You may feel happy with a new life growing inside of you and your body undergoes some changes. Here are some common changes you should expect during pregnancy: morning sickness, weight gain, skin changes and breast changes.
Morning Sickness
It is common that in early pregnancy you may experience nausea or vomiting, also known as morning sickness. Morning sickness which is thought to be caused by hormonal changes can happen anytime of the day and night, not only morning. Even though morning sickness is unpleasant, it won’t harm your baby.
You can try to take more rest and avoid the food or smells you don’t like. Also, food and drinks that contain ginger are suggested to take. Ginger has been proved to relieve nausea. Remember to check with your doctor before taking ginger too.
Weight Gain
It is suggested to gain 11-15kg if your BMI is normal. In recent studies, only one-third of womens gained weight as recommended while most pregnant women gained weight outside the recommendations. Please note that weight gain if you are pregnant for twins or triplet may be different. Check with your doctor about your weight gain goals.
Why should you gain weight as recommended? If you gain less weight, you may deliver a smaller baby which may cause breastfeeding problems or developmental delays. On the other hand, if you gain more than the recommended amount of weight, you may experience delivery complications, C-section delivery and also obesity problems in the future.
You are suggested to have a balanced diet and limit your sugar intake. Avoid gaining more calories than needed. (Only 340 additional calories per day you need during the second trimester and 450 additional calories per day you need during the third trimester.)
Skin Changes
Stretch marks are the most common skin changes during pregnancy. Since nearly 90% pregnant mum will experience stretch marks or hyper-pigmentation, you will find a lot of lotions or creams at the market functioning to prevent them. Pay attention to the ingredients of them before buying.
Also, you may have heard of “pregnancy glow” before. Your face turns oily and brighter due to hormonal changes. Don’t worry, you can try an oil-free cleanser to clean your face. What’s more, you may experience varicose veins at your legs during pregnancy. To prevent it, avoid standing for a long time and walk as much as you can to improve blood circulation.
Breast Changes
Breast change is the early sign of pregnancy. You may notice that your breasts grow in size and become tender, sore and heavy, that’s why your pre-pregnancy bras are tight to you. Also, your nipples become larger and darker to prepare for breastfeeding. It’s time to consider picking a maternity bra to support your changing breasts well.
Before purchasing your new bra, you can consider if the bra meets all your needs as below:
- Is it stretchable to fit your changing breasts from pregnancy to nursing?
- Does it feature with wider straps and no underwire to provide maximum comfort?
- Is it 2-in-1 maternity and nursing bras?
Mum’s body is pretty amazing when she is pregnant. Be happy and positive always with these changes and talk with your OB-GYN doctor if you have any concerns.
Leave a Reply