Pregnancy is still one of the most amazing body transformations I have ever experienced, and it continues to baffle me how strong our bodies are. In the third trimester though these changes are even faster and more noticeable. Every week, sometimes more often I experience something strange and new. Some of these things aren't the typical things you hear about when others talk about their pregnancies though, so I've compiled a list of some of the stranger things that occur during pregnancy, yet are all completely normal and actually pretty common.
Weird Things You May Notice During Pregnancy That Are Perfectly Normal
A Dark Line Up Your Stomach
When I was about 27 weeks pregnant, my husband noticed a very faint dark line running straight up the entire center of my stomach. Turns out this line, called your Linea Nigra, is something both males and females of all ages have, but is unseen until hormone levels rise. Although the amount of visibility is different amongst pregnant women depending on skin color and hormone levels, Cleveland Clinic shares that this line can be seen in about 80% of pregnancies, and is just another common hormonal change that goes away shortly after birth. Click the clinic's link above to learn more about it.
Popping Sounds Coming From Your Stomach
Toward the end of my 28th week I was sitting on the couch, moved, and heard a weird pop like sound come from my stomach area. About an hour later while stretching and doing my cat and cow exercises before bed I heard it again. I was a little concerned, as I had never heard this sound before, however as it turns out this is not uncommon at all. There are many theories as to what this noise could be, and according to BellyBelly, depending on the exact sound, doctor opinions vary. Ideas range from the sound coming from your babies bones or ligaments to the babies movement creating air bubbles in your sac. Although the cause for the noise itself may still be up in the air, doctors agreed that none of these are cause for concern. To read more about some of these causes check out What's the Popping of Clicking Noise in My Bump During Pregnancy?
Hair growth
This one is a bit more common to hear about, but one I have really been enjoying, especially this last trimester. My hair is never something I have loved, and the older I got, the thinner my hair got. I tried supplements and vitamins but nothing ever seemed to work and eventually I just accepted this was my hair. Flash forward to pregnancy and my hair is looking better than ever. It's growing, filling in, and seems to require little to no maintenance to look good. BONUS! My leg hair is hardly growing at all, which is an even bigger perk considering the maneuvering I go through trying to shave with a third trimester belly being less than graceful. Although I've heard this all ends once the baby is born, I am living it up while I still can!
Night Sweats
I have always been a great sleeper. I am not picky about where I sleep, fall asleep easily, sleep through the night, and wake up feeling refreshed. Pregnancy has definitely changed that though, and with my new, not so relaxing pregnancy sleep habits came night sweats, something I never before experienced, unless sick. BellyBelly, one of many great pregnancy resources, shares that in addition to increased blood volume, hormonal changes in your body both cause your temperature to increase, while at the same time giving your body less control of regulating said temperatures through sweating. The only advice that can be offered for this one is to sleep with breathable clothing and use a fan to help cool you down, as well as avoiding spicy and caffeinated things which can trigger sweat reflexes before bed.
Crazy Dream
This one I had to research, as once I hit my third trimester I felt like I was waking up most mornings with such strong memories of my dreams in immense amounts of detail. It turns out, according to the HealthLine, hormonal changes again are a huge factor in this change. Along with the experience of greater fatigue during pregnancy and sometimes more frequent napping and sleeping, many pregnant women seem to experience this spike in dreaming. Read more about it at HealthLine.com.
Being Less Hungry
For anyone who knows me, I know this one will come a shock as I am always hungry and almost constantly eating. My family and friends always joked that I wouldn't be able to find enough food once I was pregnant, but surprisingly since hitting the third trimester, the one where you should be eating the most, I find myself less hungry many days, or getting full quickly after starting to eat. Well with a growing baby inside of you, this is not uncommon as there isn't as much room in your stomach as there normally is without baby. So if you are feeling less hungry, try eating smaller meals, or snacking on healthy treats throughout the day, so your stomach has time to digest and empty out. Remember it is still important to eat enough to satisfy your baby and help them to grow.
Here's a List of a Few Better Known Experiences & Some Tricks to Help
Back and Hip Pain- This is one of the most well known symptoms of pregnancy, and not surprisingly with all the changes your body goes through. Mine wasn't too bad most days, but on the days it hit, it hit hard. Besides heat, ice, or a nice warm bath which all do wonders, there are some common moves I found to help stretch and relive the pain when I was really feeling it. This short 3 minute video from myPhysioSA, a group of certified physiotherapists, walks you through these stretches.
Trouble Sleeping- I think this is the bodies way of preparing us for our upcoming sleepless nights with our newborns, however I know I want to get as much sleep as possible while I still can. Sleeping on your side, is the best for baby while pregnant (your left side especially), and pregnancy pillows seem to be the solution. They have great giant pillows that will really help put you in a great position and I've heard wonderful things about so would recommend, however if you're like me and don't want a pillow taking up the whole bed, try this Contour Leg and Knee Support Pillow. Not only is it affordable (and currently on sale), but it is small so doesn't take up much room, helps to relieve hip, back, and knee pain, and comes from a climate friendly company.
Frequent Urination- This one is super common and at it's peak during your third trimester as baby presses on your bladder. Sometime I feel like I have to go so bad, just to finally make it to the bathroom and nothing even comes out. This can be especially annoying at night. I've found doing the Cat- Cow yoga pose about 2 minutes each night before bed to be super helpful, as it helps tone those important muscles to support and strengthen bladder control. Checkout YogaJala for a step by step walking you through this pose. Don't forget to empty your bladder right before you go to bed as well.
There are tons of articles on commonly discussed symptoms and experiences of pregnancy, but very few on those less known things you may be experiencing. Have you noticed anything else not commonly talked about, then found out it was very normal? Leave a comment letting us know more about it!
Don't Forget!
SUBSCRIBE by scrolling to the bottom of my the page and look for more pregnancy tips to come! Or Follow us on Instagram at @startedwithababy
Comments