6 Body Changes You Don’t Expect While Pregnant

Every parenting blog will talk about the same types of changes that happen to your body when you’re expecting: you’ll get intense cravings (pickles and peanut butter were a must every day during my first and second trimester), you’ll feel nauseous all the time, and your ankles and feet swell to the point where no shoe will fit.

But there are some changes that happen to your body that isn’t talked about enough in the pregnancy world. Not all of these happen to every expectant mother, but you should be aware they could happen over the course of your pregnancy. Here are six body changes you don’t expect to happen while pregnant but are actually pretty common.

Gingivitis

Your body is (obviously) making more hormones than ever before when you’re pregnant. One of the annoying, but normal, side effects of that increase in hormones is something called pregnancy gingivitis. The hormone progesterone is the main culprit since it makes your body more susceptible to developing plaque that then attacks your gums.

Pregnancy gingivitis usually happens later in pregnancy, often reaching a peak in the third trimester. You can keep gingivitis from becoming a serious problem and turning into periodontitis by simply spending more time on good oral hygiene. That means regular brushing, actually flossing, mouthwash, and even scheduling an extra dentist appointment during your pregnancy.

Diabetes

Some women become diabetic during their pregnancy—but don’t worry, unlike other types of diabetes, gestational diabetes goes away once you give birth. For most expectant mothers, gestational diabetes doesn’t cause serious symptoms during their pregnancy, mostly increased thirst and more frequent urination.

You’ll want to keep a close eye on your blood sugar, eat healthy food, exercise, and perhaps even take medication for it if prescribed by a doctor. You’ll also need to get more regular doctor checkups during the last few months of your pregnancy to make sure your blood sugar levels and your baby’s health are on track.

Voice Changes

Being pregnant causes your body to increase the production of two important hormones: estrogen and progesterone. These two hormones affect a lot of different body parts like lung capacity, muscle control, and bodily fluid production. Since those three body functions all contribute to how your vocal cords work, vocal cord swelling can happen during pregnancy—changing how your voice sounds.

The changes are different for everyone: some moms lose the ability to reach higher sounds and some may speak in a lower tone. Your voice returns to normal after delivery but can make karaoke night a little difficult.

Bloody Noses

When you’re pregnant, your own body’s circulatory system is going through changes to accommodate a developing fetus. It needs more blood for the baby and your own body—more blood also means increased circulation. Since more blood is moving faster throughout your body, the small blood vessels throughout your body are more susceptible to bursting than before. Even blowing your nose can be too much for those tiny blood vessels, causing more bloody noses than usual.

Loose Bones

This one sounds scarier than it actually is—don’t worry, your bones don’t come entirely out of place or anything. But as your body begins to prepare for delivery, it begins to release a hormone ‘relaxin’ (seriously, that’s what it’s called). This hormone relaxes the ligaments in your pelvis and softens and widens your cervix to make delivery easier. But it also affects and loosens other joints throughout your body, which is why pregnant women often experience joint and back pain.

Hair Growth

Lots of mothers talk about how their hair grew shiny and strong while they were pregnant, but they don’t really talk about the increase in hair growth on other parts of their body. All of the extra hormones can cause hair growth changes on your face, chest, stomach, pubic area, and arms. It will decrease after labor, but you may feel a little extra hairy all over for the next nine months.