March 08--Pregnancy often feels like invasion of the body snatchers. That alien inside you -- also known as your baby -- and the hormones that come with it cause some weird things to happen.
Dr. Jocylen Glassberg of Round Rock Specialty Clinic says women are often anxious about everything during this time. "A lot of my job is reassuring them," she says. A lot of women are "control freaks," she says and pregnancy is one of those times when they are not in control. Because of that, she spends a lot of time counseling women on what to expect and cautions them to not spend time at the computer "Googling." "Google is not your friend when you are pregnant," she says. "Just call me."
Pregnancy, she says, is like "getting on a plane. You trust the pilot is going to get you there but you don't have control of the plane. You're not flying the plane. You're going to get there in the end and you might have bumps along the way."
We talked with Glassberg and fellow obstetrician/gynecologist Dr. Stephanie Reich of Women Partners in Health, as well as ophthalmologist Dr. Steven Dell about some of the things that can happen. The most important thing is not to panic, but to tell your doctor everything that is going on, they say. Some things that might feel big are normal; some things that might seem small can be the sign of something more serious.
Exhaustion comes early
It's normal to be extremely tired during the first trimester, and that's one thing women are often surprised by, Glassberg says. They know they are going to be nauseated but they don't expect the fatigue.
They also panic if they are not nauseated, but only about 75 percent of women get morning sickness, Reich says.
They also can expect breast pain as hormones take over and that area begins to swell.
What's with my skin?
Sometimes pregnancy can cause a rash and itching all over called PUPPP, which stands for Pruritic Urticarial Papules and Plaques of Pregnancy. As itchy and annoying as it is, it's not life-threatening and is caused by hormones. It will go away after birth. What is life-threatening is itching especially on the palms and soles of the feet with no rash. That's called cholestatis and is caused when the bile in the liver is blocked. Tests on liver functions will determine whether the baby needs to make an early exit for everyone's safety.
A lot of other skin changes can happen, including more skin tags and discoloration in moles. You might need to see a dermatologist.
Your gums also can get swollen and irritated and also bleed, which might lead to a trip to the dentist.
Skin also darkens -- a line might begin to emerge from the bellybutton to the pubic bone and the skin of the face can get melasma, a dark discoloration.
Of course, as your skin starts to stretch, stretch marks come with it. Reich says a lot of women swear by having cocoa butter rubbed into the skin, but studies haven't shown that it works. Blame your parents if you end up with a lot of stretch marks. It's genetic. This is also not a time to get a tattoo because of a risk of infection and because your skin is abnormally stretched.
And all those hormone shifts cause acne, including in places such as where the eyelids meet the lashes.
Bad news for allergy sufferers. Pregnancy hormones also can cause the nasal passages to swell, adding to congestion.
The extra weight and pressure of the baby also can cause varicose veins in the legs, anus (also known as hemorrhoids) and the labia. The ones in the labia will go away. The others will be lifelong annoyances.
Feeling clumsy
All those hormones are designed to help loosen joints to get your body ready to receive a baby through the birth canal. Loose joints, of course, make you feel clumsy and as the pelvis widens, soon you're waddling around. Your center of gravity also has shifted. Some women have extreme pain or even numbness. If that happens, or if you lose bladder or bowel function, your doctor will want to check for a ruptured disk.
The pressure of the baby also isn't helping. Some women, especially those who have had a baby before, report feeling like the baby is low and could fall out at any moment. Those previously used muscles are very relaxed, but no need to panic. The baby isn't going anywhere.
Pregnancy also can cause more women to have restless leg syndrome and carpal tunnel syndrome.
Trouble in input and output land
All that pressure causes many women to lose bladder control at every cough, sneeze or laugh. You also might find that the bathroom is now your most visited place in any dwelling. Women even think that their water has broken, when really they've just wet themselves. You'll know if it's your water breaking if the liquid doesn't stop flowing.
Women also get more vaginal discharge and spotting is very common, especially after sex.
More progesterone and iron-rich prenatal vitamins, "makes pregnancy one giant constipated chain of events," Reich says.
Also expect to have heartburn and acid reflux as the baby starts pushing everything up.
Women also report being constantly thirsty and will need to drink more. Occasionally, pregnancy causes an abnormal amount of spit to be produced.
I can't see clearly now
A lot of things in the body are swelling as blood capacity triples. That goes for eyes as well, Dell says. The shape of the eye can change, causing the glasses or contact lens prescription to change. Eye blood vessels also can hemorrhage.
Women report seeing dark spots or shimmery spots, which should be brought to a doctor's attention.
Vision changes and headaches in pregnancy can be a sign of climbing blood pressure, depleted thyroid levels and abnormal blood sugar levels. They are symptoms that are best to report to your doctor.
Pregnancy also causes women to have very dry eyes. Often women will be given oral supplements of 1,000 to 1,500 milligrams of omega 3 fatty acids to help with tear production. This is something that will continue until a woman is through with nursing.
I should be happy ...
All of those hormones can increase levels of depression, anxiety and obsessive compulsive disorder not just postpartum, but also during pregnancy. Many medications for these can be taken while pregnant, so it's not something to try to soldier through.
Women also report having more dreams, both the crazy, anxiety-riddled ones and the more racy.
And that pregnancy brain -- it's real. Hormones cause you to think differently to get you ready to care for a child. So, if you forget your keys, you can blame the baby.
None of this sounds like any fun, right? "Your body feels really foreign to you," Reich says. "It's doing its own thing and you're not in control."
Yet, the prize at the end is the baby.
"People forget you are growing a whole human, and that's a lot of work," Glassberg says.
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