Whether you’ve planned it or it was a complete accident having a baby is one of the most joyous experiences you and your partner will ever go through.
We’ll bet you’re worried and confused about the changes your body (or your partner’s body) is going to be put through. Well, here’s what happens to a mother-to-be’s body every month.
Most people know they’re expecting after missing a period. But, other early symptoms of pregnancy are feeling tired, bloated, going to the bathroom more than usual, being moody, feeling sick, and/or swollen boobs.
Don’t expect to have all the symptoms or any right away, but it’s normal for a person to have at least 1.
Month 2 This is normally when you start to feel your pregnancy symptoms. You could be feeling very tired, going to the bathroom more, suffer from heartburn, nausea, have tender boobs, and vomiting normally gets a lot worse.
Your body will now start producing extra blood which will get your heart beating harder and faster.
Most of your 2nd-month symptoms will carry on into your 3rd month or will get worse. Your boobs will grow and change; your nipple area could grow bigger and darker. If you’re normally acne prone, you could have breakouts.
Normally you’ll gain around 2 pounds in your first 3 months of pregnancy, but, if you're over or under weight, you could experience a totally different weight gain. You will need to have a talk with your doctor about how you can maintain a healthy weight throughout your pregnancy.
You can let out a sigh of relief, because most of the early pregnancy signs go away, and nausea gets less. But, now, you’ll go through other problems like digestive issues (heartburn and/or constipation).
Your boobs keep on changing and growing; they’ll feel sore, and your nipples will carry on growing and getting darker.
It’s normal to feel like you have a shortness of breath or you’ve started to breathe faster.
Your increased blood flow could start giving you some really unpleasant symptoms, like nosebleeds, bleeding gums, or you could feel like your nose is blocked. You might feel faint or dizzy because of your blood level changes.
This is when most women start to feel their baby move around; if you feel like you’ve got butterflies in your tummy, then you know your little one is exploring movement.
Normally, your 4th-month symptoms will carry on into your 5th month.
You’ll normally continue to have the same symptoms from your 4th and 5th month. If you had shortness of breath, it could get better in this month.
You may start to produce colostrum, the tiny drops of early milk; this could carry on for the rest of your pregnancy, too.
You might go through what is known as Braxton-Hicks contractions. These contractions feel like a painless squeezing in your uterus. Don’t freak out, it’s your uterus, basically, practicing for labor. If you’re having painful contractions, you need to see your doctor to make sure everything is fine.
Your uterus is still growing in your 7th month, and back pain is very common. Your symptoms normally carry over but, your dizziness could get better.
You could feel a lot more tired now, and you could have more difficulty breathing because of your upward uterus growth.
In this month, you might develop blue or red veins (varicose veins) on your legs or hemorrhoids (varicose veins in your rectum); hemorrhoids can be itchy, painful, and can cause bleeding.
You could also start developing some stretch marks from where your skin has stretched. It is possible to urinate a little when you sneeze, laugh or cough. This is because of the pressure your uterus has on your bladder.
Your changing hormones could make your hair look healthier and fuller.
In your 9th month, your baby starts putting a lot more strain on your body; you may still have your old pregnancy symptoms. But, you could now be having difficulty sleeping, holding in going to the bathroom, and feel a lot more tired than before.
Your baby might drop into your lower uterus, which could lessen your constipation and heartburn. But, some babies don’t move down until the end of the pregnancy.
At the end of your pregnancy, your uterus would have spread from your pelvis to the bottom of your rib cage. All your symptoms are dependant on whether your baby has moved down or not.
If your baby drops down, then your shortness of breath, heartburn, and constipation could get better. But, with your baby moving down, you will have to go to the bathroom a lot more, and you’ll have a difficult time holding it in.
Your cervix could start to open (dilate) getting ready for labor and delivery, or this could happen as you go into labor. You might feel a sharp pain as this happens.
Once your baby has had the chance to say hello to the world, your body will start to get rid of the placenta and other tissues, this is known as afterbirth.
Now, this is a lot to take in and can sound horrible, but how many women do you know who would relieve the whole thing all over again?
Click here to find out how your baby develops every week.
