First Trimester

• Tiredness

• Nausea and vomiting: try having smaller meals more often rather than big meals. Ginger tablets may also help, otherwise I can provide a prescription for Maxolon and Odansetron.

• Constipation: keep up with your fluids and take psyllium husks or additional preparations such as Lactulose, Coloxyl and Movicol.

• Bleeding or brown discharge must always be checked out.

Second Trimester

• Pelvic pain like a stitch may occur when you roll over in bed or grab you when you stand up from sitting. This is round ligament pain and is extremely common between 18-23 weeks gestation. It will improve.

• Headaches: try and keep up with your fluids and take paracetamol as needed.

• Dizziness: very common all through pregnancy. Keep up with your fluids and if you feel like you are very dizzy or that you may faint then lie down.

• Bleeding is always abnormal except after intercourse. This occurs because the neck of the womb (the cervix) is very soft and can bleed during or after intercourse. If in doubt get checked.

Third Trimester

• Commonly at 28 weeks you may feel like your morning sickness is coming back but this is more likely to be reflux. You can take reflux preparations, ie Mylanta, Gastrogel, Rennies, Quickeze, and if it is really uncomfortable then the prescription drug Pariet.

• Haemorrhoids also may start to occur at 28 weeks, you can take psyllium husks on a daily basis, keep up with fluids and take an over the counter preparation, ie Proctosedyl or Rectogesic.

• Varicose veins of the leg and even vulva: SRC compression stockings can help.

• Leg cramps: stretch before you go to bed and take magnesium tablets of Crampeze.

• Vaginal discharge is very common. If it is thick with a green tinge it is likely thrush and you may need to take a course of Canestan. You cannot take Diflucan during pregnancy. If in doubt please check. It is extremely common to have a watery, milky discharge which increases as pregnancy progresses. This is called Leukorrhea.

• Ankle swelling occurs in 66% of pregnant women. Use compression stockings and try to keep your legs as elevated as possible.

• Pelvic and back pain is very common. Rest, take some paracetamol and as long as you don’t have any bleeding and the pain does not significantly worsen, this is okay.