Congratulations! If you are reading this article, it is quite likely that you have recently found out that you are pregnant. From now on, you are going to undergo physical and emotional changes so that your baby can happily develop inside of you.  

Symptoms of pregnancy

Nowadays pregnancy tests can be done quite early on. Some of them detect the pregnancy hormone even before the date on which you were expecting your period. But besides that blue or pink line that shows a positive result, there will be other symptoms that will confirm your pregnancy.

The most common symptoms are tender breasts, urinating frequently, some cramps, like when you are having your menstrual period, excess body fluids, and early onset of nausea or aversion towards some smells.  

And don’t forget the emotional symptoms. Although your baby is still very, very small, hormonal changes have already started inside of you. These changes can cause from irritability to extreme sensitivity. It’s common to cry without a specific reason during these months, or about things that didn’t used to bother you.

A difficult trimester for some women

In this trimester, especially in the first few weeks, is when nausea or morning sickness kicks in. Morning sickness, with or without vomiting, can be very unpleasant and make you feel quite bad.

The huge hormonal change you are undergoing can also have other physical effects, such as exhaustion, headaches or difficulties sleeping.

On the other hand, hormones can also affect your emotions, and cause you to be much more sensitive or irritable than usual. This can be difficult for you and also for your partner and loved ones.  

Lastly, the fact that you will soon become a mommy and all the changes that this will imply in your life can also cause you to feel certain uneasiness or anxiety. It is normal to ask yourself if you will be a good mom, if you will have financial problems, to wonder how you are going to balance work and motherhood or if you really do not want to continue working and want to stay home with your baby. All this is normal and millions of expectant moms go through this in the first few months of pregnancy.

You should also know that the fact that you don’t have morning sickness or mood swings does not mean that there is something wrong with your pregnancy. If you don’t have morning sickness, be grateful, as only a small percentage of expectant moms don’t have nausea during their first trimester.  

Even if you don’t have nausea or morning sickness, it is quite likely that you will be unusually tired.  Your body is now making a tremendous effort and you must do everything in your power to rest whenever you can: you should go to bed earlier and nap as much as possible.  

Prenatal appointments

When the pregnancy test is positive, make your first prenatal appointment. Prenatal appointments will help your pregnancy turn out to be as healthy as possible, and anticipate any complications that may arise. Latinas have a higher incidence of diabetes and also gestational diabetes, an illness that develops only during pregnancy and that requires medical care.  

Although in our culture pregnancy is usually associated with good health, there are certain illnesses that can only be detected with proper medical care. Prenatal appointments will increase your likelihood of everything turning out just fine.

Was your pregnancy test positive? Congratulations! Current pregnancy tests can detect your pregnancy on the date when you should have had your period, and some can do so even earlier than that. Welcome to your first month of this special stage of your life that has just begun!  

Your baby's development

Pregnancy tests

Once your egg has been fertilized by your partner’s sperm, a hormone makes its appearance in your body, called human chorionic gonadotropin or HCG. This hormone is only secreted during pregnancy (there are rare cases in which it can be secreted without pregnancy), reason for which if the home test was positive it is almost certain that you are pregnant.

If the test is negative and you have done it too early, wait one more week and repeat it. Perhaps the test did not yet detect the levels of HCG required to provide a positive result. The sensitivity of the various tests varies from one brand to another. Some tests detect 25 mUI/ml of the HCG hormone (that is, a minimal amount), while others don’t react unless there are at least 250 mUI/ml. The safest thing is to wait at least ten days after your period was due or buy the most sensitive test available.  

Weeks of pregnancy

You may be asking yourself why you are considered to be 4 weeks pregnant when, in reality, fertilization took place two weeks ago. Weeks of pregnancy are counted as of the onset of your last period. This is because it is difficult to determine exactly when you ovulated. The time of ovulation depends on the duration of your menstrual cycle. A woman whose cycle is 32 days or longer will ovulate much later than a woman who has a regular 28-day cycle.  

In any case, one of the things measured in the first ultrasound or sonogram that you undergo, is the size of your baby, to make sure your weeks of pregnancy are in correlation with your calculations.  

Symptoms of pregnancy

Although it can still be too soon to feel some of the discomforts of this trimester, such as morning sickness, for example, there are certain symptoms that will let you know you are pregnant. Some of the most common ones are:

• Tender breasts. They are generally very sensitive to the touch. It is a similar sensation to when you are about to have your period, but more intense.

• Cramps. Similar to menstrual cramps, but less intense.

• Urinating frequently. This can happen both during the day and at night.  

• Spotting. You could be spotting brownish or reddish blood around the date on which your period was to be expected. This can be what is known as “implantation bleeding”.

Emotions

Knowing that you are expecting a baby can cause the most contradictory of symptoms. On the one hand, you may feel incredibly happy but on the other, you may be worried and concerned about how you will face this new phase of your life. Besides, if you are sensitive to hormonal changes, you may already be feeling some of these symptoms such as irritability or crying jags.

Don’t worry about this, because it’s normal and many pregnant women go through this.  The first trimester can be difficult for some women due to all the changes it involves and the physical discomfort that it entails sometimes.

However, if you don’t lose sight of the fact that everything is within normal limits and you make a prenatal appointment as soon as you can, you will feel more at ease about these inevitable changes.  

Also keep in mind that sometimes there are extreme cases in which the pregnant woman can go through depression instead of the initial sadness or irritability. It is important that you tell your doctor how you feel emotionally and if you think it is something you cannot overcome by yourself.

This may be the week during which a positive pregnancy test has confirmed the good news. Some women know they are pregnant even before a pregnancy test confirms it. They sense there is something going on inside; they feel different. If the test is positive, it’s a good time to start thinking of making a prenatal appointment. Although you may not be seen until you are 7 or 8 weeks pregnant, the first appointment requires a longer time than subsequent ones and you doctor will need to take that into account when scheduling. So, don’t wait and make the appointment as soon as you can.  

Your baby's development

 
Drinking, cigarettes and drugs

You may be concerned because you may have engaged in certain activities before you knew you were pregnant, that you may think could have affected your baby. For example: drinking alcohol, smoking cigarettes and even taking drugs. In general, in these first weeks, when the fertilized egg has just been implanted, these activities don’t usually cause problems, as long as they are isolated events.  

If you smoke, drink or habitually take drugs, this could have serious adverse effects on your baby’s development. There are a series of substances you should avoid during pregnancy. During the first three months, when all the baby’s basic internal structures are developing, is when the baby is more sensitive to any external potentially hazardous substances. 

Medication and X rays

In the event that you may be under treatment with meds, you should immediately ask your doctor what to do concerning that medication. Do not stop taking meds on your own, because the effects of stopping them could sometimes prove to be more hazardous than the medication itself. Talk to the doctor who prescribed it, and request a prenatal visit as soon as you can.  

For the moment, it isn’t advisable for you to take any type of medication, unless the doctor recommends or prescribes it. Even a simple aspirin is not recommended during pregnancy, although there are some meds that you will be able to take to curtail certain discomforts.

Concerning X-rays you may have undergone them before you knew you were pregnant. You should not be too concerned, because the dose of radiation you receive during an X- ray is minimal, compared to the doses that are considered dangerous. In any case, talk to your doctor about this during your prenatal visit.

Fatigue

Although you may not be experiencing morning sickness yet, one of the symptoms you may be feeling is fatigue or tiredness. This fatigue is due to the extra effort your body is making right now to build the placenta and also to the tremendous hormonal changes your body is undergoing.

This exhaustion is the type that makes you fall asleep just anywhere: it could happen during a conference at work or a business meeting. This is normal, but you have to try to rest as much as you can, whenever you can.  

Abdominal pain

Some times, the fertilized egg is not implanted inside the uterus. It may remain inside the fallopian tubes or somewhere that is not the uterus. That is considered an ectopic or extra uterine pregnancy and requires urgent attention.

If you feel acute pain in the lower abdomen or a persistent shoulder pain that is accompanied by bleeding, you should go to the hospital as soon as possible.

By this time, your pregnancy should already be confirmed and you should be experiencing symptoms such as tiredness and frequent urinating, unless you are one of the chosen few that don’t have these symptoms during pregnancy.

Your baby's development

Your prenatal appointment      

By now you should have requested your prenatal appointment to start to monitor your pregnancy. If you have medical insurance, depending on the type of coverage you have, you will have more or less possibilities to choose from. In HMO insurances your family practitioner will be your OB/GYN during your pregnancy. In PPOs you may have a greater chance of being able to choose from a list of doctors.

If you don’t have medical insurance, you may also be eligible for medical care through Medicaid or other organizations. One of the organizations that can help you find prenatal care is the National Alliance for Hispanic Health where they speak Spanish and they will guide you as to where you can find places where they can treat you for free or paying a small amount depending on what your income is.  

Currently, the great majority of doctors that provide care during pregnancy are obstetricians, gynecologists or OB/GYNs, although a family doctor can also provide this care and then refer you to a gynecologist if there is a problem.  

Sweeteners and preservatives during pregnancy

Artificial sweeteners are commonly used nowadays, not only in small sachets to add to coffee or tea, but also to sodas and diet foods.  Because the effects of these sweeteners on the baby’s development are not known, experts recommend that you curtail the intake of the foods that contain these products as much as you can.  

The two sweeteners that are used most are aspartame and saccharine, along with sucralose, which is more recent. The FDA considers that sucralose is safe during pregnancy in moderate amounts. Aspartame is also considered safe if used in moderation.  As to saccharine, it’s best to avoid it during pregnancy. In any case the best thing is to substitute these sweeteners with others that are more natural, such as honey or even sugar.  

Concerning preservatives, there are many compounds in the market that are used regularly to help preserve food for longer periods of time. The rule of thumb is: if you read a long list of preservatives on the label, find another product that has more natural ingredients.

Urinating frequently

Amongst the symptoms you may already be experimenting you may be finding that you need to urinate frequently.  Your belly is not yet too big and it’s not compressing your bladder like it will towards the end of pregnancy. But right now your blood volume is increasing and your kidneys are processing a lot more liquid than before.  

In the event that you have to get out of bed frequently to go to the bathroom and are waking up frequently, try to drink fewer liquids in the evening.

The daddy

Do you believe your partner is not as enthused about the pregnancy as you are? In this stage, many daddies, even though they know they are going to be parents, have not completely grasped the idea. For them it is still a concept, because there are no signs of the baby! For you, however, the pregnancy is already a reality because you are undergoing bodily changes. Besides, you may be more wrapped up in thoughts about your baby, your future as a mom or the changes your body will undergo during pregnancy.  

The important thing in such cases is to communicate with your partner, to avoid misinterpreting each other. Tell him how you feel and ask him what he feels knowing he is going to be a daddy. Perhaps, in a few months, when your partner can feel the baby kicking and he feels closer to being a father, his response to pregnancy will change.

By now you probable have no doubt that you are pregnant. In fact, you will undergo your first ultrasound or sonogram soon, in which you will see and listen to your baby’s heartbeat for the very first time!  

Your baby's development

Your doctor

Did you have your first prenatal appointment?  Perhaps the doctor that is going to treat you may be the one who has been doing your annual check-ups: someone you already know and with whom you feel at ease. But it may also be someone new, that your insurance has assigned to you. Once you have your first prenatal visit, you will be able to gauge whether you like his or her style and whether you feel comfortable with him or her being your practitioner.

Due to a lack of Hispanic doctors in comparison with the number of Latinos who now live in the United States, your doctor may not be Latino. At times it may be awkward to deal with a doctor that isn't a part of our culture because the styles of dealing with patients are different. However, don’t interpret this as a lack of interest or efficacy.  

Something that you will have to clarify with your doctor is in what hospital he or she has his or her practice, since that will most likely be where you will deliver the baby. You should also find out if this will be the same doctor who will be with you during delivery. Nowadays, many OB/GYNs share a practice and the doctors also share duty, so that your delivery may be supervised by your doctor or another practitioner in the same office.

 
Coffee and caffeinated drinks

A warm cup of coffee the way many people start off their day. During pregnancy, you don’t have to kick the habit, but if you drink a lot of coffee throughout the day, then you should consider cutting back. This is because coffee contains caffeine, which is a stimulant, and you should not abuse it during pregnancy.  

Other drinks other than coffee also contain caffeine, such as tea, mate or guarana and some sodas such as colas, which you should also cut back on. As a rule, a couple of cups of coffee a day or a couple of refreshing caffeinated drinks are considered safe during pregnancy.

Caffeine is a stimulant and in these months in which morning sickness or nausea, are present, or headaches, heartburn, it’s best to stay away from stimulants.

 
Nausea or morning sickness

Up to 80% of pregnant women have nausea, morning sickness, vomiting or dizziness in the first few months of pregnancy. Nausea can be very unpleasant, since it can diminish your appetite and you may not feel like doing much. In general, morning sickness or nausea improves a lot by the end of the first trimester.

Many women are concerned about morning sickness because now it is a time to eat a proper diet and many future moms cannot manage to eat what they would like to throughout the day, or vomit what they do eat. In this case, they should check with their doctor, but since the baby is still very small at this point, she is most likely getting the necessary nutrients despite the mom’s symptoms.

It is very important that you keep yourself hydrated and that you talk with your doctor if you can’t hold any liquids down, since you could dehydrate. Try with different types of fluids, to see if you can tolerate them, such as soups, gelatin, sno-cones, malts or any other drink you may enjoy.  

In these weeks you are probably going to get the most wonderful proof that you are pregnant: you are going to see and listen to your baby’s heartbeat in the ultrasound. By this week, you may already be experiencing more discomforts related to the first trimester, as your hormone levels rise.

Your baby's development 

Hair dyes and perms

Many women ask themselves if they can dye their hair during pregnancy. What experts recommend is to wait at least until after the first trimester, because a small amount of the dye that is applied to the scalp is absorbed into the skin.  

The first trimester is when the baby’s basic structures are being formed and that’s why the baby is very sensitive to any substance or external element that may affect her development.

Another option would be to use natural dyes that don’t have chemical components, although you should check the label because at times natural components are mixed with chemical ingredients.

 
Ultrasound or sonogram

This week or the next, it is very likely that your doctor will perform an ultrasound or sonogram, if you didn’t already get it done during your first prenatal visit (some doctors have the technical means to do ultrasounds in their own practice and can perform them during your first appointment). This test is performed in these days, when the baby should already have a heartbeat.  

The first time you listen to your baby’s heartbeat is very exciting and you may want to share this with your partner. Try to go to this appointment together, when you may also get the first “pictures” of your baby.  

Besides checking that your baby has a heartbeat, this week’s ultrasound is used to obtain very valuable information, such as for example, where the placenta is placed, or whether there is more than one baby!

Excessive salivation

One of the symptoms some women experience in the first trimester is excessive salivation. It is slightly uncomfortable and often goes hand in hand with morning sickness. This symptom usually disappears in a few weeks, and is nothing to worry about.  

If it is very uncomfortable and it causes you further morning sickness, try to eat more fruits, eat frequently (at least every two hours) and in small amounts to alleviate nausea, and use a mouthwash.  

 
House chores

The exhaustion you feel these days is probably interfering with your daily activities, from cleaning the house to cooking to other house chores. Your husband may be helping you out, but even if he doesn’t, now is the time to take things as easily as possible.

Your exhaustion is due to your body working intensively and you should listen to your body when it is asking that you take a break. Whether the house is messier now, or you have to eat more frozen dinners, that’s ok. The most important thing is that you rest as much as you need to for your baby’s development.  

If your partner can go with you to your prenatal visits, talk to your doctor about your exhaustion and ask what you can do to alleviate it. Some men find it hard to understand what you are feeling inside, since your belly is still not showing.  

The blood tests you will get done in these weeks, along with the ultrasound, will make sure that everything is developing normally and also rule out the presence of certain illnesses, or check whether you have anti-bodies for others, because you already had them previously, such as rubella, for example. That would mean that you are protected against these infections.  

Your baby's development

Prenatal vitamins

One of the things your doctor may have prescribed during your first prenatal visit are folic acid and prenatal viatmins. If you are not able to eat as well as you should in these months due to morning sickness, these vitamins will help you make up for those days in which your diet is not ideal.

Morning sickness may make it difficult for you to take the vitamins, especially if they are in tablet or pill form. Ask your doctor whether you can crush it and mix it with food to make it easier on your stomach. Or ask her whether she may prescribe chewable vitamins.

Try to take your prenatal vitamins on a full stomach and at a time of day in which morning sickness is less likely. Some women have a harder time with nausea in the morning, because of having fasted all night.  

 
Heartburn

Heartburn is one of the most common symptoms of pregnancy and you may be feeling it already. The cause of heartburn is that your hormones are causing your tissues to relax. This makes the ring that closes off to prevent eroding gastric juices from leaking up into the esophagus relax. Therefore, these stomach acids rise from the stomach and can cause a very unpleasant burning feeling at the pit of your stomach.  

To counteract this you could take Calcium tablets that neutralize acid, try not to bend down from the waist and to sleep propped up on a pillow. However, you should always check with your doctor concerning any medication you may want to take. Sometimes, these simple measures don’t work and it is necessary to take stronger medication to feel alleviated.  

 
Appetite

If you have morning sickness, excess salivation, heartburn, or everything at once, it is very possible that your appetite has been affected and that you aren’t as hungry as usual. You should eat a healthy and balanced diet during pregnancy, but there may be days when you find it physically impossible to eat fresh veggies, grains, cereals or even fruit.  

You should not be hard on yourself because you can’t eat properly now. Eat what you can and ask your doctor about what you may do if you are concerned about your lack of appetite. In any case, keep in mind that it is probably a temporary situation and that you will soon be able to enjoy your favorite foods again.

It is very important to continue to keep yourself well-hydrated. The fluids you drink don’t necessarily have to be only water: they can be foods that are processed as liquids by your body, such as gelatin, frozen yogurt or sno-cones.  On the other hand, certain bottled water can also provide you with vitamins. You can also try drinking watered-down fruit juices. Nurse your drinks and drink up frequently.  

The first trimester is coming to a close and with it, the period in which both you and your baby are most sensitive. From now on, your doctor may talk to you about certain prenatal tests that can be done during the first trimester to make sure your baby is fine.  

Your baby's development

Chorionic villus sampling

Chorionic villus sampling or the analysis of chorionic villi is a genetic test that determines whether your baby has any anomaly in its chromosomes. It is one of the tests that are done earlier on in pregnancy, and the results are also obtained faster than with other genetic testing, such as amniocentesis.

This test is done by taking a sample of chorionic villi that keep your amniotic sac and uterus connected. This sample contains some of the baby’s cells that will enable to study its chromosomes. It involves a slight risk of miscarriage. The test is carried out between weeks 10 and 13 of pregnancy.  

The sample of chorionic villi is usually carried out when it is necessary to rule out from early on a family genetic condition, such as cycstic fibrosis or because you’ve already had a baby with a genetic anomaly and you and your partner want to rule out any chromosome alteration in this pregnancy.  

Visit the dentist

During pregnancy it is common that your gums are more sensitive or irritated and to experience bleeding. This is because all of your tissues, to include the gums, are receiving an increased blood-flow and also due to the changes in the tissues that are caused by pregnancy hormones.  

It is important to maintain proper dental hygiene in these months, as it’s been discovered that certain bacteria in the mouth could reach the baby. If you start out your pregnancy with poor dental hygiene, your gums could get a lot worse and it could turn into periodontal disease, which could cause preterm labor and other problems.  

So that your mouth is as free of bacteria as possible, besides practicing good dental hygiene, you should visit your dentist and get a teeth cleaning early in your pregnancy. If the inflammation of your gums persists, go back to your dentist.  

In these months in which your gums and teeth are more sensitive, use a toothbrush with softer bristles, but don’t forget to floss every time you brush your teeth (ideally, after meals).  

 
Skin changes

Pregnancy hormones also influence certain skin changes. One of the most common changes is brownish spots on your face that are known as pregnancy mask or chloasma. They are due to the excess of melanin in some areas of your skin.  

They are harmless spots and can range from light to dark brown, but they can be unsightly. There is not much you can do to make them disappear, but try to avoid the sun as much as you can, so they don’t get even darker. You may use sun block in these areas.

Besides the facial spots, you could also be getting more body and facial hair, and when your belly is fuller, a few weeks down the road, stretch marks. Although stretch marks can’t be avoided in general, if you start to use a good nutritive cream on your belly from early on, your skin will be more elastic and hydrated and it will be easier to adapt to the changes of your growing belly.

In these weeks you may have been offered prenatal tests, that may involve both screening (triple marker or nuchal translucency) and diagnostic (chorionic villus sampling). Amniocentesis, which is also a diagnostic test, is done in the second trimester.

Your baby's development

Headaches

Headaches are a common discomfort for many women in these first weeks of pregnancy. Pregnancy hormones could cause headaches or migraines. Some of these headaches may be worsened by tension. You may also have been experiencing nausea or other symptoms. This added to the concern about the physical changes that you are undergoing and the uncertainty about how your life as a future mom will be like can be a cause for anxiety that results in headaches.  

However, even though mild to moderate headaches may be frequent in the first trimester of pregnancy, women who suffer from migraines can find unexpected relief precisely because of pregnancy hormones.  

But if the pain is intense, whether it is a tension headache or a migraine, you may need to rest with a cold towel on your forehead or on the painful site, and lie down in a dark and quiet room. In the event that you have to work and can’t take the time to relax, there is medication you can use to alleviate the pain, but you must check with your doctor before you take it. 

If you suffer from migraines regularly and you already use medicine for them, speak with the doctor who prescribed them to make sure you can continue taking the treatment during pregnancy.  

Cravings

Have you had cravings already? There are a lot of pregnancy myths that state that if a pregnant woman’s cravings aren’t satisfied, the baby can get a pink birthmark on the skin (if the craving was of strawberries, for example, and it wasn’t satisfied), or brown (chocolate) or resembling many other things the future mom could find herself craving.

There is not much truth about this relation between food and birthmarks. However, it is possible that a woman who is not receiving proper nutrition may be craving certain foods because her body is asking for them. If your cravings are constant, tell your doctor about them, to make sure you are getting all the nutrients you need during your pregnancy.

On the other hand, there is a disorder that can take place during pregnancy, called “pica”, in which the woman eats things that are not foods, such as lime, earth, coffee grinds or ice. The causes of this condition aren’t well-known but if you suffer from it, you should talk to your doctor, because some of these products could be toxic and have consequences for the development of your pregnancy.   

Prenatal tests

Besides chorionic villus sampling, there is another prenatal test that is carried out as of this week and until week 13. It’s called nuchal translucency. This test doesn’t provide final results because it is only a screening test. That is, the results indicate there is the possibility that the baby may have some kind of anomaly, but it doesn’t confirm it like an amniocentesis or chorionic villus sampling would.

Nuchal translucency is an ultrasound which determines whether the baby’s neck is thicker than normal. Babies with Down’s syndrome have a thickening of the neck. When this test is combined with triple marker screening, that is also a probability test, the chances of detecting this anomaly are also better.

This is the last week of your first trimester and if you still don’t feel alleviated from your nausea and discomfort, it is quite likely that you may start to notice a change for the better in the next few weeks. The first trimester is usually the most difficult for many women.

Your baby's development

Weight gain

By this week, and especially if this is not your first pregnancy, you may have already noticed that you find it more difficult to fasten your trousers, because your belly is a little larger. Not much, but just enough that your clothes fit more snugly.

During pregnancy, it is very important that you eat healthy and also that you add some calories to your diet, although that doesn’t mean you have to eat for two. 

Weight gain during pregnancy should happen gradually. You should gain less weight in the first trimester than in the next two.  

However, it is also possible that, due to nausea and heartburn you may have lost weight instead of gaining it. If your doctor tells you that your baby is developing adequately, then you have no reason to worry.  You will probably start to eat normally quite soon.

Maternity clothes

You may or may not be excited about buying maternity clothes. If you want to go shopping already, choose comfy clothing, made of cotton or natural fibers, since your skin will be more sensitive during these months. Avoid wearing trousers, skirts or any other garment that compresses your abdomen.

When you go shopping, do so keeping in mind the months ahead of you. In many maternity stores, they have cushions that simulate a pregnant belly. There are cushions that mimic a 3, 4, or 6 month-pregnant belly or beyond. That way you can get an idea of what you are going to look like with that garment a few months later. Trousers can grow with you, and loose-fitting dresses are also very practical.  

If you don’t feel ready to go shopping, you can use some tricks such as fastening your regular pants with an elastic band, and wearing a loose and long T-shirt over them.  A way to save money is to ask your friends or family to lend you used maternity clothes. Keep in mind that you won’t be wearing them for too long.

Sex

There are many changes, both physical and emotional, that you have undergone in the first weeks of pregnancy, and that may have affected your sex life with your partner. Although some women have a greater interest in sex due to pregnancy hormones, if your first trimester has been somewhat rough because of morning sickness, exhaustion or headaches, it’s possible that your sexual drive may have decreased considerably.

On the other hand your partner may be scared of hurting the baby. Unless your doctor has expressly prohibited sexual relations due to some specific problem (such as risk of miscarriage, a genital infection or other problems), there is no reason why you should not enjoy sex with your partner.  

Although sexual relations may not be on your list of priorities, take advantage of every opportunity to get closer to your partner, talk and communicate about how you are living your pregnancy.