Health Tips for August 31

Health Tip: Your Pregnancy in the First Trimester

Many moms-to-be scour books and Web sites to find out what happens to their body and growing baby at each step of pregnancy.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists offers this list of changes that you can expect during your first trimester:

• Menstruation stops.
• Your breasts may become larger and more tender.
• More frequent urination.
• Fatigue.
• Possible nausea and vomiting.
• Food cravings and other changes in eating habits.
• Indigestion and heartburn.
• Constipation.
• A change in weight.

Health Tip: Your Pregnancy in the Second Trimester

By the time you're in your second trimester of pregnancy, your body already has undergone significant change. But you're certainly not through.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists says here's what pregnant women can expect in the second trimester:

• Nausea should subside and your appetite should return.
• Your belly gets bigger as your uterus expands. As the end of the second trimester nears, your uterus will nearly reach your rib cage.
• Your skin may feel tight and itchy as it expands across your belly and breasts. Stretch marks may appear.
• Your belly may ache as ligaments that support the uterus are stretched.
• A dark line called a linea nigra may appear down the center of your belly.
• Brown patches of skin (chloasma) may appear on your face, and the areolas (darker skin near the breast nipples) may darken.
• Some swelling of the feet and ankles.

Health Tip: Your Pregnancy in the Third Trimester

It's your third trimester -- the home stretch of your pregnancy.

The American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists offers this list of changes that you can expect during this period:

• The movements of the fetus become stronger and more noticeable.
• You may have difficulty catching your breath.
• You may have to go to the bathroom more frequently, as the growing fetus presses on your bladder.
• Early milk, called colostrum, may leak from your breasts.
• Your belly button may stick out.
• You may have pain or a tightening sensation in the belly (contractions), which can indicate either false labor or the real thing.