Pregnancy - What Are The First Signs & Symptoms. Am I Pregnant Or It’s A False Alarm?

Am I pregnant?
This was the question I was thinking obsessively last year, at the beginning of March. Even if I did not have pregnancy symptoms, the calendar was telling me that, this time, something was different. My instinct too.

I don't have a very good memory. I forget a lot of things. However, the day I found out that I was pregnant is very vivid. As if it happened yesterday.

I remember as I lingered for three days to buy a pregnancy test (it was the beginning of the weekend).

I felt exactly as the day before menstruation, with mild cramping. However, nothing was happening.

And, even if on the one hand I wanted to be pregnant , at the same time I was encouraging myself – and my boyfriend – that it was a false alarm and I would say that it is not possible to be pregnant, because I do not have pregnancy symptoms.

Saturday passed without any changes.

On Sunday I told myself that if nothing happens until the evening, then, on Monday morning I'll go to the drugstore to buy a pregnancy test. It would be the second pregnancy test of my life.

That Sunday afternoon I searched on Google about early pregnancy symptoms. Excepting the missed period (I was 5 days late) and the cramps I was just fine.

On Monday morning I said: “This is it!” and I bought not one, but two pregnancy tests.

First, I read all about when to take a pregnancy test, in order to have a greater accuracy. I knew that the pregnancy tests assume 14 days between ovulation and when you get your period.

The pregnancy test detects a hormone in urine called hCG, or “the pregnancy hormone”. This pregnancy hormone is synthesized by the body after the implantation of the fertilized egg in the uterus.

Even I knew that the best time to take a pregnancy test is in the morning, because morning urine is more concentrated and contains a greater amount of hCG. However, I could not wait for another day. So, at 11 am I did the first test.

Ah, those few minutes to wait passed so slowly. Meanwhile, I reread the leaflet. I had a pregnancy test with dashes. A dash if you aren't pregnant, two dashes if you're pregnant. It was mentioned there that sometimes the second line it is possible to be paler than the other, the control line. I was ready to analyze carefully the lines.

And the minutes passed, I went back to the bathroom to see the result. Two big and strong lines. Without any doubt, I was pregnant!

Now, the next step after the pregnancy test was to make a doctor appointment to see in how many weeks I was pregnant and if everything was OK. Monday evening, the official diagnosis: 4 weeks pregnant!!!

• My missed period was the most obvious early pregnancy symptoms for me.

• Those cramps where, in fact, a pregnancy symptom. A few days after conception, the fertilized egg attaches itself to the wall of the uterus. This process can cause some cramps.

• No breast changes. They were not swollen, or heavier and they didn't feel tender to the touch. I read that the breast areola may also darken, but this happened to me in my third trimester. So, this was not a pregnancy sign for me.

• I had no morning sickness. I think that throughout my pregnancy I had one or two episodes of morning sickness.

• The fatigue, as a pregnancy symptom came on the third month. There have been nights when I could barely resist till 9 pm.

• Also, some pregnant women crave, or can't stand, certain foods. That's a pregnancy symptom related to hormonal changes, but I've not had any cravings. I remember that when I went shopping I wanted to have cravings, to have the pretext to buy expensive or exotic things. But, I had no appetite. My boyfriend was very lucky because it was not forced to wake up in the middle of the night and buy who knows what.

• The first extra pounds began to see on the scale when I was about three months pregnant.

• The frequent urination, the constipation, the mood swings and back pain – pregnancy symptoms that came with my second trimester.

Every woman is unique, so is her pregnancy. Some pregnant women may have all of these symptoms, while others, like me, may have fewer early pregnancy signs and symptoms. The most important thing is to listen to your body and, even to your instinct.

Now, while I write this article, my six months baby boy is sleeping peacefully next to me.

It’s been one year and two months since that pregnancy test. My life has changed so much! And it's so beautiful!