Pregnancy is a miraculous and transformative journey, often accompanied by an array of emotions: anticipation, excitement, joy, uncertainty, to name just a few.

For many women, recognizing the early signs of pregnancy is the first step on their incredible and sacred journey into motherhood.

Whether you’re preparing for pregnancy, actively trying to conceive, or suspect that you may be pregnant, observing your body, and beginning to understand its initial clues can serve as a source of great comfort and assurance.

Let’s explore some of the most common early signs of pregnancy to help you navigate this transformative season with more knowledge, confidence, intuition and grace.

11 Signs of Early Pregnancy:

1. Missed Period:
   • The most well-known and often the first sign of early pregnancy is a missed period.
   • If your menstrual cycle is regular and you suddenly find yourself overdue, it’s probably time to consider the possibility of pregnancy.
2. Breast Changes:
   • Hormonal shifts in early pregnancy can cause your breasts to become tender, swollen, and/or sore.
   • Some women may even notice darkening of their areolas (the area around their nipple) as well.
3. Morning Sickness:
   • Nausea and vomiting, commonly referred to as morning sickness, can start as early as the first few weeks of pregnancy.
   • Morning sickness may not be limited to just mornings and can occur at any time of the day.
4. Fatigue:
   • Feeling unusually tired is another early sign.
   • Hormonal changes, increased metabolism, and your body’s effort to support a growing embryo can leave you feeling exhausted and in need of more rest.
5. Frequent Urination and Changes in Bowels:
   • Hormones also play a role in increasing blood flow to the pelvic area and kidneys.
   • This can result in more frequent trips to the bathroom and/or changes in regularity and consistency of bowel movements.
6. Changes in Appetite and Sensitivity to Smells:
   • You may experience changes in your food preferences or a heightened sensitivity to certain smells, even those you once found pleasant.
7. Mild Cramping and Spotting:
   • Some women experience mild uterine cramping and light spotting when the embryo implants into their uterine lining. This is known as implantation bleeding and usually occurs around 7-10 days post-conception and then stops.
8. Mood Swings:
   • Hormonal fluctuations can affect your emotions, leading to changes in mood.
   • You may find yourself more emotional or irritable than usual.
9. Increased Basal Body Temperature:
   • Tracking your basal body temperature (BBT) can reveal a sustained elevated temperature, which can be a sign of pregnancy.
10. Changes in Cervical Mucus:
    • The consistency and color of your cervical mucus can change in early pregnancy due to hormonal shifts.
11. Lucid Dreams
    • You may begin to experience more lucid and vivid dreams which may be due to increased activity of the pineal gland and the dream hormone, melatonin.

While these early signs of pregnancy are common, it’s important to remember that every woman’s experience is unique and will vary. Some may notice all of these signs, while others may only experience a few.

If you suspect you may be pregnant, and are seeking the most definitive answer, taking a home pregnancy test and/or testing with your midwife/OB is often the most reliable way to confirm whether or not you’re expecting.

This is a beautiful season to begin establishing a deeper connection with your intuition (which peaks during pregnancy and birth), so if you’d rather hold off on taking a test, that’s beautiful too.

Lean in and honor what feels best to you here. There is no right or wrong, but rather what resonates most for you.

This is your story.