Not Feeling Pregnant During First Trimester (is it normal)

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Do You Always Get Symptoms When Pregnant?

When you are not feeling pregnant in the first trimester you may become scared because of your lack of pregnancy symptoms; totally get it. Maybe you have no pregnancy symptoms but missed period only.

Is it normal to sometimes not feel pregnant in the first trimester? Yes, It is absolutely normal for some expecting mothers to not have any type of symptoms during the first trimester.

7 Ways To Validate Your Pregnancy When You Don’t Feel It

Is it ok to not feel pregnant? Yes, if you are freaking out that you don’t feel pregnant, try doing a few of these things to relax and calm yourself that you are still pregnant. Remember if you feel any of the above symptoms you should go to your doctor or nearest hospital right away to make sure you are okay.

1. Take Multiple Pregnancy Tests

Image: Tenor

Can’t believe you’re ___ weeks pregnant? Take another test. 

You can buy those cheap packs of 10-20 strips. It’s more affordable to get the strips and they are just as accurate as of the test. The only downfall of the strips is that you can’t always find them in your local drug store. So, you might want to just order them straight from Amazon – here are my personal favorites.

2. Get Some Sleep. Be Well-Rested

One of my doctor friends once told me that “Diamond isn’t a girl’s best friend. Sleep is.” People like Asia, especially the Taiwanese, even have a name for “going to bed early”. They call it “Beauty Sleep” because they believe getting good sleeping and going to bed early can have huge benefits to your health. Don’t believe them? Check out “Why We Sleep” from our American experts.    

Try listening to some Soft Sax music. Try to take a bath. Drink milk. Do whatever that is relaxing to you.


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3. Try A Pregnancy Pillow

Image: Women’s Health

Building on the previous point. Sleep matters. I like this particular pregnancy pillow because it gives me support on my back which helped relax me to sleep easier. 

4. Try The Bruce Lee Method

Bruce Lee’s method of dealing with fear has a lot to do with the visuals. He said something similar to writing the worry or fear down on a piece of paper. And, then set it to fire and watch your “fears” become “smoke and mirrors.” He had a point. Franklin D. Roosevelt said much the same thing about fear.

5. Take Your Prenatal Vitamin Every Day

Even when you do not feel like you’re pregnant. Doing this little ritual of taking a prenatal vitamin makes you feel a little more pregnant.  I know it can be challenging to remember to take a vitamin when you are not used to taking vitamins.  Just make an alarm on your phone and label it PRENATAL VITAMIN. It is a great reminder!

If you start to feel nauseated with the prenatal vitamin you are taking try switching to another one. Our go-to brand is this one. They are more on the expensive side but they don’t give you that weird fish taste afterward.

6. Using A Heart Rate / Heart Beat App

Your OB or midwife is probably checking your baby’s heartbeat at every appointment using a doppler. This lets them know how many beats per minute your little one’s heart is racing.

Also, remember that if you are just a few weeks into pregnancy not hearing a heartbeat can feel extremely scary but most Doppler’s and ultrasounds will pick up a heartbeat by week 7 and beyond.

You can opt to buy a doppler for yourself to use and identify where the heartbeat is. But just remember these are medical devices and if you can’t find the heartbeat yourself you may start to worry even more.

They are however expensive and if you want you can use something like a heartbeat app on your phone, however, most apps are assured to work starting after the first trimester to get accurate readings.

One app that I used with my second pregnancy was SHELL by Bellabeat. It allows you to listen to the heartbeat of the baby with the microphone on your cellphone. You do have to place it on airplane mode and make sure you are in a quiet room.

It gave me a lot of peace of mind and made me able to relax. I first used the app at 10 weeks and was able to find a small noticeable heartbeat. Then after that, I used it once a week until I reached 15 weeks.

7. Get An Ultrasound

Having multiple ultrasounds is not recommended, most women in a normal, low-risk pregnancy will have 2 ultrasounds. The first to determine the pregnancy and the second during the 20-week mark for an anatomy scan.

Nothing is more reassuring than having your doctor and ultrasound technician tell you ‘that little blob is your baby’.

You will love that little blob and stare at it and just feel so relaxed that your baby is in your belly and doing okay.

You can also ask for screenshots of your baby when you get the ultrasound to cherish and look at when you feel no symptoms and start to freak out (again).

Those are 5 ways to help ease your mind when you start to feel like you’re not pregnant in the first trimester. Here are a few more common questions we get all the time about the first trimester and not feeling pregnant.

Why You May Not Be Feeling Pregnant

A common question for some women is, why don’t I feel pregnant? You could be 5 weeks pregnant and not have any pregnancy symptoms. You could be 13 weeks and also feel no pregnancy symptoms. Do you know why? Because each pregnancy and person is different and what is normal for one may not be normal for another.

Here are a few things that may make you feel like you are not feeling it.

  • No baby bump
  • Don’t feel pregnant
  • No nausea
  • No morning sickness
  • No ‘pregnancy’ symptoms

In the first trimester, many women don’t gain weight and don’t get a baby bump, which many feels is a concern that the baby isn’t growing correctly.

The truth is, in first-time expecting mothers, a bump normally doesn’t show up well into the second trimester.

Frequency Of Pregnancy Symptoms And How Severe They Come

You may already be experiencing some pregnancy symptoms and not even know it. Just like all pregnancies are different some women get severe symptoms often while others get them less often, or not at all.

You May Have These ‘Less Known’ Pregnancy Symptoms And Not Know It

  • Overly tired
  • Loss of sex drive
  • Increased sex drive
  • More hungry than usual
  • Body soreness
  • Bloated body parts (vagina, arms, feet)

Most of these symptoms will seem normal in our day to day. Sometimes we feel more tired than other days which is why these symptoms are often not viewed as having pregnancy symptoms.

Breasts Are Not Sore During Pregnancy – Is That Normal?

Yes, like all things in pregnancy it is subject to the mother. Some experience sore breasts the first week they find out while others never feel any type of soreness or see any growth in their breasts during pregnancy.

If your breast is not sore during early pregnancy (or even later on) that is okay it does not mean you will not be able to breastfeed.

It has no indicator on your breastfeeding journey. Take it as a blessing, that you can wear your bra.

Related: 13 Ways To Prepare To Breastfeed (when expecting)

Can Pregnancy Symptoms Come & Go?

Did you have a few pregnancy symptoms but then they went away?

If you did have pregnancy symptoms in the first trimester and now they are gone (during the first trimester) this is cause for worry. You should seek medical attention to verify your baby’s well-being.

This is only applicable if you did have symptoms and then they disappeared during the first trimester.

Most women will note that they no longer have nausea or vomiting in the second trimester. This is normal. Your body has now regulated the hormones and the second trimester is a bit easier than the first trimester.

But if you did have pregnancy symptoms and NOW you do not (during the first trimester) make sure you go to your OB or call your midwife right away to be checked as this can be a sign of early miscarriage.

When To Seek Medical Attention In The First Trimester

I am not a health care professional and this is not medical advice it is just my opinion on when you should seek a professional for pregnancy-related help.

  • Increased or consistent pain in the lower abdomen
  • Vaginal bleeding or spotting more than normal
  • Not feeling baby move, especially if you had felt movement before
  • Blurred vision
  • Severe headaches
  • High fever that lasts 24 hours of longer
  • Pain that is hot in your calf
  • Muscle weakness

If you feel any of these symptoms you should go to your nearest hospital and get checked by a medical professional right away.

Okay now that you’ve gone through this post, I hope you feel a little better than feeling pregnant or feeling less pregnant in the first trimester doesn’t happen to everyone.

To review make sure you take pregnancy tests if you feel something is off, relax your body by taking a few extra naps, start taking prenatal vitamins and go to your OB as soon as you can.

 


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Rosaura
Rosaura is the mom blogger who helps first time pregnant and postpartum moms find the solutions to their everyday problems. From first finding out you're pregnant to giving birth and baby care, she has you covered.