Body changes during pregnancy
With all the hormonal changes going on, it is hardly surprising that you will notice changes in your body during pregnancy, apart from your growing bump. If you are lucky, you will experience a ‘pregnancy glow’, but not all women do. You may display more unwelcome changes and it is important to remember that most of these disappear once you have given birth
Morning sickness and nausea during pregnancy
This usually starts around week 6, and should improve around week 12-14. However, this is not guaranteed and you may feel nauseous and prone to vomiting for longer than this. Unfortunately ‘morning’ is a misnomer – it is by no means limited to the early part of the day ! Around 80% of pregnant women suffer from pregnancy sickness and many find that eating little and often, keeping hydrated, ginger biscuits or tea, and acupressure wristbands can help. However, if you can not keep anything down and are losing weight, do seek help from a health professional.
Skin changes during pregnancy
You may find that your skin is oily and breaking out in spots – or you may find that your skin becomes dry and itchy. This is normal – but if your skin is intensely itchy over large patches do mention it to your GP or midwife, as it could be a very rare liver condition called obstetric cholestasis.‘Pregnancy mask’ (chloasma) is the appearance of dark patches on the face and neck of light skinned women, and lighter patches on darker skinned women, and appears in around half of pregnancies. Make sure you protect yourself from the sun, as this will make them worse. These usually disappear after the birth.
Stretch marks
Whether you get
stretch marks, and how severely, depends on the elasticity of your skin. The collagen layer of skin, when stretched, can suffer small tears. There is no magic way to prevent stretch marks, although it is sensible to try to gain weight steadily and slowly, take regular gentle exercise and
eat healthily. After birth, stretch marks will change gradually from red to pink, and finally to a silvery colour, so that they are less noticeable.
Teeth
Your gums will soften during pregnancy, and so are more liable to become infected and bleed. In the UK women are entitled to free NHS dental treatment all through their pregnancy and for a year after the birth of their baby, so make sure you take advantage of this !
Don't forget to have a read over the Lansinoh guide to
hormones in pregnancy to discover what role certain hormones have in your pregnancy.
