregnancy books you might want to check out as you start your 9 month pregnancy journey:

The Pregnancy Countdown Book: Nine Months of Practical Tips, Useful Advice, and Uncensored Truths by Susan Magee	Eating for Pregnancy: The Essential Nutrition Guide and Cookbook for Today’s Mothers-to-Be by Catherine Jones	The Pregnancy Journal: A Day-to-Day Guide to a Healthy and Happy Pregnancy by A. Christine Harris

Congratulations and good luck!
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