Is that a Pregnancy Symptom You are Experiencing?

The best way for a woman to determine if she really is expecting is to see a positive result on a pregnancy test. However, many women who are actively trying to get pregnant have a hard time waiting until that test can be taken. For some, a pregnancy symptom here and there may appear long before the next menstrual period is late. While these signs are not a sure fire way to predict a positive pregnancy test, they may provide some insight into what is going on with the conception process.

Changes to the Breasts

Many women will begin to experience swollen breasts that are tender as the earliest pregnancy symptom. These first signs of pregnancy can occur as early as a couple of weeks after conception has taken place, and is the result of hormone fluctuations that occur in the early stages of pregnancy. This early pregnancy symptom will often continue well into the first trimester and then ease up a bit until the end of the term.

Spotting

Some women have implantation spotting about ten day to two weeks after conception, as the fertilized egg implants into the wall of the uterus. This pregnancy symptom is much different from a regular period, because it occurs earlier and the blood tends to be lighter in color. It also doesn't last as long as a normal period and it is generally not as heavy. Some women also experience some mild cramping with this pregnancy symptom, similar to period cramping.

Fatigue

Most women get tired once in a while, but if you are dead tired more often than not, it may be a pregnancy symptom. Fatigue is often the result of the rising levels of progesterone that take place during the early stages of pregnancy. Most women find that fatigue tends to improve during the second trimester and then pick back up again in the later months as the extra weight takes its toll on the body and it is harder to sleep soundly with a protruding belly in the way.

Morning Sickness

The term "morning sickness" is a bit of a misnomer, since the nausea of this early pregnancy symptom can take place at any time of the day. Sickness like this can be caused by rising estrogen levels that keep the digestive tract from working as efficiently. It may also be due to an increased sensitization to smells during this time that can make some women feel nauseous.

These first signs of pregnancy may be the earliest pregnancy symptoms that a woman experiences, but they are not a definite diagnosis of pregnancy until the tip of that stick definitely turns pink. If you suspect that you are pregnant, talk to a doctor.

More about day by day pregnancy including FREE! chinese pregnancy calendar

18 Weeks Pregnant

You’re just about 50% through your pregnancy at 18 weeks pregnant. If you were having morning sickness, you should be feeling much better by now. . In fact, you should be feeling pretty energetic at this time in your pregnancy.

Many pregnant women are still feeling quite good at this point in the pregnancy. They are enjoying showing off the pregnancy, and they aren't too uncomfortable yet. Your belly should be showing to some extent now and you may need to switch to maternity clothes if you haven't done so yet.

By 18 weeks pregnant you’ll be experiencing the baby’s movements as small kicks and fluttering movements. As your pregnancy progresses these will be getting stronger. You can use this as experience in making an assessment of your baby’s general wellbeing by the amount of movements you experience.

Don’t try to fret too much about your weight at 18 weeks pregnant, as long as you are eating well and healthy. Most women may have put on about nine or ten pounds or so. By making good food choices you'll gain less excess weight.

Every calorie should be made to count as you are making a new person to bring into the world! Be sure to continue to eat fruits, vegetables and protein foods and cut back on desserts that a high in sugar. Drink plenty of water as contractions will occur due to dehydration.

It is better to eat several small meals per day than three large ones. You'll maintain a good blood sugar level without overeating. This strategy also works well as baby grows larger and your stomach gets squeezed by your growing uterus.

Staying healthy by exercising is also very important. Even if you only take a walk around the block or the mall a few times a week, you'll feel better and your labor will go easier than if you didn't exercise.

You may also become aware that at about 18 weeks pregnant it is harder to be comfortable when sleeping. You may need to experiment with different sleeping positions. It may be helpful to use extra pillows or a body pillow made for pregnant women.

Enjoy your pregnancy and your changing body. It’s only for a short time so you may as well enjoy it as best you can. Visit http://www.healthyclicks.org for articles on pregnancy many other health issues.

How to Conceive a Girl: Find Out the Basics

Have you been dreaming about how to conceive a baby girl but don't have the necessary funds available that you would need if you wanted to use a baby gender selection clinic? Or maybe you are just looking for a way to conceive a girl naturally. This article will discuss the processes you should follow to help you go about the three most important factors you need to consider for conceiving a girl.

Without doubt, the Shettles method has proved one of the most popular methods in the last 25 years for people wanting to conceive a baby with the gender of their choice. Thousands of parents have applied the principals and reported an extremely good 75% success rate. Some researchers have even put it as high as 90%, which is pretty impressive stuff. The Shettles method is based on the fact that the Y chromosome sperm, or 'male' sperm, are not as big and less robust than the X chromosome 'female' sperm. However they may be smaller but they're a lot quicker!

Tip 1 - Know Your Time of Ovulation First off you simply must know when you're ovulating. Baby gender selection relies heavily on this information. Knowing when you ovulate is vital when you are trying to conceive a girl. There are three ways to do this which I will not go into great detail here but basically they involve charting body temperature, charting cervical mucus or using an ovulation predictor kit.

Tip 2 - Frequency and Timing of Intercourse Dr. Shettles recommends that to increase your chances of conceiving a girl you must have intercourse no later 2 ½ to 3 days before ovulation . If you have sex this far in advance of ovulation then the 'boy' sperm will die out leaving the slower more resilient 'girl' sperm to hit the target at the right time. Intercourse closer than this to ovulation ensures that cervical mucus present at ovulation is less acidic which will favour the 'boy' sperm.

Tip 3 -Position During Intercourse Shettles suggests that if you are trying to conceive a girl, a position that involves shallow penetration from your partner will deposit the sperm further from the cervix giving the weaker 'boy' sperm an even longer journey and therefore more chance of them fading before they get to the target.

If you have found these tips useful then please visit http://www.determinethegenderofyourbaby.com to discover the method that goes even further in guaranteeing success in your mission to find out how to conceive a girl.