In Depth Baby Product Reviews Led by a Pediatrician

Hormones, Hormones Everywhere

Your body is busy changing on the inside even if you can't see it on the outside
Hormones, Hormones Everywhere
Credit: cyberok © 123rf.com
Tuesday September 24, 2019

You are now almost two months pregnant, and while you look very much the same as you did before getting pregnant, changes are happening inside you that will soon be visible to others.

  • Sore Breasts -You are likely experiencing tender boobs as the milk-producing lobes in your breasts start to expand thanks to hormone changes in your body prepping your breasts for milk production. These changes will translate into growing breasts that will likely require the purchase of a maternity or nursing bra soon. If your bra is feeling tight, you may want to consider a bra upgrade soon, as once they start to grow, it will continue.

  • Exhausted - Fluctuating hormones will decrease your blood pressure, and your sugar levels will be lower than before pregnancy as you are now nourishing the growth of another human. These changes often result in fatigue. This overwhelming feeling of fatigue is not your normal sleepiness. Still, it can often feel like bone-crushing exhaustion that has you falling asleep in locations you normally wouldn't like at work or sitting in traffic.

  • Nausea - Nause of some kind plagues most pregnant women (up to 75% of women) at one point or another during pregnancy. Hormonal changes will give you an amazing new sense of smell, making you more sensitive to feelings of queasiness related to smells. If nausea has been particularly troublesome, you may not have gained the average amount, or you might even have lost weight.

  • Cramping - Hormones are once again responsible for cramping feelings you might experience early in pregnancy. Pregnancy cramps are related to the stretching of the round ligaments in your abdomen. This stretching is in preparation for the impending growth of your uterus and abdomen, and the hormones help create more elasticity in your ligaments and muscles.

  • Constipation - Hormones can cause the slowing of your digestive tract, leading to constipation. We don't have to tell you this is something you want to avoid throughout pregnancy. If you start to have symptoms not relieved by increased water or fiber, you'll want to speak with your caregiver about possible treatment or ways to avoid this problem.

  • Possible Spotting - As your embryo implants in the uterus and lodges in place, it can cause potential spotting. This will appear as a small amount of blood. If you experience a large amount, you'll also want to contact your doctor. Normal spotting and implantation bleeding will be pink to rust-colored, have no clots, can last for a few hours to a few days, and bleeding is intermittently visible only when wiping or a small amount on a panty liner.

  • Weird dreams - Related to hormones, or not many pregnant women experience strange dreams that may or may not be related to pregnancy.

  • Weight Gain - Typical weight gain at 2 months is anywhere between 3-7 pounds. Much of this gain is once again related to hormone changes that increase your blood volume and water retention.

Reference Sources

  1. WebMD - First Trimester of Pregnancy
  1. American Pregnancy Association - Spotting During Pregnancy
  1. American Pregnancy Association - Implantation Bleeding


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