Signs of a healthy and safe pregnancy

When you’re carrying a pregnancy after going through infertility or previous loss, it’s damn near impossible to not worry about the health and safety of this pregnancy. And you know what? It’s a valid experience. You’ve been on the wrong side of statistics leading up to this moment, so you know nothing is guaranteed. On top of that, your heart has experienced hurt from your journey here, and your worries tie into the fact that you’re trying to protect your heart from further harm. We would never tell you to stop worrying – that’s just dismissive, rude, and absolutely impossible. Instead, we want you to acknowledge those feelings while also utilizing the support of your community (if you don’t have one, you can join us inside Your Pregnancy Haven HERE) and your own intuition to find reassurance in this pregnancy.

So, when you’re in one of those moments where your brain just really wants to focus on a worry and sends you into a spiral, it can be really tough to find the good. Remembering positive signs that this pregnancy is safe is really difficult in the moment. When emotions are high, intelligence is low, so any sort of cognitive reasoning that you normally have…. *poof* gone.

That’s why we want to give you some examples of positive signs of a healthy and safe pregnancy. That way you might be able to have them in your back pocket next time you begin to spiral.

First Trimester

Symptoms that indicate a safe pregnancy

  • Nausea

  • Sore or tender breasts

  • Fatigue

  • Frequent trips to the bathroom

  • No period

  • Constipation

  • Hot flashes

  • Mood swings

  • Cravings or aversions - if you’re worried that you’re not eating enough of the right foods during this time, check out this post by The Dietologist: Are Pregnant Women Eating Well?.

Other signs

  • Positive pregnancy tests

  • Rising HcG levels

  • Seeing signs of a baby on a scan like fetal pole, seeing/hearing heartbeat

Things that may seem scary but can be perfectly normal

  • Bleeding - sometimes from implantation, maybe from suppository medications, or even a subchorionic hematoma

  • Lack of symptoms – remember to lean on other factors when symptoms seem to fade such as not having a period, your latest results from your doctor’s office that indicate a healthy pregnancy, etc.

  • Discharge – it is very normal to have more discharge than usual when you’re pregnant, especially if you’re on suppository medication in your first trimester!

Second Trimester

Symptoms that indicate a safe pregnancy

  • Any from the first trimester that may still be lingering

  • Round ligament pain

  • Lightning crotch

  • Heartburn

  • Headaches

  • Aches and pains

  • Acne

Other signs

  • Your latest scan indicated the pregnancy was safe

  • Your baby’s heartbeat on the Doppler

  • Your growing body

  • (If later in your second tri) any fetal movement or flutters

Things that may seem scary but can be perfectly normal

  • Not feeling baby – you may not be far enough along yet or could have an anterior placenta that is cushioning any movement to where you cannot feel it yet

  • Not feeling baby consistently – fetal movement does not become consistent until the third trimester

  • Bumping your bump – lots of cushion inside to protect your baby. If it’s a major impact, call your provider, but in most cases the amniotic sac absorbs shock pretty well!

  • Ultrasound tech not being able to get all the images they need at the anatomy scan – sometimes baby will be in a position they just can’t get them to move from, and they won’t be able to get all the images they need that day. They will likely have you come back another day to get the rest of the images, and this does not automatically mean they saw anything abnormal.

  • Gestational diabetes – healthy babies are born to parents with GD every day! It is a manageable condition during pregnancy and does not make your baby or your pregnancy “unsafe.”

  • Cramping – having period like cramps throughout pregnancy is common and does not indicate complications of a pregnancy by itself

  • Discharge – again, lots of discharge happens in pregnancy. Don’t be alarmed when you see discharge that looks similar to fertile cervical mucus!

Third Trimester

Symptoms that indicate a safe pregnancy

  • Any from previous trimesters

  • Pelvic pressure

  • Shortness of breath (due to cramped organs)

  • Signs of colostrum (though also normal to not experience leaking!)

Other signs

  • Past scans show a healthy pregnancy

  • Baby is measuring according to appropriate fundal height  +/- 2

  • You are feeling baby move

  • You may start to see signs that labor is nearing (when close to full term!)

Things that may seem scary but can be perfectly normal

  • Swelling – swelling is a hard one. Some swelling is to be expected in pregnancy, but if you are experiencing it in conjunction with some other symptoms such as dizziness, headaches, or high blood pressure, call your provider.

  • Discharge – if you’re close to full term, it’s possible you’ll start seeing some shedding of the mucus plug. It may be egg white, it could have tinges of brown or pink, or it could even have some red to it if labor is nearing.

  • Contractions – you may experience Braxton Hicks contractions and this is totally safe and normal. As long as these contractions do not increase in intensity, get closer together, and start lasting longer (45 sec-1 min long), there’s no reason to be concerned about going into labor too early. Braxton hicks contractions only stimulate the uterus and train those muscles for labor. They do not cause any cervical dilation or effacement.

  • Symphysis Pubis Dysfunction (SPD) or Pelvic Girdle Pain – While extremely painful for you, SPD does not compromise the safety of your pregnancy!

  • Position of your baby – your baby can continue to shift to get into optimal position for labor all the way up to labor itself, and plus, even if they never change positions and you end up having a surgical birth, those are also very safe with modern technology and medical practices!

  • Size of your baby – if you’ve gotten a scan in your third trimester and your provider mentions an estimated weight of your baby, take that measurement with a grain of salt. Ultrasounds late in pregnancy can estimate weights up to 2lbs off in either direction! So being mindful is great, but also know there’s lots of flexibility there and doesn’t mean your baby is in harms way off that measurement alone.

I hope having some of that knowledge on your side can be helpful to you as you go through this pregnancy. Of course, if you need reassurance at any point, we recommend you reach out to your doctor. 

And if you’d like some support in your back pocket – a place where you can go at any time if you have a concern over a symptom, lack of symptom, or anything else that may be bringing on worries over the health and safety of your baby, you can join us inside Your Pregnancy Haven.  Our chat is filled with members all over the globe, so there’s always someone awake to support you! You never have to be your own Google again.

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