Pregnant
Nausea Fatigue During the first three months of pregnancy you may feel very tired. This is due to all the changes in your body. There is no point in trying to fight this fatigue. A lot of sleep is often the only remedy. After the first three months, your energy levels usually restore themselves. Intestinal upset The growing uterus causes your intestines to be pushed to the side. This can sometimes cause a stinging ache in your abdomen. The pregnancy hormones cause your digestive system to be less efficient and result in constipation. It is important to eat foods with high fibre content (whole grains, green vegetables and fruit) and to drink enough water. Read more about this here. Mental health Not all women find pregnancy a pleasant experience. Pregnancy can cause many ailments and discomforts. You can feel like you are not yourself. Some women become very irritable during pregnancy; to some extent this is normal. Many changes are taking place in your body, but also in your daily life (especially with a first child). Sometimes other factors can influence your general wellbeing, such as relationships, work, etc. If you, or people around you believe that these symptoms happen more than normal, please ask us for advice, we can then discuss options. During the first couple of months of pregnancy most women feel less happy due to a variety of pregnancy discomforts. Don’t worry, after the first trimester most women will feel better again, both physically and mentally. If this is not the case, please talk to us about it.Symptoms of pregnancy
Many women feel nausea during the first three months of pregnancy. Sometimes the nausea lasts longer than this. It helps to eat small amounts several times a day. It is also beneficial to eat a dry cracker or biscuit before getting out of bed. Sometimes the nausea is accompanied by vomiting. It is important that you keep hydrated. If you are struggling to eat and drink enough without vomiting or the nausea affects carrying out daily tasks, please contact us or your family doctor. The doctor can sometimes prescribe medication against the nausea. The nausea usually stops by itself between weeks 12 and 16 of the pregnancy.
Your baby is formed during the first couple of months of pregnancy. This takes up a lot of energy. Click here to see how your baby grows every week.Embryo Development
If you have just discovered that you are pregnant, this can be very exciting! Many people don’t want to tell their friends or family too quickly because things might still go wrong, such as a miscarriage. You are likely already very curious about what is going to happen next. Below you will find a list of leaflets and links which we believe are good sources of information about the early stages of pregnancy. You can of course always contact us. See below under heading “Who Are We?” There is no "right" time to tell your friends and family that you are pregnant. Although it can be a good thing to tell close friends and family that you are pregnant when it is still early days, because should a miscarriage occur, they are there to comfort you and offer understanding. While other expectant parents prefer to wait until after the dating ultrasound. This is a nice way to ‘share a secret’ with your partner for the first three months and once you’ve spread the happy news there is very little chance of miscarriage. Think about how you can discretely avoid alcohol at parties and (family) gatherings. Are you not with the father of the baby (anymore)? Then it can be a comfort to tell a close friend about your pregnancy.Tell your family and friends
We recommend you start with learning about maternity care in the Netherlands. On these websites you will find more information. At Midwifery Practice Breedstraat we find it important that you can always contact us easily. Please do not hesitate to ask us questions, all concerns are important. Especially during the early stages of your pregnancy everything is still new and exciting. And it is unlikely the people directly around you will have all the answers. Give us a ring when you have any questions or concerns. Via this link you can see who works at our practice. We have regular practice meetings to make sure all staff have access to your file and can provide the best possible care.Who are we
If you have any concerns, you can always contact us. Always ring us when:When to contact us during early stages of pregnancy
From 7-8 weeks you can have an early ultrasound at the practice. Although during this time the ultrasound will show very little. This is because the baby’s heart will not start beating until later in the pregnancy. Our assistant can book this appointment for you. The cost of this early (internal) ultrasound, unless by medical indication, is not covered by your health insurance. If the ultrasound is payable for you, the fee is € 46,58. Sometimes there is a medical indication for this ultrasound; our assistant can give you more information about this.Early ultrasound
The first three months of your pregnancy are extra tense as there is still a significant chance of a miscarriage. Approximately 10-15% of pregnancies end in a recognisable miscarriage. If you are 35 or older, this risk increases. A miscarriage is often spontaneous; you will experience blood loss and (abdominal) pains similar to period pains during the first few months of pregnancy. A miscarriage can also be detected by ultrasound, without the occurrence of blood loss or other signals that the pregnancy may not be going well. A miscarriage occurs unexpectedly and is often an intense and emotional experience. Blood loss during pregnancy is not always a guarantee that you have miscarried. Once blood loss occurs there is still a 50% chance the pregnancy will continue as normal. Do always contact us when this happens. Depending on which term you are in, we can schedule an ultrasound for you. 20% of women will experience vaginal blood loss during pregnancy. Once an ultrasound shows a beating heart, the chance of miscarriage will reduce drastically. In case of miscarriage, please contact us when: When a miscarriage is happening it is normal you will feel menstrual like cramps. These can be quite painful. Suitable painkillers are paracetamol and/or ibuprofen. The final stage of a miscarriage is when you lose clots and/or tissue. After this the blood loss will become less. You can still lose a little bit of blood up to 2 weeks after the miscarriage. If you have any doubts whether the miscarriage is complete, please ask us for advice.Blood loss and miscarriage
As soon as you know you are pregnant, please register on our website. Our assistant will contact you to book your first appointments.Book appointment with midwife
Leaflets and links