Pregnancy weeks 1 to 10...

Early pregnancy often brings tiredness, bloating, tender breasts or nipples and increased vaginal secretions. Your periods may stop, or be lighter than usual. Your uterus is about as big as your clenched fist, but at this stage will barely make a bulge in your silhouette.

In early pregnancy the excitement of planning for the future and feeling special is often mingled with fears about what may happen and how you'll cope. An unexpected pregnancy can be devastating, but even when it's planned the reality may not be quite what you or your partner expected. You may wonder what you've let yourself in for and if it's what you really want.

Many women hide their pregnancy from all but close family and try to lead a normal life in the first three months. When it becomes public knowledge, friends and colleagues may react with delighted support, but if you're very young or in your late thirties they may assume that it was an accident or focus on the negative side with unwelcome frankness. Some people are shocked when a woman they expect to pursue a career or think of as having completed her family suddenly announces a pregnancy.

The effort of adjusting even when your pregnancy is welcome can be made worse by exhaustion and nausea, and it's common to find yourself falling out with your partner at a time when you feel you really need support. If you're caught up in emotional rapids and having a rough ride, hang on tight - you'll reach calmer waters in a few weeks time.

Tips

• Take folic acid tablets (0.4 mg) if you're planning to conceive and throughout the first 10 weeks of pregnancy. You can get them from any pharmacy.
• See your doctor or register with a midwife directly. Ask about the choices for antenatal care and foetal abnormality tests (some are performed early in pregnancy).
• Try to eat as healthily as possible. If you feel sick eat whatever you can keep down, even if it isn't ideal. Make up for it later when you feel better.
• Ask your GP or pharmacist's advice before taking any medication, including vitamin pills (apart from folic acid) and all over-the-counter and alternative remedies. This is especially important in early pregnancy.
• If you take regular medication talk to your doctor. Sometimes there's an alternative or it can be modified temporarily.
• Ease up on your social life and get extra rest. Emotional upsets, nausea and vomiting are often made worse by exhaustion and stress.
• Give up smoking and all recreational drugs. They can harm your baby.
• If you experience bleeding or are concerned about anything before your regular antenatal checks begin, contact your doctor or midwife.