Preliminary Signs

We just found out last Thursday that we are expecting a little bundle of joy!! According to Dr. Kapur, the due date is December 4th, and I am 5 weeks pregnant. I will be having the first ultrasound next Monday, which is really exciting. One of my friends warned me that 6 weeks is pretty early for an ultrasound, so they may not be able to see anything, but that doesn't mean something's wrong. Indians are pretty cautious when it comes to pregnancy, and they begin ultrasounds pretty early. I've heard this is good and bad; it's good that they catch problems early that can prevent a complication or worse, but the bad part is that sometimes those problems correct themselves eventually anyway, and will just cause me unnecessary worry. But, I'd rather be safe than sorry. Which is why, against my better wishes, I'll be toning down my workouts for the first trimester to only 20 minutes on the treadmill 5 times a week. Boo.

I know every woman has different signs that tell her through her body that she is pregnant before a test does. I had a few of these signs as well, but I chose to ignore them until I knew for sure because I didn't want to get my hopes up.

• The first sign was soreness/tenderness and swelling.
• My heart rate was quite higher than normal.
• At the time where PMS should have kicked in, I was showing no emotions whatsoever.
• For a few mornings, I was having a coffee aversion.
  
• My skin, already acne-prone, was breaking out even more than usual. So much for that glowing pregnant complexion.

I've heard of other early signs as well, but I caught my pregnancy pretty much as soon as you can, on what should have been Day 2 of my next cycle. Like a wise woman said before me, "My body has always been faster than Western medicine." :)