7 Surprising Ways Pregnancy Transforms Your Body

When you’re a mom who is looking to see how your body is going to change during your pregnancy, you will have a lot of things to look at and think about.

The differences will vary from person to person as you progress with your pregnancy, but that doesn’t mean you won’t experience many changes while you’re pregnant.

In this article, we will give you a better idea of how your body will change and adapt to the child growing inside of you.

Obviously, other things may happen than what we are talking about here, but it is at least a good start for you to consider and look at while you’re going through your pregnancy journey.

Respiratory system changes and adjustments

Your respiratory system includes your lungs, throat, esophagus, and other organs that help you breathe properly.

Because you are not just breathing for yourself anymore; you are also breathing for your child, your respiratory system has to make a number of different adjustments to work overtime effectively and without causing stress or irritation.

Here are just a few of the things that you will notice with your respiratory system.

You will have a faster rate of breathing (respiratory rate). You won’t be hyperventilating, but you will notice that you breathe a lot more every minute.

As with anyone who is carrying extra weight, you may notice that you may get out of breath when you do physical activity that is more than the norm, like walking upstairs or doing the laundry. This is due to your excess weight, so it takes more oxygen to move.

You may notice that your body cannot do as much with the air you take in, mainly because the baby is taking some of that air away and using it for their own needs.

You may have issues like increased tidal value and respiratory alkalosis, both of which are easily dealt with. Your doctor can give you more information on these potential issues and tell you how to prevent and/or treat them as necessary.

Changes in your heart and blood flow

Your cardiovascular system, which includes your heart and your veins, is incredibly important in your body because it helps to prevent disease, it makes it easier for you to breathe, and it gives your body the nutrients that it needs through your blood.

Your immune system and the white blood cells that accompany it are produced and sent around the body along with your cardiovascular system. That being said, your blood flow will have to make some adjustments in order to effectively deal with your baby, and so you may notice a variety of changes happening to make those accommodations.

Here are a couple of the most obvious ones you may encounter.

Your heart will pump out a lot more blood, so you will be dealing with increased blood flow as a result. This will help everything get through your body and into your child’s body a lot more effectively.

You will likely notice that your heart rate is a bit higher than it was previously. This isn’t of concern, and it happens because of what we just mentioned—your heart works harder to ensure better blood flow for you and the baby.

During the second trimester, you’ll notice something that is a little bit odd compared to what you’ve experienced for the rest of the time. Your blood pressure is actually going to be less instead of more. This isn’t odd, so there’s nothing for you to be concerned about.

Your blood will be a lot thicker than it was when you first became pregnant. That’s because you have more nutrients running around in there and a lot more waste to deal with. This won’t make much of a difference, except for your blood pressure, which we just addressed.

Digestive tract and system changes

Your stomach will always be hungry, but that isn’t the only thing that will change in your digestive system when you’re pregnant.

Since your digestive system is no longer just providing for you, it also provides for the little one growing inside you. The body will naturally make a number of adaptations to ensure that the little one gets everything that it needs to digest its food appropriately.

Your digestive tract will do just a few things to ensure that you and your baby get the nutrients you need.

As mentioned in the introduction to this section, you will feel a lot more hungry than you used to, mainly because you’re eating for two instead of one.

You will also be burning a lot more energy to get around and function, so that’s something else you want to consider. It’s fine if you want to eat more, just as long as you make excellent choices that will benefit you and the baby.

Sometimes, you will crave foods that you really didn’t think that you were ever going to crave, and in combinations that you probably didn’t even consider before. This is because your hormones are acting a little bit odd, and, on top of that, you just want to eat whatever you are able to get your hands on at that point in time.

Acid reflux and heartburn are two big problems that many pregnant women deal with on a regular basis. This is due to the fact that your baby is located near your stomach, and since everything is moved around a little bit in there, you’re a lot more likely to fight off reflux. Be careful with the foods that you’re eating, and watch out for triggers. You’ll be fine.

Morning sickness is incredibly common, mainly because our bodies are more sensitive, our hormones are all over the place, and our bodies are just not acting how we feel they are supposed to. However, there are many ways you can deal with morning sickness (and we have a whole article on it that you can check out as well).

Constipation and diarrhea can also occur if you aren’t careful, mainly because of what you’re eating and how drained those things will become of nutrients because of you and the baby. It may make passing some of those foods harder, and you may be uncomfortable. A simple laxative or eating more carbohydrates can help with both of these problems and make it much easier to pass your stools.

Breasts

Your breasts are, of course, an incredibly important part of your life and the life of your baby. That’s why, during pregnancy, your body will start to make changes so that your breasts are ready to do their job whenever you actually have your child.

Some of these changes may be uncomfortable, but they will serve their purpose in the long run. Here are just a few of the most important changes that will happen to your breasts during your pregnancy.

Your breasts are going to become much larger. On average, women notice that they go up at least a cup size, if not more, while they are pregnant. This is to accommodate the milk and because of the hormonal changes that occur while you are pregnant. You may notice stretch marks and other changes as a result, which we will discuss more in the skin portion below.

Because of this growth and a number of other factors, your breasts could end up being a lot more painful and tender than they would have otherwise. You may notice that it’s hard to touch them, uncomfortable to wear a bra, and/or difficult lying down at night.

You can try many options to help your back and the rest of your body feel better during this period—look at various products, try them out, and see what helps you function more comfortably.

During your third trimester, you could end up dealing with many problems, including leakage from your breasts. Usually referred to as colostrums, this pre-milk is when your breasts start leaking so your body can more easily make the milk you need for breastfeeding. You may also notice milk that starts to leak, depending on what your hormones decide to do.

Because your nipples are going to be the main part of you getting milk to your child, they are going to likely become larger as time goes on. This could also make them tenderers, but that isn’t a cause for alarm. If they appear to be infected or swollen, you may need to get them checked out by your doctor, but otherwise, you don’t have to worry about it.

Muscles and Abdominal Changes

Your muscles have to change to ensure you can carry your weight and protect your child. This is especially true when you’re looking at your abdominal muscles, which will be dealing with the brunt of what you’re trying to take care of when you’re pregnant.

These will deal with a lot of pressure and a bit of pain while you are adjusting to them, but as you know, it all has its purpose, and you will start to see a huge difference when you are growing. Here’s how your muscles and your abdomen will adjust during your pregnancy.

When your abdominal area starts to expand, you will likely notice that everything in your abdomen feels a bit crowded. That is mainly because your uterus is making your abdomen expand, and it’s actually almost near your ribcage. This may result in discomfort, but it’s normal.

Your spine actually makes a lot of changes while you are pregnant. The skeleton will actually adjust to the size of your uterus, and on top of that, you will notice that your discs and such are sitting differently as well. Many women will opt to go to a chiropractor during and after their pregnancy to make sure that they can move around easily.

Your leg muscles will get a lot of work, and you may notice that they are sore because of how hard you push them.

Skin changes

Many people don’t realize it, but your skin will also take some time to get used to what is going on with your body. Obviously, you’re going to have to adapt to your large belly, but there are a handful of other things that you’ll need to do in order for your skin to adapt to what is going on with the rest of your body.

Here’s a brief overview of some of the things that you should consider.

Your skin will expand, especially in your abdominal area, and you will start to see stretch marks. While they can’t necessarily be helped, you can use various oils and butter to ensure that you reduce their appearance and make it easier for them to heal when your pregnancy is over.

You may notice that certain areas of your body have a different skin color than they did. This hyperpigmentation is common, and you don’t have to feel stressed about it at all—the color will likely go back to normal after you are done breastfeeding. You may also notice that your skin is redder in certain areas.

Dry skin is incredibly common and can cause a number of problems if you don’t treat it as it needs to be. Consider using moisturizing creams and other such things to reduce inflammation, redness, and swelling that you may be experiencing due to drying your skin. You may also notice spider veins, which can be treated in much the same manner as dry skin.

Are There Any Other Changes?

Obviously, these are not the only changes you will encounter when you are pregnant. Your body has a lot that it has to deal with, so it will do everything it can to make sure that you can continue living and thriving while taking care of your little one.

Other changes may include changes in your oral health, your mind (“baby brain,” as many people refer to it), swollen ankles and feet, and nail and hair brittleness. You may also notice that you’re more likely to use the bathroom because the baby is sometimes almost sitting on your bladder.

Other changes may or may not occur based on the way that your body works and the needs that your body may have while taking care of the little one.

There could also be other changes related to the parts of the body and the systems we discussed above that we didn’t mention here. Your doctor will let you know whether or not the changes you’re experiencing are normal and will guide you through them.

Your body goes through so many changes when you’re pregnant that it’s important to understand them before you start going down the path of pregnancy.

Sometimes, the changes you see and notice may be much more severe than you realize, or they may not even be related to your pregnancy. If you are unsure about something you’re experiencing, then make sure to contact your doctor as soon as possible.

They can help you evaluate what is going on and then give you advice related to your current condition. As with any situation, it is always best to get the advice that you need from your doctor before you try to deal with it yourself—they can help you with everything and anything that may be concerning you and your pregnancy.

Reference URLs:

http://www.parents.com/pregnancy/week-by-week/your-changing-body/

http://www.healthline.com/health/pregnancy/body-changes-infographic

http://www.livescience.com/50877-regnancy-body-changes.html