First Time Pregnancy Questions

Updated on August 25, 2009
T.D. asks from Allen, OK
15 answers

Ok this may be a little long but I need some help. My daughter just found out last week she is pregnant and they think she is about 5 1/2 weeks. But she is already having appetite changes, and she thinks movement. She got on the pill in April and because she was getting married at the end of may they told her to not take the green pills for that month so she wouldn't be on her period on her honeymoon. She had a period the middle of June and a VERY light on about 3 weeks later and nothing since then. Does anyone think she may be further along than the 5 1/2 weeks?

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So What Happened?

Thanks for all the advice. She did find out yesterday that they will do an ultrasound when she sees the ob Sept. 8th. I think some of the other stuff is just her wishful thinking. I will let everyone know when we get the ultrasound results. I can't wait! Thanks again moms you are GREAT!

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L.P.

answers from Jonesboro on

If she is extremely skinny she might be feeling early movement. I weighed 98 lbs when I first got pregnant and I could feel movement early.

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S.T.

answers from Fayetteville on

Has she been to the doctor yet? I would tell the doctor about your concerns that she may be further along and see what they say. I know with my daughter I was further along then what they thought. I thought I felt her sooner than I should have. I would just talk to the doctor about all of this. Every pregnancy is different. As the later appointments go and an ultrasound is done you will know more. Good luck. Congrats.

S.
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L.S.

answers from New Orleans on

No matter how far along, she is still pregnant and any hormonal changes, pregnant or not, effects appitite and can cause gas.

However in very young mothers their tends to be an excitement that seems to bring on those most well known symptoms physcosymaticly. This is because until the age of 25 the human female brain is still adolescent and it makes judgements about events based on false information, based on what it thinks is supposed to happen. At the age of 18 her brain is not developed fully enough to take in what is actually happening and make judgements based on those actual facts.

In short she thinks she is suposed to feel the baby move and so she does, her brain doesn't percieve it as anything else like gas. She thinks she is supposed to have strange cravings and be starving all the time and so she is, when in fact she only needs an additional 500 calories a day.

She is probably 5 1/2 weeks just like the doctor said, but this is what she thinks pregnancy is supposed to be like and so her brain has made it so.

Congratulations Grandma!

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K.K.

answers from Birmingham on

You can go for a sonogram

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D.G.

answers from Tulsa on

Hi, She could be, but it might be that she is having what is called flutering. When your body changes to grow a baby the tissues kind of move around. The only way to know how far long she really is,to get an ultrasound, and a pelvic exam. She should go to her doctor and get checked and start reg. check ups, no matter how far along she is.

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A.A.

answers from Tulsa on

i was also 18 with my first pregnacy i was very sick lost 25lbs couldnt eat for the first 4 months and i know most ppl dont feel the baby move until about 4 months but i did i felt movement at 11 weeks and i felt it in two different spots far enough apart i knew that a baby couldnt be big enuf at that stage to move in both places my doc couldnt get me in to do an ultrasound until 16 wks and eventhough i was admitted to the hospital at 3 months for iv fluids and they listened to the heartbeat and i heard the heartbeat it was confirmed at my 16 wk sonogram that i was prego with TWINS! so depending on the pregnancy she may really feel the baby(s) move i did!

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M.L.

answers from Fayetteville on

Like other posts have said, many doctors don't do the first appointment until 8 weeks. If she were to call and tell them that she thinks she may be farther along, they would probably let her come in to do an ultrasound. Early ultrasounds do seem to be pretty accurate in finding how far along she is. My last pregnancy was a surprise and I got pregnant without having a cycle because I was still nursing. Since I didn't have an exact idea of the date of conception, they had me come in just for an ultrasound, and then scheduled my first appointment based on the date of the ultrasound. That is what I would request they do if you don't want to wait the few weeks left for the first appointment. If they are just dating from the last very light period then they very well may be off several weeks, one because all cycles are not 4 weeks exactly, and people can ovulate sooner or later in their cycle. And also, that very light period could have been something like breakthrough bleeding due to implantation. It doesn't sound like she is far enough along to feel movement though, but you never know. Appetite changes can happen pretty early though, so that is not necessarily a sign that she is farther along.

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J.P.

answers from Oklahoma City on

First of all, congratulations on the great news! Did they do an ultrasound or just a blood test? Blood tests can be off, but an ultrasound looks at the size of the fetus. If her insurance will pay for one, she may want to ask her OB to go ahead and do an ultasound now just to verify.

J.

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L.B.

answers from Fayetteville on

Well, to feel movement in her first pregnancy, she'd have to be about 4 months pregnant at the very least. One website says "Some moms, especially those in their first pregnancy, may not feel movement until 18-20 weeks." (http://www.americanpregnancy.org/duringpregnancy/firstfet...)

Her very light period was likelier a pill period than a pregnant period. Women on the pill tend to have much lighter periods than they're used to.

It can happen that a woman who knows she's pregnant, being more aware of her body, feels more things that she's always felt. The first movements, for a lot of us, felt like gas. So, she could be feeling little gurgles in her belly and thinking it's the baby. As for appetite changes, that could be psychosomatic, or hormonal or any number of things.

I don't think she could be further along than conceiving at the end of June, since her last period was the middle of June. That comes to 5 1/2 weeks.

Congratulations! Have fun.

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K.S.

answers from Oklahoma City on

well when i was peragent (im a first time mom) i didnt feel her kick till about 4 months. as for appatite changes i couldent eat hardly anything for the first 3 months and i stoped eating so much so i think thats pretty normal. i lost 16 pound in though first month so i wouldnt worry if she's eating less unless the doctor says something. but what worked for me was eatting more protene it takes longer to digest and helps with sickness plus if shes eating less she needs the exstra protene. hope this is helpful goodluck to your daughter and congrats on being a first time grandma.

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D.R.

answers from Dothan on

If there is any doubt about dates of conception her OB doc should do an ultrasound. Ultrasounds done early are very reliable wor weeks of pregnancy. In case she really is only 5 weeks or so tell her to slow downo on the increased appetite. The increased caloric needs during pregnancy are less than 500 calories! This is the equivalent to an extra glass of milk! Movement is usually not felt much before 16 weeks but sometimes folks say they felt things a week or so earlier. Good luck. I am a granny myself who just happens to work in the field of Labor and Delivery.

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M.B.

answers from Baton Rouge on

Hey T.,

congratulations! Babies are such wonderful blessings.
And then to help with your question. Anything is possible. However, with that said, early ultrasound and early lab work to test HCG levels are very accurate at dating pregnancy.
Is the 5 1/2 weeks her estimate or the doctor's? As for the appetite changes, yes you can see that sometimes the day of ovulation, etc. It has to do with hormonal changes the body is not use to. Remind her to eat ealthy, eat for one not two and also to take vitamins or something at minimum with folic acid to combat neural tube defects.
As for feeling movement. That is usually after 20+ weeks and She is probably feeling her own heartbeat/pulse in her abdomen. It might even be gas as that starts early with pregnancy. But at 5 1/2 weeks the embryo is only 3 1/2 weeks old and still too tiny to anything other than implant and grow.
Hope this helps and again Congrats!
-MB

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J.C.

answers from Tuscaloosa on

It takes the pill a few months to become completely effective, sounds like her periods are erratic since they don't seem to be coming on the specified week, if that is the case, she could be farther along and they should do an ultrasound to check.

My first child was conceived while on the pill, I had been using it for over 3.5 years though. My pregnancy was thanks to some antibiotics and a Dr. who neglected to tell me that they could affect the birth control.

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B.C.

answers from Alexandria on

She should have her first OB appointment coming up where they will do an ultrasound to check for a hearbeat and the growth of the baby (for the due date). Most OBs wont see you until 8 weeks so she still probably has a few weeks left until the appointment. As for feeling the baby move, it is probably just gas. Most people like another poster said don't feel the baby move, or recognize what it is until 18 weeks. With my third I felt it much earlier, but I knew what it was I was looking for.
If she is experiencing loss of appetite, that is normal. Some people, like myself, are extremely sensitive to the hormonal increase. I usually feel the nausea and loss of appetite close to when a pregnancy test comes out positive. Good luck to your daughter and congratulations!

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M.P.

answers from Texarkana on

Probably not, because if she was far enough along to feel movement, they would have heard a heartbeat at the doctor appointment. I am assuming she went to the doctor because you said "they" think she is 5 1/2 weeks. Pregnant women don't feel movement, especially in a first pregnancy, until around 18 - 20 weeks. However, if she's feeling movement, could she have gotten pregnant before she went on the pills in April??? Maybe she is over 18 weeks? If she hasn't been to a doctor, she needs to go, especially since she doesn't know how far along she is. Many women get pregnant and have either one or a few or several monthly periods. Congrats on being a grandma!

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