Pregnancy & The Mother

How pregnancy affects you and your body

Congratulations!!! You’ve just found out you’re pregnant and maybe you’re feeling a little overwhelmed. There’s so much information out there about what you can and can’t do during pregnancy. What you can and can’t eat. So much to remember. If you remember one thing, let it be pregnancy supplements with folic acid.

Relax and embrace the journey

Whether this is your first or fourth, your rainbow baby or unplanned, your body is changing. Your emotions and hormones will be constantly fluctuating. One day you might be feeling on top of the world and the next you might not want to leave your bed. This can all be perfectly normal. The thing with pregnancy, as with most things, is that no two are the same.

It can be really hard not to compare, especially when something is happening in your pregnancy that has not been mentioned to you before. All the worst-case scenarios just go racing around your head when you have a strange pregnancy symptom. Remember, if you are ever worried about something, go to see your doctor or ring your midwife. At the end of the day, it is better to be safe than sorry.

There are many things in pregnancy that can happen to you and your body. So, let’s talk about them. Women should know what happens to them during pregnancy, it should be taught in school to help build respect for what the female body is capable of. Here is a little list to help you prepare.

Light Spotting

This can be one of the first signs of pregnancy, but not everyone notices it. It is when the fertilised egg embeds itself within your uterus wall, getting cosy for the 9 months ahead. This usually happens around two weeks after conception, when you would expect your period to start.

Morning Sickness

This could be one of the first things that you notice. It might even be what first alerts you to that bundle of joy within. However, some women never even have it. Wouldn’t that be nice? I experienced such terrible morning sickness that I began to hate anything that smelled like ginger, despite its recommended effectiveness in fighting nausea.

I always wonder why they call it morning sickness. It doesn’t always happen in the morning. Sometimes it happens when you least expect it. It can even have you jumping out of bed in the middle of the night. As if sleeping while pregnant was not hard enough. There are many levels of morning sickness, so make sure you are looking after yourself. Plenty of water and small meal sizes can help; I know it can be hard to keep some things down. Ginger possesses the ability to help alleviate nausea. Do not go worrying you will have to deal with this for 40 weeks. For most women morning sickness subsides around 16 weeks.

Morning sickness affects everyone differently, so do not feel bad if yours stops you from doing things where it might not be with others. As I said above, everyone’s pregnancy is different. If you begin to experience weakness and dehydration, please seek medical help as there is a serious pregnancy condition called hyperemesis gravidarum.

Fatigue

Fatigue is when you can be physically or mentally exhausted. Maybe you even lack the motivation to do the simplest things. Please be kind to yourself.

Try to keep yourself hydrated and eat small nutritious meals where possible. Though feeling tired is normal during pregnancy, a sudden increase in fatigue could need looking into. During both my pregnancies I had really low iron, which made me really tired. I would nap during the day and still not be able to do anything. A quick trip to the doctor and they can do blood tests and make sure you are ok.

Food aversions and changes in taste

I am sure we all have a favourite food, whether that be your mum’s Sunday roast or a lasagne with garlic bread. However, due to hormone fluctuations during pregnancy, this could all change. You might start craving something else, maybe even something you have never had before. Maybe your staple food becomes impossible to eat. As your sense of smell and your taste buds change, so will your diet. It can be a life changer when you find the foods you can keep down, the ones that do not make you nauseous at the very thought. When I fell pregnant with my second we were eating healthy vegetarian foods. However, within a couple of months, all I wanted was a greasy burger.

Swollen and tender breasts

Swollen and tender breasts can be quite uncomfortable. Luckily though this does not always last too long, and the discomfort should reduce as you progress through your pregnancy.

Frequent urination

Oh, the joys of pregnancy. When you think nothing else could happen, and whammy something else to add to what feels like a never-ending list. You have a human growing inside you, as this tiny bundle of joy gets bigger, the space inside your body gets smaller. So, your pee does not have as much room as it once had. In all fairness, everything inside your abdomen is being pushed aside and rearranged. It might sound scary, but it is truly amazing what your body can do.

What’s happening inside

As your baby grows, so does your uterus. This causes your abdomen to expand and your supporting ligaments to stretch. This can potentially lead to back pains. The volume of blood in your body also increases significantly to supply oxygen and nutrients to the baby, resulting in an increased workload for the heart.

Throughout pregnancy, your body adjusts and adapts to accommodate your baby growing inside you. This also means your organs squishing together to make more room. All this might sound scary, but you were designed for this. The female body is an incredible design.

Owning your Pregnancy & Your Body

After reading all of that, you are probably thinking your pregnancy owns you. It does not have to be that way. Yes, you might be laid up in bed tired and nauseous, but you know what? You are stronger than you think. You are stronger than you have ever thought possible. I am not here to promote toxic positivity. You are going through something tiring, scary, yet somehow incredible. You have every right to be both happy and sad. Seeing your body change can be hard.

Surround yourself with people who support you and the journey you are taking. People who will help you get through the hard days. Ditch the ones that blame you. The ones that say “Oh, well you chose to get pregnant.”

Choosing pregnancy does not invalidate your feelings or journey.

Take a deep breath, hold it in and slowly release. Ground yourself and think about the wonder of your body. Think about what it is doing, and remember that all the sickness and fatigue will not be forever.

Talk to people you trust about how you are feeling, and know you have a right to take up space and be heard. How you are feeling in your pregnancy is valid.

Your body takes everything it needs to grow your baby and leaves you the scraps. So look after yourself, put yourself first and ensure that you are getting enough nutrients to fuel YOU as well as your baby.

Own all the feelings. Understand that they do not make you ungrateful for the miracle inside you. They simply make you human.

Resources and Useful Information during your pregnancy

This blog is based within the UK. Therefore, the following information is based on that system. There are links to paid resources, however, I am not affiliated with these.

So, you have found out you are pregnant and do not know where to turn. Well, first things first you need to either contact your local midwife services or your GP. They will book your first appointment and get your antenatal care started.

Your first midwife appointment will be before you are 10 weeks pregnant, where they will ask you a selection of information regarding your health and family. This is also a good time to ask them any questions and talk about how you are feeling regarding your pregnancy.

Pregnancy week-by-week – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

Your NHS pregnancy journey – NHS (www.nhs.uk)

The above links tell you everything you need to know about the appointments and tests that will be offered on the NHS during your pregnancy here in the UK. There are many resources out there and they can all become a little overwhelming when trying to find what is right for you. I would recommend sticking to information that can be found on trusted sites, such as the NHS website, and staying off of any mum forums. Those things are bad for your mental health.

Antenatal Classes

Antenatal classes can be helpful if you have any questions and want to learn more about after your baby is born. It is also a great place to meet and get to know other parents in your area.

The NTC provide information for parents to be, as well as workshops and antenatal classes. They do charge and I have never used them. However, I have heard great things and many of my friends still meet up with the other parents they met there.

The NHS also offer free antenatal classes, and it could be worth checking with your midwife if there are any local to you. You usually go to these at around 32 weeks.

First Aid

This might seem like a random thing to go to while you are pregnant, but the knowledge you gain will stay with you and it is better to know before you have a baby to look after.

Mini first aid offer paid classes for parents and carers on how to respond to a child in emergency situations and look for signs of something serious.

The Red Cross also provides paid classes to learn baby and child first aid.

There is also a possibility that there are free courses on offer at your local children’s centre.

Maternity Leave

Something that you will also want to think about is Maternity Leave. You will be able to find information on this, in the link to the government website. It gives you information on how to apply, what you are entitled to and for how long. We have quite good maternity here in the UK, and we are very lucky.

I have written this post with my journey in mind. I am fully aware that some pregnancies are far from easy. I am aware that some can be dangerous. To those women, I send my love and hope that you get all the help and support you need.