What does bloating feel like in early pregnancy

Tommy's, the baby charity, has a list of 10 common pregnancy complaints with advice on how to manage them. If any symptoms are worrying you, then talk to your midwife or doctor — they are there to support you.

Get more tips and advice on your pregnancy, baby and parenting sent to your inbox. Subscribe to Start4Life pregnancy, baby and toddler emails What does my baby look like? Your baby, or foetus, is now around 30mm long from head to bottom, which is about the size of a small apricot. The baby will be making jerky movements that can be seen on a scan. Your baby is going through another huge growth spurt. The head is still much too big for the body, but the face is coming along beautifully.

The little eyes are half closed but can react to light. The ears are starting to form, the simple mouth now has a delicate upper lip, and the tiny nose has two little nostrils. The jaw bone is shaping up too, and amazingly contains teeny versions of all the baby's milk teeth. The heart is beating extremely quickly at bpm — that's about three times your heart rate. It's week 10 and time is marching on! You might start thinking about where you'd like to have your baby.

Would you prefer a hospital or a midwife-led birthing centre? Start doing some research into your local options. Share the news with your GP or ask for an appointment with a midwife at your doctors' surgery. Alternatively you can refer yourself to your local hospital — look for contact details on their website.

You'll need to arrange a 'booking appointment'. This usually takes place between weeks eight and 12 and takes around an hour. You can talk about the options for your pregnancy and the birth.

Plus you'll be offered screening tests for infectious diseases, and conditions such as Down's syndrome. You could ask about the Maternity Transformation Programme and how it could benefit you.

You will be offered your first dating scan at eight to 14 weeks. This is a highlight for many women. In total, most first time mums will have around 10 appointments and two scans. Ask if it's possible to see the same carer for your entire pregnancy, to give you continuity.

Ask your midwife or doctor about online antenatal classes — they may be able to recommend one. The charity Tommy's has lots of useful information on antenatal classes and preparing you for birth. This can cause implantation bleeding , which may be mistaken for a light period. It does not occur for everyone. If it does occur, it will usually happen around the time you expect your period.

Once implantation is complete, your body will begin making human chorionic gonadotropin hCG. This hormone helps the body maintain the pregnancy. It also tells the ovaries to stop releasing mature eggs each month. You will likely miss your next period 4 weeks after conception.

Most home tests can detect hCG as soon as 8 days after a missed period. A pregnancy test will be able to detect hCG levels in your urine and show if you are pregnant.

A higher basal body temperature may be a sign of pregnancy. During this time, make sure to drink more water and exercise cautiously. Fatigue can develop anytime during pregnancy. This symptom is common in early pregnancy. Your progesterone levels will soar, which can make you feel sleepy. Around weeks 8 to 10, your heart may begin pumping faster and harder.

Palpitations and arrhythmias are common in pregnancy. This is normally due to hormones. According to a review of studies, your blood flow will increase between 30 and 50 percent during your pregnancy.

You may have discussed any underlying heart issues with your medical team before conception. If not, now is the time to discuss any conditions or needed medications. Breast changes can occur between weeks 4 and 6. This will likely go away after a few weeks when your body has adjusted to the hormones. Nipple and breast changes can also occur around week Hormones continue to cause your breasts to grow.

The areola — the area around the nipple — may change to a darker color and grow larger. Your estrogen and progesterone levels will be high during pregnancy. This increase can affect your mood and make you more emotional or reactive than usual. Mood swings are common during pregnancy and may cause feelings of:. During pregnancy, your body increases the amount of blood it pumps. This causes the kidneys to process more fluid than usual, which leads to more fluid in your bladder.

Hormones also play a large role in bladder health. During pregnancy, you may find yourself running to the bathroom more frequently or accidentally leaking.

We believe you should always know the source of the information you're reading. Learn more about our editorial and medical review policies. In the dictionary, "bloating" means "to cause abdominal distension. And having gas while you're pregnant means discomfort — and lots of it. Bloating may be one of your most frequent and least charming early pregnancy symptoms , first showing up around week 11 and likely lasting throughout your pregnancy up until delivery day.

It might seem as though your jeans start to feel snug as soon as the pregnancy test comes back positive — and you can thank the pregnancy hormone progesterone for that puffy phenomenon. While progesterone is essential for maintaining a healthy pregnancy it is, after all, the pro-gestation hormone , it also triggers that oh-so-delightful trio: bloating, burping and passing gas. Progesterone causes the smooth muscle tissue in your body including the gastrointestinal tract to relax.

This slows down digestion, giving the nutrients from food you eat more time to enter your bloodstream and reach your baby. That's the good news. The bad news is this slower digestion when you're pregnant can cause you to feel bloated and bring on a cramp or two or seven. Sorry, but that ate-too-much feeling you've been experiencing is a pregnancy symptom that's likely to get worse as your uterus keeps expanding and pressing on your stomach and intestines.

It's a bit of a pain for you literally , but take comfort in knowing that your baby is oblivious to the discomfort of pregnancy bloating and the other pregnancy symptoms you're experiencing hello, nausea. Here are a few tips that can help:.

Staying hydrated helps keep things moving through your digestive system to avoid constipation , which is a common cause of gas and bloating. Eating plenty of fiber is another way to curb pregnancy constipation — think leafy greens, legumes, whole grains like whole wheat bread or pasta and fruits.

On the flip side, suddenly adding tons of fiber to your diet can be a recipe for gas. If you're not already regularly noshing on fiber, introduce it to your diet gradually. The more food you pump into your stomach at a sitting, the more gas you'll be pumping out. A range of pregnancy tests is available for purchase in pharmacies and online. It is important to know that a home pregnancy test can lead to false negatives, especially early in pregnancy. A medical professional can confirm pregnancy with a blood test, urine test, or an ultrasound exam.

Pregnancy is just one of many things that can cause bloating. If bloating is not due to pregnancy, it is helpful to determine the cause in order to take steps to reduce bloat. If someone thinks they are experiencing new or persistent bloating, it is advisable to discuss their symptoms with a doctor. The participants of one study completed a survey about their menstrual history and gastrointestinal symptoms before and during their periods.

Bloating is thought to occur due to changing levels of the hormones estrogen and progesterone during the menstrual cycle. Learn more about period bloating here. Vegetables, for example, cabbage , cauliflower , and Brussels sprouts may lead to bloating. Dairy products and beans may also cause gas and bloat. Certain drinks can lead to bloating. Carbonated beverages, such as soda, contain carbon dioxide gas, which is a common cause of bloating.

Eating too fast leads people to swallow air. The increased air in the stomach causes gas and bloating. Bloating is a possible symptom of a range of gastrointestinal conditions. For example, irritable bowel syndrome IBS can cause stomach cramps, diarrhea , and bloating. It is also possible that more than one factor is causing bloating. In some cases, a combination of the causes above can lead to bloating. Cysts can cause pain and bloating in the lower abdomen.

Rarely, ovarian cysts can be cancerous, which is why it is best to have a doctor check out cysts when they occur. Early pregnancy symptoms may vary from person to person.

Also, not everyone experiences all the signs. It is typical to develop at least a few symptoms in early pregnancy. In some cases, symptoms dissipate as the pregnancy progresses.