Pregnancy happens to be a pretty surreal experience for women. This broad term encompasses the mental, emotional as well as physical dishevels, you are always bound to experience during this milestone in your life. Still, this should not in any way come as a shock to you as a little babe is developing within you. With this bundle of joy, often come some extremely freaky hormonal surges. These surges have been known, time and again, to trigger some really wacky things to the bodies of expectant mothers. All this can be quite aptly be summed up in the following simple words; pregnancy is a bizarre, but still magical mystery. Well then, here are some weird things that begin to happen when you are with child.

10. You can get real hippy

As your body starts to accustom itself to the impending delivery process at the end of your pregnancy, the pelvic bone actually starts to split at its middle. This “weird” change is attributable to the hormone Relaxin that works by relaxing the uterine muscle tissue. It also plays a key role in separating the pubic bone and the softening of the cervix. This particular hormone can as well affect other joints in the body, and cause the bane of all pregnant ladies; joint and back pain. This is not helped by the fact that they are carrying an extra load in their bodies. While not all
these changes are in any way amusing, they are good for you and your unborn baby, as they will let you give birth in safe manner.

9. You can start to develop a real darkish side

You might have remarked a darkish line beneath your tummy and belly button, which at times get a bit browner. Well, this is what is called linea niagrea. But when the pregnancy hormones start to do their thing, this dark pigmentation gets more conspicuous. Even worse, this darkening of the skin does not limit itself to this area of your body alone. You can begin to notice real dark spots on your faces that are referred to as melasma.

8. Your vagina appearance can literally become indistinguishable

With pregnancy, you can start notice that the appearance of your vagina has started to alter in a drastic manner to a bluish or even a purplish hue. This is known as the Chadwick sign. At the same time, your vagina can begin to “flesh” up due to an augmentation in blood flow. For those really unlucky women, pregnancy can also make them to sport strange sore and bluish varicose veins on their vulvas. This is usually attributable to the extra weight and pressure that is exerted on the uterus. This occurrence, in turn, triggers a reduction of blood flow to your nether regions. Fortunately, all this starts to clear up several weeks after delivery.

7. Hair growth everywhere

The hormone upheavals that pregnancy perpetrates can cause increased hair growth in literally every area of your body. As a boon, the hair on your head will become longer and thicken. However, sometimes like it has just been pointed, you can start noticing hair growth on regions where you have never had a wisp of hair. Some of the most notable of these areas are the face, chest, tummy and even the arms. This weird occurrence is normally attributable to an increase of male hormones production from the ovaries and placenta. Fortunately, this spurt of extraordinary hair growth wanes off after you give birth. So, never freak out, when you start sporting a mustache.

6. Brain fog

A recent study has revealed that around 80% of ladies often experience memory lapses. No one really understands why this is the case or even the factors which trigger it. Yet, it is likely due to hormonal dishevels, sleep deprivation and pent up stress that characterize pregnancy.

5. Bloating everywhere

Your tummy is not the only area of your body where you will develop a bump during pregnancy. It is very common among expectant mothers to experience bloating and swelling across their whole bodies. This includes the face, feet, calves and fingers. The reason behind this queer bloating tends to vary. Partly, it can caused by excessive fluid levels retained in your body during pregnancy. On the other hand, the frequent surges in the hormones estrogen and progesterone can trigger the soft muscles to relax. In some cases, this will cause your digestive system to slow down in order to guarantee nutrients can be extracted for the growing baby. A natural byproduct is the increased accumulation of excessive gas, which is another critical factor to the general bloating effect. And, of course, the endless burping that invariably follows suit.

4. Vampire breath

I just can’t get enough of those pesky hormonal upheavals that occur during pregnancy. Well, when these hormones do their thing, the bacteria found in your mouth can get inflamed and overgrown, and in the extreme, can trigger bleeding and you guessed it, bad breath.

3. Leakages

When you get pregnant, rampage leakage is yet another weird thing you can begin to experience. The flood banks can burst open not only from the vagina, but also the breasts, and in some circumstances, from both of them at the same time. It is perfect natural for the amount, texture as well as frequency of bodily discharges to alter in a drastic manner. This is simply because you are carrying a baby within you. Still, most of these leakages are not in any way dangerous. But for greater safety, always make it point to consult your gynecologist to absolutely rule out
amniotic fluid leakage, infections or sexual transmitted diseases.

2. Your voice can drastic alter

The dramatic increase in the production of estrogen and progesterone can even affect virtually all areas of your body when you are with child. This can include your lung capacity and muscle regulation. All of these alterations can cause your vocal cords to get swollen. In turn, this will make you to lose the capacity of reaching higher vocal notes , but strangely it will also lead to a significant gain in the lower vocal range. This change is, of course, temporary and your voice will get normal after your delivery.

1. Itchy tummy

When the skin is stretched in a rapid manner, it can get very dry, itchy irritable, and yes, this very often results in the dreaded stretch marks. When it comes to the itchy feeling, its severity can vary from one lady to next, but it always a very uncomfortable experience. To be able to efficiently deal with this issue, reduce the temperature of your shower or bath. Alternatively, you can apply a moisturizing cream or oil, prior to drying yourself after you take a bath.

On a parting shot, if you are really interested in hearing your unborn baby’s heartbeat always ensure that you procure a convenient fetal doppler to help you out. With a high quality device, you will be able to hear your baby’s heartbeat from between 8 to 12 weeks after conception.

Author: Susy Richards is a lovely mother of 3 girls (3 years, 4 years and 5) and a simple woman who is ready to share her priceless experience with other mommies around the world. She is an Advanced Practice Provider who passed birth doula and postpartum doula courses at Childbirth International in 2013. Susy is passionate about providing holistic care and is involved in pregnancy research currently publishing her articles concerning pregnancy on site rocketparents.com