In this nine months pregnancy period, your body goes through a lots of transformation like weight gain, expanding belly, breast changes, hormonal changes, and many more. Some women have more noticeable changes than others, as it varies from person to person. These changes are to protect, grow, and develop your baby safely. So let’s look at some of the basic changes that your body goes through during pregnancy which are as follows:
BREAST CHANGES
There is a visible change in the size and sensitivity of your breast. In the first trimester, your breasts feel fuller, heavier, and sore. And the skin around the nipple, called as areolas, also gets darker. The nipples too get more sensitive to touch. But in the mid-or late pregnancy, your breast may start leaking a milky fluid, called as colostrum. Your breast goes through these changes to prepare your body to form milk glands to breastfeed your baby. You can wear a supportive bra to give proper support to your tender breasts at this time.
BELLY SIZE
Almost in most of the cases, the belly is not visible in the first trimester. After that, it starts growing and may turn into the size of a basketball till last trimester. Belly’s skin and muscles expand itself with the developing baby, so that baby gets proper space for the movement. There are many factors responsible for the size of your belly like the height of the mother, the size of the baby, the position of the baby and multiple pregnancies. So belly size can also vary from person to person. Even your belly button looks like to pop out.
STRETCH MARKS
One of the main change that bothers most of the women are stretch marks. The areas from where the skin gets stretched will cause that purplish itchy lines. They are more likely to be around the abdomen, breasts, thighs, and buttocks. Little dryness and itchiness are completely normal. As there is no way to subside these stretch marks but you can ease that itchy and flaky skin with proper moisturizer and stretch marks oils to decrease their appearance. But before using any oil or moisturizers, get that consulted from the doctor.
BODY TEMPERATURE
Lots of hormonal changes may increase the metabolic rate and the activity of your sweat gland, which makes you feel warmer. In the first trimester, the body temperature is still comfortable but in the third trimester you feel warmer and sweaty especially in summers. Try to maintain a safe body temperature by avoiding sauna or hot tub baths and drink plenty of fluids, keep yourself cool and wear loose/comfortable clothes. Protect yourself from heat exhaustion as it may cause serious health issues.
CHANGES IN YOUR FEET
During pregnancy, many women experience swelling in their hands and feet. When you are expecting, your body produces extra fluid especially during third trimester. This fluid retention is the main reason of your swollen feet, hands, and ankles. It can also cause cramps from ankle to your foot. High blood pressure can trigger this problem even more, so eat healthy and drink plenty of water to neutralize your blood pressure. Put your feet up and take proper rest may help to reduce this discomfort.
INCREASED BLOOD VOLUME
When you conceive, your body starts producing more blood to support your pregnancy and needs to carry nutrients to your baby. This simply means that your heart, kidney, and urinary system will have to work harder. This change in circulation and blood volume is the main reason of fatigue, dizziness, and headache during the first trimester. Sometimes, this can also cause varicose veins, hemorrhoids, and inflated face. Eat a healthy, well-balanced diet and eat more frequently to stay energetic.
SLOWER DIGESTION
The factors that can slow down your digestive system during pregnancy are hormonal changes and weight of your growing uterus. This causes frequent changes in your digestive system and may cause heartburn and constipation as well. This indigestion issue is more in the third trimester because of the weight of your growing baby. To ease this issue, drink plenty of water, have more fruits and veggies and exercise regularly.
HORMONAL CHANGES
As soon as you conceive, different hormones like Human chorionic gonadotropin (HCG), human placental lactogen (hPL), estrogen, and progesterone increase in your body. These hormones increase to help support the implantation and pregnancy. This is the main cause of morning sickness, fatigue, dizziness, fluctuation in mood and energy level during early pregnancy.
WEIGHT GAIN
Expecting women gain more weight in the third trimester than earlier few months. Not just because of the weight of the developing baby but also because of the fluid retention in the body, which is essential for baby’s circulation, the placenta and amniotic fluid. Few kilos of weight gain is completely normal but too much weight gain invites many complications as well. So make a routine of having a well-balanced diet and exercise regularly to gain healthy weight and experience happy pregnancy.
HAIR AND NAILS
Due to high level of estrogen in pregnancy, there is a visible change in the texture of your hair and nails. Your head hair becomes healthier, thicker, and grow faster. But sometimes growth of more hair can also be seen in unwanted places as well like upper lips, stomach and around nipples. You may experience faster nail growth as well. But after birth, many women experience hair fall due to fall in estrogen levels in the body, which is normal. But if you experience too much of it, then better to consult your doctor.
CRAMPS
Many women experience leg cramps during pregnancy especially in the second or third trimester. This could be due to the pressure of the baby on the blood vessels and decreased blood circulation, could be due to calcium or magnesium deficiency, or could be due to dehydration. It’s normal to have little uneasiness in your legs. Do a little massage and lift your feet, choose comfortable footwear, stretch your calf muscles, drink plenty of fluids, and take proper supplementation by consulting your doctor and that may help you get relief.
JOINTS AND LIGAMENTS
During pregnancy the body prepares itself for the childbirth, so the ligaments around your abdomen and joints in your pelvic area start to loosen up. This will cause discomfort, round ligament pain, and issues of back pain among many women. For this, a little massage and maternity support belt may help to deal with pain and aches.
SOME OF THE OTHER CHANGES
There are many other changes that you may experience during pregnancy, from which some of them are: a tingling sensation in your hands and feet, you may urinate more frequently, may have trouble sleeping, may heat-up easily, teeth and gums become more sensitive, may feel emotional ups and downs, may experience acne, may feel shortness of breath and many more. Proper diet, supplementation, massage and regular exercise may help you deal with these changes. Always consult your doctor if you experience any severe symptoms.
No-doubt that it gets very difficult and uncomfortable to go through with these changes but that feeling of motherhood is amazing and just completes the women. All these changes can fade away after this nine-months phase but the charm of motherhood will embrace you for the rest of your life. Just look at how beautifully your body changes itself to safely grow and nourish your baby, so embrace those changes.