Body Changes

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BACKACHE

As you body’s weight, shape, and balance change, you may alter the

way you sit and stand. This can cause muscle strain. In late pregnancy,   

if the baby is facing front with the back of his or her head pressing

against your sacrum, severe low backache may result.

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BLADDER PROBLEMS

During the first trimester, your growing uterus and developing baby press against your bladder, causing a frequent need to urinate. This will happen again near the end of pregnancy, when the baby has dropped in preparation for being born. Hormones and the increased volume of your circulation also affect bladder control and the potential for urinary tract infections.

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BREASTS

Your breasts produce colostrum, a yellowish or clear liquid, intended to be your baby’s first food. some women experience leakage of this fluid in late pregnancy. Others do not. Either condition is normal.

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CONSTIPATION

During pregnancy, your growing uterus takes up part of the working space of your digestive system. Hormones, too may slow intestinal movement. In some cases, iron and vitamin supplements may contribute to constipation.

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FAINTNESS

If you stand for long periods of time, low blood pressure may cause faintness. This is especially likely to occur in warm, crowded places or during long, uncomfortable periods of inactivity, such as standing on line at a check out counter. In late pregnancy, lying on your back may cause your blood pressure to drop and you may feel dizzy or faint when you first get up. Faintness may also result from low blood sugar or anemia (too little iron in the blood).

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GUMS

During pregnancy, the increase in your volume of circulation and supply of certain hormones may cause tenderness, swelling, and bleeding of gums. A lack of vitamin C in your diet also may contribute to this condition.

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HEADACHES

Nasal congestion, fatigue, eyestrain, caffeine withdrawal, anxiety,

and tension are all possible causes of headaches during pregnancy

(and any other time). In late pregnancy, a sharp, blinding headache

that affects your vision may be associated with pre-eclampsia and

should be reported to your care provider.

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HEARTBURN / INDIGESTION

During pregnancy, your digestive system may work more slowly. Your enlarging uterus crowds your stomach and may cause stomach acids to be pushed upward. Both of these things may lead to heartburn and intestinal gas, or indigestion.

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HEMORRHOIDS

The increased volume of your circulation causes dilation of veins in your rectum and vagina. There is added pressure from your growing uterus.

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LEG CRAMPS

Calcium, which affects muscle contraction, is less easily absorbed during pregnancy. Pressure from your growing uterus slows circulation in the legs, and this may lead to cramps. Leg cramps often occur when you are in bed.

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NAUSEA AND VOMITING

Your body may be reacting to the hormones of pregnancy. Too little Vitamin B6 or too little glycogen, the natural sugar stored in your liver, can cause nausea. Emotions are another possible cause of nausea during pregnancy.

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NOSE BLEEDS

Membranes become overloaded during pregnancy from the increased volume of circulation. In some women, this causes nosebleeds.

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ORAL HEALTH

You should go to a dentist . You need to be sure you are brushing well, and flossing. Good oral care will help prevent problems. Plaque is the cause of gum disease. the hormones that your body makes, that rise in pregnancy, will increase (exaggerates) the way gum tissues react to the plaque.

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PELVIC PAIN

During pregnancy, your pelvic joints relax to increase the size and flexibility of space available for the birth canal. This may cause pressure on the sciatic nerve, with pain in the pelvic area and down the thigh into the leg. Another source of discomfort may be the pressure of your growing uterus on the ligaments that support it. This may cause sharp, shooting pains on either side of your abdomen.

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SHORT OF BREATH

Your growing uterus takes up part of your breathing space, causing pressure on your diaphragm.

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SKIN CHANGES

A high level of pregnancy hormones can trigger extra deposits of pigment, which may appear as darkened blotches on the cheeks , nose, and forehead as well as on the nipples and in a line from the navel to the pubic bone. These skin changes may be associated with an inadequate supply of folic acid as well as the increase in pregnancy hormones.

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STRETCH MARKS

About 90 percent of pregnant women experience stretch marks to come degree. Stretch marks are a type of scar tissue that forms when the skin’s normal elasticity is not sufficient to accommodate the stretching required during pregnancy. Stretch marks occur most frequently on the abdomen, but some women also get them on the breasts, buttocks, or thighs.

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SWELLING

Fluid retention that causes swelling (edema) is a natural condition of pregnancy. The growing uterus puts pressure on the blood vessels that carry fluid from the feet and ankles. Tight clothing, especially around the ankles, legs, and lower body, can increase fluid retention and swelling by slowing down circulation. Too little protein in the diet may cause the body to retain fluid.

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TIPPED UTERUS

The tipped uterus is back toward the back of the pelvis. This occurs for different reasons, but may be from scarring from adhesion's as a result of endometriosis, or fibroids. Giving birth can cause this if the ligaments that hold the uterus stretch. You may have pain with menstruation or sexual intercourse. You may also experience back pain and some incontinence of your urine, UTI, and fertility problems. You can treat this with out seeing a doctor (who would recommend surgery) by trying the knee chest exercise. This may help, but not if it is caused by fibroids or endometriosis. Then you may have to go the medical route- of surgery to fix the problem.

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TIREDNESS

Fatigue is a natural effect of the hormones of pregnancy. Carrying and caring for your developing baby requires extra energy. Tiredness also may result from anemia, which is not uncommon during pregnancy.

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VAGINAL DISCHARGE

Increased blood supply and hormones cause your vagina to increase its normal secretions. The normally acidic atmosphere of the vagina changes, too, creating a more fertile setting for the common vaginal infection monilia (yeast infection).

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VARICOSE VEINS

Veins in your legs can become overloaded as a result of the slowed

circulation caused by the greater volume of blood and the pressure

of your growing uterus.

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VARICOSITIES

The following all help, talk to your midwife about what she would like you to take. They all help but you should NOT do all of them at once.

• Eat skin of an orange peel. This means the white part , not the orange peel.

• Eat a high fiber diet, 60% raw foods.

• 2000-3000 mg of bioflavoniods and 500 mg rutin 3x a day with vit C.

• Brewers yeast, contains proteins and B vits., Vit C. 3000-6000 mg aids in circulation by reducing clotting.

• Vit E 400 IU daily to 1000 IU daily.

• Butchers broom prevents clotting.

• Grape seed extract stimulates blood circulation, boosts immunity, and strengthens tissue.

• flaxseed oil.