By definition, pregnancy changes your body. In fact, there are few conditions that have the kind of dramatic impact on your body that pregnancy will have. Some of those changes are temporary, and some are more long-lasting. Some are mild, and some are severe. Many are painful, and some are merely uncomfortable. Others amount to little more than a mild irritation.
Here are some of the kinds of body changes during pregnancy you can expect:
- Body changes during early pregnancy. Some of the first changes to your body are the signs that let you know you’re pregnant. You might have implantation bleeding, for example. You might have morning sickness. (Around 70 percent of women have some amount of morning sickness or another.) Your breasts will probably become tender. You may need to urinate more frequently, although this often doesn’t come until much later. You’ll stop having a period, as well.
- Body changes as pregnancy progresses. As you get further along, you’ll start to get a bit of a baby bump. The closer you get to delivery, the bumpier it will get. You may also see some extra weight around your hips. The breasts will usually swell up a bit, and probably become more firm. Some women experience darkening of the areolas during pregnancy, as well. Eventually, your center of gravity will change and you’ll get ready for delivery.
- Some changes are more sporadic. There are a number of body changes during pregnancy that may occur at inconsistent times, or that may not affect all women. Your joints might ache. You might get acne. You might get stretch marks. You may feel light-headed. Some women experience things like heartburn and hemorrhoids for the first time during pregnancy, as well.
Every woman is different, and so is every pregnancy. If you’re concerned about having or not having specific body changes during pregnancy, you should speak with your health care provider.
