Your body goes through some incredible changes during pregnancy
In this post HARTMANN DIRECT tell us about just some of them
Mamas – we are amazing!
#1 You grow a new organ!
The placenta is a multi-talented and brand-new organ that passes nutrients and oxygen from you to your growing baby. It protects your baby from infection too and helps to remove waste products such as carbon dioxide. It weighs about 1.5lbs when your baby is born.
#2 Your Ligaments Relax
The high level of pregnancy hormones has weird and wonderful effects on the body but one downside is that there are some hormones that cause your ligaments to relax. This can mean aches and pains around your joints, especially your lower back.
#3 Swelling is Common
From puffy ankles to a slightly swollen face, oedema, the retention of fluid in your body can cause various parts of your body to swell. Elevate your feet higher than your hips for at least 15 minutes a day and make sure you sure still drinking plenty of water to keep your kidneys in great shape.
#4 Your Skin Changes too
Again, those pregnancy hormones that make sure your baby grows well cause dry skin. And with extra collagen in your skin, as your bump and breasts grow, stretch marks can be the result. Use a light moisturiser on your skin and after birth, most stretch marks fade.
#5 Your Womb Holds a Pint of Water
At the start of pregnancy, your uterus is the size and shape of a small pear but by the end of nine months, it is an oversized watermelon! Not only is it full of baby but there is about a pint of water in there too. This amniotic fluid keeps your baby safe as it grows.
#6 Your hair Becomes Thicker
Pregnant women will often enjoy thicker, glossier hair and again, it’s all down to the change in hormones. Hair growth slows down and hair loss is reduced, hence more locks for you to tousle. BUT, this is the bad news, this ‘excess’ hair is shed after birth because once again, your hormone levels have changed. The ‘shedding’ soon stops and is nothing to worry about.
#7 Incontinence Can Be a Problem
As well as the weight of the baby on your bladder, hormones that cause ligaments to relax can also cause the pelvic floor muscle to become less effective at its jobs: holding urine in the bladder. Incontinence can be kept in check with pelvic floor exercises and incontinence pads can help you manage any leaks on a day to day basis.
#8 You Produce More Blood
Your total blood volume is 50% higher than normal during pregnancy and cardiac output – the bit where your heart squeezes out blood around the body – is 40% more. You also make more blood cells, 20% more, in fact, all of which helps to carry the extra oxygen you and your baby need during pregnancy.
#9 Your Sense of Smell is Stronger
90% of what you taste is down to the sense of smell. Surging hormones increase our sense of smell and that means that some of the foods we once loved are now foods we find too strongly flavoured etc. Hormones also affect how things small and so again, the morning tea you enjoyed pre-pregnancy is now very off-putting.
#10 Your Baby is fed before You
Your body is truly amazing. Knowing that it is nurturing and carrying a new life within it, it makes sure that all the vitamins and minerals the growing baby needs are given to it first and you get what’s left. Eating a varied and healthy diet with moderate exercise ensures that you and your baby have more than enough of everything you need.
#11 Your Teeth Need Extra Care
Some women find that their oral health suffers during pregnancy but with regular visits to your dentist and a great oral hygiene routine, this shouldn’t be a problem. There is an old wives’ tale that says a woman lost a tooth for each of her pregnancies but thankfully, healthcare and understanding of nutrition and diet have increased dramatically in the previous few decades.
#12 Digestion Slows Down…
… and this can lead to constipation, uncomfortable at any time but certainly during pregnancy. As you advance through the weeks until the birth, eat smaller meals and more often and make sure you drink plenty of fluids. If it keeps happening, don’t suffer, talk to your midwife who will be able to help.
HARTMANN Direct have been providing incontinence pads and products for many years to customers across the country. Managing incontinence is so much easier with high-quality continence products from a leading manufacturer.
This is a collaborative post