Pregnancy Symptoms

Place your mouse over a symptom to see a description.

Flatulence- A mother’s body slows down food in the intestine so that she may suck up every last nutrient. All the while, the contents are fermenting and creating huge pockets of gas. When the baby kicks or squirms, this gas can uncontrollably expel. It just can’t be helped.

Herniated Navel- A small hole in the muscle wall in or around the navel can cause bits of innards to squish out, and, boy, is it painful!

Abdominal Muscle Separation- A separation can occur in the muscles of the abdomen from the pressure of the expanding uterus. This may feel sore and accompany an umbilical hernia, or you may not notice it until after pregnancy.

Itching- Sensitive skin, expanding dermis and a body that reacts more sensitively to allergens makes belly itching most prevalent in the third trimester.

Bloating- Excess gasses and fluid retention can lead to frequent episodes of feeling bloated or over-stuffed.

Sore Spots- The baby can put pressure on, kick or jab an area of the uterus, therefore making it sore. It can feel very much like an internal belly bruise.

Linea Nigra- It starts just under the navel and ends at the top of the pubic bone. The line seems to be a pretty good indicator of how ripe your melon may be. The more prominent and dark it is, the closer you are to giving birth.

Baby Mambo- It can feel like your baby is doing a Mambo dance from all the jabbing, kicking, poking and squirming going on.

Braxton Hicks- They can feel like menstrual cramps that intensify and then spread over the whole uterus. It reminded me of the crampy/nauseous/sweaty feeling one gets right before a bad bout of diarrhea. These contractions are quite common and normal for women in their third, and sometimes even second, trimester.

Cramps/Pain- Uterine cramps and pains can happen for a number of reasons, such as: a muscle spasm; stretching tendons or ligaments; the baby kicking your cervix, bowels or spine; or Braxton Hicks contractions.

Vaginal Discharge- This discharge is called leucorrhoea and it gets heavier as the pregnancy progresses. Eventually, you may have to use a sanitary napkin, a panty liner or tissues to absorb the increasingly abundant discharge.

Frequent Urination- During pregnancy a mother’s body processes many more fluids to feed the baby and expel wastes from the fetus. It’s no wonder you’ve got to pee ten times a night.

Yeast Infections- Excess heat, perspiration and discharge in the vaginal area are a welcome mat for yeast infections, which can occur very frequently during pregnancy.

Loss of Bladder Control- Pressure from an expanding uterus puts the squeeze on your bladder. And, since you are expelling liquids at an accelerated rate, the bladder fills up much more quickly. It gets harder and harder to hold your urine as the months progress.

Cheeseburger Crotch- The vaginal area becomes engorged with blood and fluids. My friend Grace and I lovingly coined the term "Cheeseburger Crotch" as that's what it looked like she was stashing in her panties during pregnancy!

Cocktail Wiener Toes- Retention of fluids in the lower extremities can leave you with toes that most resemble overcooked cocktail wieners.

Pins & Needles- When there's a temporary blockage of blood to an area of the body, you’ll have that pins and needles feeling. During pregnancy, excess weight, fluids and a shifting baby can cause pins and needles to happen on a daily basis.

Stabbing Back Spasms- Muscles in and around the back can suddenly spasm and cause shooting pain throughout the body. My spasms would sometimes leave me looking like I’d been struck by invisible lightning.

Cauliflower Butt- This is a result of multiple hemorrhoid eruptions. If you have three or more hemorrhoids and they become irritated and inflamed, your rear end may end up looking like a piece of purple cauliflower.

Saddle Sore- Once the baby drops and the head is engaged in the pelvis, you’ll notice a tremendous amount of pressure on the bowels, bladder and pelvis bones. It can feel like you’ve been horseback riding for two weeks straight.

Constipation- Constipation during pregnancy is due to the fact that a mother’s body draws and retains more fluids for the growing baby, placenta and amniotic fluid, therefore making the stool dry. A dry stool has a much more difficult time moving through the pipes than a lubricated one.

Hemorrhoids- Growing pressure in the pelvic region compresses veins, arteries and blood vessels. A hemorrhoid is a varicose vein that pokes out through the muscle wall near the anus and can become very uncomfortable, if not painful.

Diarrhea- Speed of digestion and production of digestive enzymes can vary drastically during pregnancy, making diarrhea a common occurrence. Unfortunately, frequent diarrhea can bring about masses of hemorrhoids.

Fetal Hiccups- It might first feel like gas, but once you notice a rhythm you’ll know your baby has the hiccups. Believe it or not, I most often felt the baby’s hiccups in my rectum! The fetus, and even newborns, get these muscle contractions frequently, until the baby’s esophagus is fully developed.

Varicose Veins- Your expanding body requires more blood supply, increasing the size of veins and arteries. Blue, purple or greenish varicose veins and spider veins may crop up on your legs, belly and breasts.

Leg Cramps- One of the major causes of leg cramps during pregnancy is dehydration. Maybe that’s why they happen so often at night when you’re not able to drink a pint of water per hour.

Water Retention & Swelling- During pregnancy your body can retain excess water. Changes in your blood chemistry cause some fluids to shift into your tissue. Usually the lower extremities, such as the legs and ankles, swell the most.

Super-Oily Skin- It seems the oil glands everywhere in the body work overtime during pregnancy. I got more grease off my forehead in a day than from two slices of fresh-from-the-oven pizza.

Pimples & Rashes- Since your body is prone to more allergies, your thermostat is heightened and your sweat and oil glands are working overtime, it’s no wonder there's an abundance of pimples and rashes during pregnancy.

Ear Popping- Swelling and fluid retention in the ear canal can create an ear popping or clogged ear sensation. This is especially bothersome while trying to have a telephone conversation.

Nosebleeds & Nasal Congestion- Mucous membranes become very swollen and sensitive during pregnancy. You may feel like you have a continual stuffy nose, but if you blow frequently or too hard, you’ll end up with nose bleeds, too.

Magnified Sense of Smell- You’d think with the nasal congestion just the opposite would be true, but it is not so. It feels like the volume on the olfactory sensor is turned way up during pregnancy.

Heartburn- With limited stomach space, over-active stomach acids and a lax reflux muscle, it’s no wonder heartburn plagues pregnant women. I felt like the contents of my stomach would pour out of my mouth whenever I lay down.

Skin Tags- These look like pills on a sweater, but they’re actually small bits of skin attached to your underarms, groin, neck or eyelids. Unfortunately, they do not disappear after pregnancy like many of the other symptoms do. You have to get them removed.

Sore Boobs- It’s no wonder they’re sore with all of the expansion going on during pregnancy. By my second trimester it felt like my boobs were made of lead and it was quite painful to go bra-less.

Veiny Boobs- Expanding breasts require more blood supply, increasing the size of veins and arteries. Blue, purple or greenish veins can give your breasts a Bride-of-Frankenstein appearance.

Stretch Marks- The skin stretches to the limit during pregnancy and the skin’s connective fibers break, creating a scar or stretch mark. Chalk it up to one of the battle scars of motherhood, I always say!

Nipple Cheese- This cheesy substance is a buildup of sebaceous fluid and/or early colosturm that collects on the nipples.

Sores or Rashes- The increase of sensitivity in your skin lays out the welcome mat for sores and rashes to appear. I got a smattering of sores just under my breasts from the friction of my bra.

Third Nipple- Most women never know they have excess nipple tissue until they become pregnant. The hormones released during pregnancy can make the tissue swell up like a tick. Apparently, it is fairly common for people to have excess nipple tissue within a vertical line of the breast from the clavicle to the hip line.

Headaches- They can vary from a small vice feeling on the skull to a jack-hammer in the brain.

Faintness & Dizziness- Sudden feelings of dizziness and light-headedness. I often would see sparkly stars before my eyes when standing up too fast.

Greasy Hair- It seems the oil glands everywhere in the body work overtime during pregnancy and it really shows in the scalp. Stock up on shampoo!

Depression & Anxiety- These, among many other wacky moods swings, can strike at any time.

Horror-monal Hysteria- A general feeling of heightened emotions and a very short fuse to anger and rage. (Be careful while driving- road rage can run rampant!)

Bleeding Gums- Mucous membranes in the body become swollen and sensitive, including the gums. Even when brushing carefully, your gums may bleed.

Dry, Flaky Skin- In contrast to those super-oily spots, the dry spots of skin can become so flaky that they produce a small snowstorm of skin in the bathroom sink when scratched.

Breathlessness- Not only is the baby squeezing the space for your lungs, but the placenta is drawing oxygen out of your blood. If you overexert yourself, you’ll be the first one shorted on the oxygen supply, not the baby.

Nausea- This usually only lasts for the first trimester or so, but can be constant (day and night) for weeks at a time.

Food Cravings- I usually can’t stand fast food, but a drive past McDonald’s during pregnancy would send my nostrils into a euphoric bliss with each whiff of grease from the deep fryer.

Increased Appetite- I found eating for two was not only my duty, but a pleasure. No one questions a pregnant woman ordering two cheeseburgers, two shakes and two fries just for herself.

Backache- In early pregnancy it can seem like PMS back pain. By the last trimester, it may feel more like a fractured spine.

Heightened Thermostat- A general feeling of being too hot, especially while sleeping.

Extra Padding- An entire body covering of extra fat. Even if you’ve never had it before, you could get hand fat, ankle fat, neck fat and back fat.

Stronger, Different B.O.- Bodily odors can change to be much more pungent and entirely different smelling.

Loose Ligaments & Tendons- Not only do they loosen and stretch to accommodate a growing middle, but they also get rubbery in other parts of the body. I remember my legs feeling like a Barbie doll’s when a child takes them off and then puts them back in backwards.

Fatigue- The feeling of being very run down and tired.