FR | EN
Is your pregnancy test positive? Congratulations, the fertility journey is over for you!
You have had a blood test and an ultrasound scan at your fertility centre, which certify that you are pregnant. The fertility process ends here.
Steps to follow when you find out you are pregnant
Pregnancy monitoring consists of a medical consultation every month with a general practitioner, gynaecologist, private midwife, or directly in your maternity unit, as well as an ultrasound scan every 3 months.
The 1st-trimester ultrasound should be carried out between 11 weeks amenorrhoea (SA) and 13 SA and 6 days, in an ultrasound clinic in the city or in your maternity hospital.
The declaration of pregnancy will be made with your gynaecologist or midwife. You will need to fill in the CERFA form "You are expecting a child" and send it to the organisation responsible for paying you family benefits and to the health insurance organisation.
What precautions should be taken in early pregnancy?
Sport
It is advisable to keep up a moderate level of physical activity during pregnancy: daily walking, swimming, and yoga. It's important to drink a lot of water during a sport session.
Car
We should try to keep long car journeys to a minimum, preferring the train for longer journeys.
Nutrition
Total weight gain is between 10 and 12 kilos for a single pregnancy, becoming more significant towards the end of the pregnancy. The aim is to eat a varied, balanced diet rich in iron (spinach, lentils, meat). If you're not sure whether you're immune to toxoplasmosis, you should eat well-cooked meat and make sure you wash your vegetables and salad thoroughly. You should avoid alcohol, which is harmful to your child's development.
Contact with young children
Young children under the age of 3 are often sick, so it's important to wash your hands thoroughly after changing them and not to share cutlery.
You now need to choose the maternity hospital where you want to give birth.
How do you choose your maternity hospital once you've declared your pregnancy?
Your choice of maternity hospital should take into account the distance between the hospital and your home: at the end of your pregnancy, you may have to make frequent return journeys.
If you have multiple pregnancies or any pathologies associated with pregnancy, such as pre-existing diabetes or autoimmune disease, it is important to choose a suitable maternity unit where specialist doctors will be able to guide you.
In some regions, maternity places go quickly, so you need to think about registering early enough in your pregnancy.
What are the first signs and symptoms of pregnancy?
1st pregnancy symptoms: nausea and vomiting
These are the most common symptoms of pregnancy. They are benign. They are closely linked to the hormonal impregnation of the pregnancy. This hormone level will decrease and stabilise towards the end of the first trimester, allowing these digestive problems to stop.
The treatment:
Split your meals and don't fast for too long. Morning sickness, for example, is often relieved by eating first thing.
Eliminate dishes that are too spicy, fatty, or fried, as they are more difficult to digest and the hormonal impregnation slows down gastric emptying.
Introduce ginger into your diet: either in capsule form, fresh, or as an infusion with meals.
Have acupuncture with a health professional. Acupressure bracelets are also available.
If vomiting persists and leads to significant weight loss, you should consult your doctor.
2nd pregnancy symptoms: pain and breast enlargement
This is one of the symptoms that appears earliest in early pregnancy. It is not systematic and the absence of these pains is not a poor prognosis.
Mammary volume increases and the breasts are painful. The areolas of the nipples become darker.
3rd pregnancy symptoms: tiredness, drowsiness
The first trimester of pregnancy can be associated with increased fatigue and periods of drowsiness during the day.
Written by:
Pia Laborde, Midwife Foch Hospital
