First Trimester Essentials

What to expect in the first 13 weeks, and how to feel steadier

Early Pregnancy First trimester 4 modules

1 What’s actually happening

4 min read

The first trimester is the biggest hormonal shift your body will ever go through in this short a time — and almost none of it shows on the outside yet, which is part of why it can feel so disorienting.

Fatigue, nausea, tender breasts and mood swings are all your body redirecting enormous resources toward building a placenta. None of it is a sign anything is wrong; it is a sign your body is working hard.

It is completely normal to feel a mix of excitement, anxiety and numbness, sometimes all in the same hour. There is no "right" way to feel yet.

2 Managing nausea and fatigue

5 min read

"Morning" sickness is a misnomer — it can strike any time of day. It usually begins between weeks 4 and 7, and usually settles by 16 to 20 weeks, though for some people it lasts longer.

Six small meals across the day tend to sit better than three big ones, and plain things — toast, dry bread, plain biscuits, jacket potatoes, pasta — are the usual suggestions. Some people find ginger helps, in tea or biscuits; it is fine to try.

If you cannot keep food or drink down, talk to your midwife or doctor rather than pushing through: severe vomiting can become hyperemesis gravidarum, which sometimes needs treatment in hospital.

3 Your early antenatal care

4 min read

Get in touch with a midwife or GP as soon as you know you are pregnant. The first appointment — the "booking" appointment — usually happens between 8 and 12 weeks, takes about an hour, and is where your health history, screening choices and birth options are first discussed.

You will have your blood pressure taken and your urine tested, and you will be given your maternity notes.

The dating scan, usually around 11 to 14 weeks, confirms how far along you are and gives your due date — this is the date the app uses to track your pregnancy. Bring a list of questions, however small they feel.

4 When to get something checked

4 min read

Bleeding in early pregnancy is not always serious — spotting is common, and implantation bleeding is one of several ordinary causes — but it can sometimes need urgent treatment, so any bleeding is worth reporting so it can be checked.

Call 999 if bleeding is heavy — soaking a pad soon after putting it on — and comes with severe tummy pain, pain in your shoulder, or feeling sick, faint or dizzy. Shoulder-tip pain is the one people do not know to mention; it can be a sign of an ectopic pregnancy.

Early pregnancy units exist specifically for these worries — you are never wasting anyone’s time by asking to be seen.