What it means
The first of the three parts of pregnancy. The embryo's organs form during this time, so drugs, alcohol, some infections and radiation can do the most harm now. Common discomforts are nausea and vomiting ("morning sickness"), tiredness, tender breasts and passing urine often. Most miscarriages happen in the first trimester.
For the nurse
Teach the client to take folic acid, avoid alcohol, smoking and any drug the provider has not approved, and eat small, frequent meals for nausea. Report heavy bleeding, severe cramping, or vomiting that keeps the client from holding down fluids.
Related terms
trimester
One of the three periods, each about three months long, that a pregnancy is divided into.
pregnancy
The time during which an embryo, then a fetus, develops inside the uterus, from conception to birth.
folic acid
A B vitamin (vitamin B9) that the body needs to make DNA and red blood cells.
zygote
The single cell formed when a sperm joins an egg at fertilization.