What happens during pregnancy?

“What are the early signs of pregnancy?”

If a woman has regular monthly periods, then the earliest sign of pregnancy is when a period is missed (the period doesn’t happen, as the egg is fertilised in the womb, rather than being allowed to pass through the uterus and out of the body in the form of a period).

A woman may also experience nausea (feeling sick) and/or vomiting (being sick) during pregnancy – this can happen in the early stages of pregnancy, or continue throughout the pregnancy. Sickness in pregnancy is commonly referred to as ‘morning sickness’, but it can actually occur at any time of day (or night).

Hormonal changes in the body during the early stages of pregnancy can also trigger the following signs:

• Feeling tired
• Feeling upset or emotional, for no apparent reason
• Breasts becoming larger and feeling more tender

“Is bleeding during pregnancy normal?”

Bleeding during pregnancy is quite common and can be nothing to worry about – however, it can also be a sign that there is a serious problem.

A woman may experience very light vaginal bleeding (called “spotting”) in the first trimester of their pregnancy. This can be caused by changes that are happening in the cervix or it may be ‘implantation bleeding’ (caused by the embryo implanting itself into the wall of the womb) – both of these causes of bleeding are perfectly normal and nothing to worry about.

Bleeding during pregnancy can also be a sign of miscarriage or ectopic pregnancy.

Miscarriage is the term used to describe a pregnancy that ends before week 24. An early miscarriage is a pregnancy that ends before week 14, and most miscarriages occur during the first 12 to 14 weeks. If a pregnancy ends between week 14 and week 24, it is classed as a late miscarriage. You will learn more about other symptoms of miscarriage and what may cause them later in this Session.

An ectopic pregnancy is when the fertilised egg implants itself outside of the womb, such as in the fallopian tube. This can cause bleeding and also be very dangerous, as the egg is unable to develop properly. The egg has to be removed, either with medicine or an operation.

It is important that any bleeding during pregnancy is checked by a doctor immediately – it might not a cause for concern, but it could be a sign that there is a problem.

“Can I dye my hair when I’m pregnant?”

Some pregnant women may be concerned that the chemicals in hair dye can enter their bloodstream through their scalp, and cause harm to their baby.

However, research has shown that it is safe to dye your hair when pregnant, as the chemicals contained in hair dye are not highly toxic and only a very small amount of these chemicals is likely to enter the bloodstream when dying hair.

Pregnant women may still prefer to wait until the second trimester (after week 12) to dye their hair, when the overall risk of harm to their baby is lower, but whenever a pregnant woman decides to dye her hair, it is unlikely that any harm would be done.

“Is it safe to exercise when I’m pregnant?”

The general guidance around exercising while pregnant is that, if you were already active and participating in exercise before pregnancy, you should keep up your normal physical activity levels for as long as you feel comfortable. If you were not active before pregnancy, then it is not a good idea to suddenly start doing a lot of strenuous physical activity.

Exercising will not cause harm to the baby and it has not been found to cause miscarriage. There is evidence to show that exercising during pregnancy is actually safer than not exercising. It can also be very beneficial to the mother – active women are less likely to experience problems in the later stages of pregnancy and during labour.

There are some important safety considerations when it comes to exercising during pregnancy, such as:

• If you are new to exercise, make sure you have the advice of a qualified instructor who knows that you are pregnant and how many weeks pregnant you are – begin with 15 minutes of continuous exercise, 3 times a week, and gradually build up to 30 minutes of daily exercise.
• Low impact exercise such as swimming and walking are great options.
• As with all exercise, make sure to always build in time to warm-up before and cool-down afterwards.
• Stay well-hydrated during exercise and don’t exercise to the point where you are breathless or exhausted.
• Take extra care if you are doing exercises where there is a risk of falling – such as cycling, climbing or horse riding – as this could cause damage to the baby.
• Avoid contact sports, such as karate, kickboxing or judo – there is a risk of being hit when doing these sports, and this could cause damage to the baby.

“Do I need to ‘eat for two’?”

It is a myth that pregnant women have to “eat for two”.

Pregnant women may find that they feel hungrier than normal, as their body is working hard to support their growing baby. However, they don’t really need to eat any extra food during the first six months, as the baby gets everything it needs from the mother’s normal food intake. During the last three months of pregnancy, the mother may need to consume around 200 extra calories each day (which is roughly the same as half a sandwich).

While pregnant mothers don’t need to eat a great deal more during pregnancy, it is important that what they eat is healthy. We will take a closer look at healthy eating during pregnancy on the next page of this Session.

“Can I still drink coffee when I’m pregnant?”

Pregnant women can still drink coffee, but it’s important that they limit the amount of caffeine (the stimulant that is found in coffee) they consume each day. This is because high levels of caffeine can lead to a baby having a low birth weight, which can contribute to health problems later in life. Having too much caffeine during pregnancy can also cause miscarriage.

It’s important to remember that caffeine is not just found in coffee…it’s also in tea, green tea, chocolate, energy drinks, certain soft drinks and some medicines (such as cold and flu tablets).

The advice for pregnant women is to not have more than 200mg of caffeine each day. A mug of instant coffee contains 100mg of caffeine, a mug of tea contains 75mg, while a can of energy drink contains around 80mg of caffeine.

“Can I drink alcohol when I’m pregnant?”

If a pregnant woman drinks alcohol, it passes from her blood to the baby, through the placenta. This can cause harm to the baby, as its liver is not developed or mature enough to process the alcohol in the same way that adults can. If a baby is exposed to a lot of alcohol during pregnancy, this can have serious consequences – drinking alcohol, especially in the first trimester, can increase the risk of miscarriage, premature (early) birth, low birth weight as well as the baby developing learning and behavioural problems after they’re born.

The safest approach for pregnant women is to avoid alcohol altogether during pregnancy, in order to avoid causing any harm to their baby.

“Is it safe to smoke when pregnant?”

Smoking during pregnancy is extremely harmful to the baby – all of the dangerous, toxic chemicals contained in a cigarette will pass through to the baby, via the placenta.

If a mother smokes during pregnancy, there is an increased risk of:

• Complications during pregnancy and birth
• Miscarriage or stillbirth
• Lower birth weight, which can cause problems during and after labour
• Sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS), also known as “cot death”, after the baby is born
• The baby developing health problems in later life, such as asthma

Even if the mother does not smoke, their baby could still be at risk of harm from passive smoking – this is when a person is exposed to smoke from another person smoking a cigarette nearby.