This is a time of huge change, both physical and emotional. While your body starts to create the environment where your baby will grow, you may feel exhausted and emotionally overwhelmed.

Physical Changes

The most significant physical change in the early weeks of pregnancy is persistent tiredness, and although this feeling is by no means unique to women over 35 women who have had pregnancies in their 20s and again in their late 30s agree that the depth of fatigue is greater when older.

Many women also experience daily nausea or hunger pangs. The huge hormonal adjustments in response to pregnancy can also cause emotional turmoil. Being more tired than every one else, and more irritable, introduces new challenges in to your relationships and your career life. During these first months of pregnancy a gentle exercise program can help restore your emotional balance and increase your energy. Your food plan will need to include meals that cover your increased requirements for protein and help you deal with nausea. Now is also the time to find the doctor or midwife who will care for you during the next 9 months and help bring your baby in to the world. Understanding what to expect from your prenatal care will help you know what questions to ask your care provider so you get the answers you need. More screening tests are offered to women over 35 than to their younger counterparts. Becoming informed about tests, the pros and cons of genetic counseling, screening for down syndrome and one of the earliest screening tests for developmental abnormalities, CVS, will help ensure that your experience is a positive one.

Your Baby’s Development

Your baby creates a life sustaining connection with you, through the placenta. All of the major organs form during this time including your baby’s heart, spine and kidneys. Your baby’s heart will start to beat and the heartbeat can be seen on ultrasound by 6 weeks after your last period. Your baby’s arms and legs will form and your baby will start to move, although it is too early for you to feel it.