Being pregnant is one treasured experience almost every woman wants to achieve at least once in their lifetime. It is a moment of celebration while you see that two straight lines on your pregnancy strip or when the gynecologist congratulates you with that ultimate good news. But the real-life pregnancy is something different than they create on a ‘Happy Mommy’ photoshoot. Suddenly the body you used to know for years starts to react differently. You sense your excitement of welcoming a new life. Immediately after a few seconds, you feel entirely depressed about how you will manage to raise a tiny soul. On the spur of the moment, you realize you have no control over your emotions like you had before. Thanks to the abrupt hormonal changes!
A mom-to-be generally faces so many changes that they might feel they have been living one entire life during these nine months. Trust us! We are not here to scare you. But while planning of having a child or staying in the early days of pregnancy, it’s every mom’s right to become aware of some facts no one will tell them precisely.
1. The Expansion of Uterus: 500 Times its Actual Size
A healthy newborn who sustains almost full terms in his/her mommy’s uterus generally weighs between 6-9 lbs. The size of a newborn depends on several factors such as birth at earlier or later pregnancy, baby’s gender, mother’s health, nutrition, etc. No matter how the baby’s weight is, you can’t expect to grow a child within the exact size of the uterus you had before expecting.
According to APA (American Pregnancy Association), During the first trimester of pregnancy (12 weeks), the size of the uterus remains the size of a grapefruit and fits within the pelvis. However, during the second trimester, it starts to cross the pelvis area and takes the shape of papaya. The uterus stops growing at the last stage of the third trimester. But at that time, it catches the figure of a watermelon which is 500 times larger than the uterus you had without a child.
Sounds scary! Not anymore after the pregnancy period, as you may have the same sized uterus back within the six weeks after the child is born.
2. Stretch Marks: the Odd Effect Due to the Body Expansion
It is not only the uterus that expands while carrying the baby. Almost all of your body part starts to bear the change marks, especially your womb’s adjacent muscles. The skin has to adapt with continuous expansion and contracting. Throughout the process, the body faces faster enlargement than the skin can cover. Therefore, after the sixth or seventh month, the skin starts to tear, which causes stretch-marks. You can’t stop stretch marks from immerging during pregnancy, but you have the option to minimize them. You can ensure the best defense by maintaining skin hydration and elasticity. American Pregnancy Association suggests consuming foods rich in Vitamin E, C, B2, B3, zinc & silica to maintain skin elasticity. Vitamin C as an antioxidant prevents skin tissue damage, Vitamin B2 & B3 promotes healthy skin.
3. You and Your Best-fitted Clothes become two Complete Strangers
What to expect from your clothes when you have no control over your body? You can easily squeeze yourself within your old clothes till the second trimester, but no more in the third trimester. That doesn’t mean you have to wear some oversized garments that will completely seize your fashion sense. Think of ordering some maternity wears that will flaunt your body, provide a new look, and will also increase your confidence level.
4. Your Abdominal Muscles can be in Danger
According to medical science, more than half of pregnant women face this problem mentioned as Diastasis Recti Abdominis. Because of the hormonal changes and growing uterus, a pooch often forms on the lower abdomen of a pregnant woman and remains even after childbirth. It happens due to the parting of the rectus abdominis muscle.
Not every time, it is diagnosable. And, maximum new moms neglect the symptoms thinking that the pain happens because of breastfeeding and carrying their infants. It’s not a severe medical condition. Still, whenever you suffer from immense pain in the lower back or face trouble while lifting heavy objects, consult with an experienced physician immediately.
5. You should have Basic Knowledge about Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a syndrome that creates pores in bones because of calcium deficiency. A baby’s skeleton requires a bulk of calcium to form the bones, and it squeezes all the calcium from the mom’s body. New mommies who do not take plenty of calcium tend to have Osteoporosis.
As an expecting mom, try to keep yogurt, and cheese (like mozzarella, cheddar, cottage, parmesan), broccoli, kale, oranges in your diet chart from the very first days as an expecting mom. These food items naturally produce calcium within the body and ensure both the mom’s and baby’s healthy structure.
6. Pregnancy may Outgrow Your Feet
Numerous ligaments and tendons start to loosen and relax during pregnancy. Also, your extra weight may become the reason behind the broader feet. Women often get confused between the term swollen and enlarged feet. Swollen feet often emerge at 0night. But if your feet remain larger during the whole day long, be sure they are growing. When the problem is your feet’ outgrowth, they will not gain the pre-pregnancy size even after childbirth. You need to perform proper foot exercises and stretches to get rid of those larger feet.
7. Pregnancy brain or forgetfulness
During pregnancy, less oxygen in women’s blood vessels causes unwanted forgetfulness, which is also known as pregnancy-brain in medical terms. It can happen due to hormonal changes, sleep deprivation, stress & anxiety, etc. Thus, if you face unwanted forgetfulness while maintaining your daily life, don’t feel weird or sacred. Try to get enough sleep, take a healthy meal, enough water, and stress less.
8. The Linea Nigra or Blackline
Pregnancy develops a dark vertical line on the lower abdomen, which is medically known as linea nigra. For many women, it eventually goes away after childbirth. But if it doesn’t go away naturally even after the arrival of their babies, an associate physician and instructor in dermatology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital in Boston, Vaneeta Sheth, M.D., suggests applying a little lemon juice every day to fade the affected area.
9. Pregnancy Fears
Though a bit of tension is common among pregnant women, many frequently become more stressed than they should. The hormonal changes play a vital role in this situation. Pregnant women remain scared about the thought that their eating and activities may negatively affect their baby. Various think that their life will not be the same after pregnancy, like their weight, sex life, mental condition, etc., and many often worry about their labor time and their unborn child’s health condition.
Be aware of all the changes you will face during pregnancy, but do not get panicked. Every chaos happening with you is natural. It happens with every mom-to-be. Moreover, let us assure you that the feeling that you will have a child is more robust than all the weird and scary parts of being pregnant. So, live that chaos, be knowledgeable to remain safe, and don’t forget to enjoy the moment to the fullest where a new life is growing inside you.
