Those First Symptoms

July 20, 2026

Mummy N Me Journal

July 20, 2026

Something I want to make very, very clear — and something I will probably stress a million times over the course of this page — is that every single pregnancy is different.

I am by no means telling you what will happen for you. I'm simply sharing my experience — what happened to me, how I felt and all the weird, wonderful and sometimes downright awful things my body decided to do along the way.

A perfect example of just how different every pregnancy can be is morning sickness. I had absolutely no morning sickness at all, while one of my best friends, who was pregnant at the exact same time, could barely keep her head out of the toilet from very early on. We were going through the same stages of pregnancy at almost exactly the same time, yet our experiences couldn't have been more different.

My hope is that if you're experiencing some of the same things, you can read this and think, “Okay… so I'm not the only one.” Because sometimes just knowing that someone else has felt exactly how you're feeling can make the whole thing feel a little less scary. 🤍

──────────────────────── ♡ ────────────────────────

One of the very first symptoms I experienced in those early weeks was something I really wasn't expecting — hip pain. I'd never had any problems with my hips before, so when they suddenly started aching whenever I sat down for too long, it definitely caught me by surprise.

It was even worse at night. I'd fall asleep on one side, only to wake up about an hour later because the hip I was lying on had gone completely numb. I'd roll over to the other side, get comfortable again, and then an hour or so later… the exact same thing would happen on that side.

It was such a strange little change, and definitely not one of the pregnancy symptoms I'd expected to notice so early on!

Pregnancy Tired Is a Whole Different Kind of Tired

The next symptom is one you can try to explain to people a million times, but I genuinely don't think you can understand it until you've experienced it yourself — pregnancy tired.

I've never felt exhaustion quite like it. It's the kind of tired where simply getting out of bed feels like far too much effort. Where your entire body feels heavy, like you've just gone out and run a marathon… except somehow, you feel like you've run that marathon every single day.

If there's one thing I learnt from this, it's to listen to your body. If it's telling you that you're exhausted, let yourself rest. Your body is doing something absolutely incredible behind the scenes and using a hell of a lot of energy to do it — you're literally growing a tiny human in your belly!

Unfortunately, I didn't come to that realisation early enough. I kept pushing myself through those first weeks, working around 50 hours a week and trying to carry on as though nothing had changed. Eventually, my body had enough. I completely crashed and ended up getting really sick.

That was the point where I realised my body had been trying to tell me something all along, and I just wasn't listening.

So please, be kind to yourself. You don't need to feel guilty for slowing down or needing more rest than you normally would. Listen to what your body is trying to tell you — it's working bloody hard in there. 🤍

The Scare I Wasn't Expecting

One thing that happened to me really early on — and scared the absolute crap out of me — was some bleeding at around five weeks pregnant. It wasn't heavy bleeding, more like spotting, but when you're newly pregnant and already analysing every tiny little thing your body does, seeing any amount of blood is terrifying.

I got in touch with my doctor straight away. They told me that there can be a number of reasons for spotting in early pregnancy and that, in my case, it may have been related to implantation. They still sent me for an ultrasound to make sure everything was okay with our little bub, which gave me some much-needed reassurance.

It's crazy how you've only known about this tiny little bean for a few weeks, and yet you're already so incredibly attached to them. The thought that something could be wrong is genuinely terrifying. I remember how scared I was in that moment, and how desperately I just wanted someone to tell me that our baby was okay.

Thankfully, everything was okay with our little bub. 🤍

If there's ever anything during your pregnancy that worries you, whether it feels big or small, please don't be afraid to reach out to your doctor or maternity team. There is no such thing as a silly question when it comes to you and your baby. They're there to listen, reassure you where they can, and give you advice based on your pregnancy. If something doesn't feel right or you simply need that little bit of reassurance, ask. 🤍

Other than a heightened appetite — which, for me, basically means constantly needing to snack — and the emotional side of things, I honestly didn't experience too many other symptoms in those early stages.

And when I say the emotional side of things, that's a whole other story in itself. I genuinely think that part of pregnancy deserves its own blog, because there is SO much I want to talk about there. So we'll save that one for another day. 🤍

Looking back, I actually feel pretty lucky with how few physical symptoms I had. No morning sickness, no major food aversions or anything else that completely turned my days upside down — mostly just sore hips, an appetite that seemed to have no off switch, and a level of exhaustion I didn't even know existed.

The Anxiety Between Those Early Scans

The very last thing I want to talk about is something I really wasn't prepared for — the anxiety between scans.

It's such a strange feeling, and I don't think it completely makes sense until you're the one carrying a baby. I'm sure it's something that will pop up throughout pregnancy, but for me, those really early weeks were especially hard. You don't have a belly yet, you can't feel your baby moving, and there isn't really anything you can see or feel every day that says, “Yep, I'm still here!”

You might have your first scan at around six or seven weeks and see your tiny little baby, only to be told that your next scan isn't until around 11 or 12 weeks. And let me tell you… those few weeks can feel like FOREVER. I'd constantly find myself thinking, “Are you still in there?” “Am I actually still pregnant?” “Has something gone wrong and I just don't know?”

There were even days where I'd wake up and barely have any symptoms at all, and instead of enjoying a day where I actually felt good, my brain would immediately go, “Well… something must be wrong.”

And something I really want other mums to know is that you are not alone in feeling this way. I had that anxiety, then my best friend messaged me saying she was having the exact same thoughts, and my cousin, who is also pregnant, told me she experienced those same feelings in the early stages too.

Sometimes pregnancy can feel incredibly lonely because so much of it is happening inside your own body and your own head. But hearing other women say, “Oh my God, I thought that too!” made me realise just how many of us experience that uncertainty between appointments.

So if you've found yourself staring down at a belly that doesn't quite look pregnant yet, wondering “Are you still in there, little one?” — you're certainly not the only one. 🤍

And as always, if that anxiety is becoming overwhelming, or you're worried about anything you're experiencing, please talk to your doctor or maternity team. Sometimes you just need a little reassurance, and that's exactly what they're there for. 🤍

──────────────────────── ♡ ────────────────────────