Does your man know how pregnancy will change you?

Dramatic physical and emotional changes your man should expect

If your man says to you, ‘I need to take you to the hospital’, because you are vomiting from nausea, it may be because you are not talking enough about how pregnancy will affect you. Does your man really know what lies ahead and how much pregnancy will change you? Take some time and read this together and bear in mind that the actual list of changes is much longer than this one!

More weight
‘I was only 64 kilograms before pregnancy,’ says Nancy Bartilol (7 months pregnant ). Now I am 74.5 kilograms, and going! ‘Just look at me. I am BIG!’

Your body has to adapt to carrying the additional weight of the baby, the fat deposits, the amniotic fluid and the weight of the placenta. This will cause your body size to increase, in addition to your tummy starting to protrude.

Sensitive skin
‘Look at my face!’ exclaims Nancy with a tone of disappointment. ‘My skin has become blotchy and developed brownish pigments which look like pimples. My face is also oily, giving it a disturbing glow. I wasn’t like this before pregnancy!’

Some blotchy, brownish pigment may appear on the forehead and cheeks. During early pregnancy you may develop acne especially if you were prone to breakouts during menstrual periods before becoming pregnant. There will be patches on your face caused by hormonal changes. These patches are normal and will clear soon after delivery.

You may have an itchy skin particularly around the belly and breasts. This happens as the skin stretches to adapt to your body’s growth.

A dark line called linea nigra appears from the navel to the pubic area. This line fades after delivery. Pregnancy hormones can cause the skin glands to release oil which may leave your face glowing.

Bigger breasts
Breasts enlarge because hormones are preparing the breasts to produce milk. They also enlarge because the glands that produce milk gradually increase in number and start to produce milk. The breasts also feel firm and tender.

Aches and Fatigue
The joints and ligaments in a woman’s pelvis loosen and become more flexible, causing aches and fatigue. This change helps make room for the enlarging uterus and prepares the woman for delivery.

More urine
The uterus presses on the bladder reducing its size making it fill with urine more quickly than usual. This pressure causes a pregnant woman to urinate more often and more urgently.

Vomiting
Around the sixth week you will start getting a feeling of sickness in the morning accompanied by nausea and vomiting. This feeling is not only confined to the morning but you may get it later on during the day.

Your man will have to contend with changing moods — same seat, same room, changing feelings. Now you laugh, now you don’t.

END: PG 3/16