Body Changes During Pregnancy
Every women experiences different physiological changes during her pregnancy. A lot of hormonal alterations are occurring, and the way that your body deals with them depends a lot on your own immune system and metabolism, and also on your diet and exercise routine. Not all of the symptoms of pregnancy occur at the same time. In fact, some women might not experience some of them at all. Again, it varies from case to case. Here is a brief summary of the bodily changes that can occur in the different stages of pregnancy.
The First Trimester
During the first thirteen weeks of your pregnancy you will experience a lot of internal changes. Your body might not start to look different until you’re close to the thirteenth week, but you will experience things like nausea, increased frequency of headaches, etc. Again, some women don’t experience some of these symptoms at all, and the degree to which they manifest varies.
- Increased mood swings
- Urinating with increased frequency
- Headaches
- Weight gain
- Morning sickness
- Exhaustion
- Breast swelling and soreness
- Cravings for unusually food
- Constipation
The Second Trimester
The next thirteen weeks are a bit harder. This is when your body actually starts getting bigger. Your belly swells and you actually start looking like you’re pregnant. Pants won’t fit anymore and a change of wardrobe is usually required. You may also wish to pick up a pregnancy nursing bra. While morning sickness and fatigue go away somewhat, overall physical discomfort increases.
- Body aches (esp. back and abdomen)
- Dry skin along said stretch marks
- A dark line from your belly button to your pubic area (linea nigra)
- Stretch marks
- Slight swelling of feet, fingers and face
The Third Trimester – Weeks 26 through 40
The final thirteen weeks are usually the hardest. Sleeping becomes difficult as your physical discomfort increases, and moving around gets a lot more tiring. In addition, a lot of the symptoms of the second trimester are still there. Here are the changes that happen in the third trimester.
- Pre-milk, also called colostrums, leaking from your nipples
- Heartburn
- Shortness of breath
- Painful contractions, which may signal the beginning of labor or may not.
Ryan Frank is a 23 year writer and blogger living in San Diego, CA.
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