Common discomforts during pregnancy
Your body features a batch to try to to during pregnancy. Sometimes the changes happening will cause irritation or discomfort, and on occasions they'll seem quite alarming. There is rarely needing for alarm but you ought to mention anything that's worrying you to your maternity team. Below you will find some common discomforts that women can have at various stages of their pregnancy including cramps, headaches, stretch marks, swollen ankles and varicose veins.
Morning sickness
Morning sickness may be a common symptom of early pregnancy and, in many cases, goes away by the top of the primary 3 months. It is caused by changes in hormones during pregnancy and should make eating difficult.
Although it is called ‘morning sickness’, nausea (with or without vomiting) can happen at any time of the day.
Some food and eating suggestions that may help manage symptoms of morning sickness or nausea include:
Ø Eat smaller meals more often. Missing meals can make nausea worse.
Ø Avoid large drinks. Have frequent small drinks between meals.
Ø Limit fatty, spicy and fried foods.
Ø Be aware food has a stronger odour or smell when it is heated, which may make nausea worse. If possible, have other people help with cooking, or prepare your food at times of the day when you feel better.
Ø Try eating a dry biscuit before you get out of bed in the morning.
Ø Eating a healthy snack before you go to bed at night. This might include fruit (fresh, tinned, dried), crackers with misfortune or yoghurt.
Ø Try ginger tablets, dry ginger ale, peppermint tea or ginger tea (put 3 or 4 slices of fresh ginger in hot water for 5 minutes).
Ø Avoid foods if their taste, smell or appearance makes you feel sick.
Duration
Morning sickness usually starts to urge better after the three to 4 months of pregnancy. However, some women continue to experience nausea for a longer period. About 1 woman in 10 continues to feel sick after week 20 of their pregnancy. Morning sickness is usually considered to be a minor inconvenience of pregnancy, but it can have a big , adverse effect on an expectant mother’s day-to-day activities and quality of life. It can often be treated by making dietary changes and taking many rest. The support of family and friends also can make nausea more manageable. In more severe cases there are medicines that can be used.
What causes morning sickness?
The exact cause of morning sickness is unknown. However, a number of different causes have been suggested, including:
Ø Increased oestrogen levels — changes in levels of the female sex hormone oestrogen during the early stages of pregnancy may cause short-term nausea and vomiting.
Ø Increased human chorionic gonadotrophin (hCG) levels — a hormone the body begins to produce after conception.
Ø Nutritional deficiency — a lack of vitamin B6 in the diet is thought to be another possible cause.
Ø Gastric problems — progesterone is a hormone that helps prepare the womb for pregnancy and protects the womb lining.
As progesterone production increases this may affect the tone in the lower oesophagus affecting the valve into the stomach causing nausea.
Risk factors
A number of different factors are associated with an increased risk of developing morning sickness. These include:
Ø previous pregnancy with nausea and vomiting
Ø female fetus
Ø family history of morning sickness
Ø history of motion sickness or history of nausea while using contraceptives that contain oestrogen
Ø young maternal age
Ø obesity
Ø stress
Ø multiple pregnancies, such as twins or triplets
Ø first pregnancy
Backache in pregnancy
During pregnancy, the ligaments in your body naturally become softer and stretch to organize you for labor. This can put a strain on the joints of your lower back and pelvis, which can cause backache. The extra weight of your uterus and the increasing size of the hollow in your lower back can also add to the problem.
Changes to hair during pregnancy
Hormonal changes during pregnancy can affect your hair, making it thicker or thinner. Find out more about these potential changes and whether you ought to be using hair treatments or color (dye) while pregnant.
Hair can become thicker
Your hair has a natural life cycle. Each individual hair grows, then rests for 2 or 3 months before being pushed out by a new hair growing in that follicle (the tube-shaped sheath that surrounds the hair beneath the skin). In pregnancy, this cycle changes.Many women experience their hair feeling thicker at around 15 weeks of pregnancy.
This is not because each hair strand itself becomes thicker, but because the hair stays longer in the growing phase of its cycle, which means that less hair falls out than usual. This is due to an increase in the hormone oestrogen.
Changes to your skin during pregnancy
As your pregnancy develops, you may find that you experience changes to your skin and hair. Some women can develop dark patches on their face and hormonal changes can make your skin a touch darker.
Skin and hair changes
Hormonal changes happening in pregnancy will make your nipples and therefore the area around them go darker. Your complexion can also darken a touch , either in patches or everywhere . Birthmarks, moles and freckles may also darken. Some women develop a dark line down the middle of their stomach, called ‘linea nigra’. These changes will gradually fade after the baby is born, although your nipples may remain a touch darker.
If you sunbathe while you are pregnant, you may burn more easily. Protect your skin with a good high-factor sunscreen and don’t stay in the sun for a long time.
Hair growth also can increase in pregnancy, and your hair could also be greasier. After the baby is born, it may seem as if you are losing a lot of hair but you are simply losing the extra hair.
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