ASK: I’m nervous about how my body will change while I’m pregnant. What can I do about it?

[TRANSCRIPT OF ANSWER]

Changing Body in Pregnancy

We’re in a world that is very focused on body image. Many of our young girls have body image issues. We all feel that we are supposed to look a certain way and act a certain way and you may have a fear of what’s going to happen to my body, what’s going to happen to my breasts? What’s going to happen to my belly, my skin? Am I going to get stretch marks? Is My partner still going to look at me the same way?

All these things are very realistic fears that pregnant women go through. The best way to answer that is if you think about what is actual. If you think of the miracle that is happening inside you and the reason why your body is changing. Why all of a sudden do the veins on your breast turn big and blue and purple. And to understand that this is your body changing its circulatory system to feed your body, to nourish this baby.

Maybe you might get some varicose veins. All of these things are because of the physiological changes your body is doing all on its own to support this other human being growing inside of you. Yes. Your body will change. Are there things that you can do to minimize any adverse effects of these changes? Yes.

Focus on Health

Number one, we try to educate women before they ever get pregnant. The health that you enter in pregnancy has a major impact on how the outcome of your pregnancy is being healthy for a year before getting pregnant. Being in the right weight area, being physically active, all of these things will minimize some of those negative aspects of the physiological changes of pregnancy. If your weight is in range when you get pregnant and you maintain a healthy diet with extra calories throughout your pregnancy and you maintain a healthy weight gain, then some of those issues may change.

Stretch Marks

Stretch marks. Most of the time we can try to minimize them. Most of the time that has to do with your heredity and your skin type. We can do things again, like maintaining a proper way to help with that. But the physiological changes are necessary and again, it’s to help to facilitate the growing being inside of you and being healthy. Being active can help to minimize those things. Look at your body in pregnancy. A lot of women will stare in the mirror and look at their bodies during pregnancy and realize the beauty of those changes.

Pregnancy if Beautiful

Don’t think of negative things. Don’t look. This is a miracle happening and miracles are beautiful. You embrace the beauty of your body. You embrace the beauty of the changes and this is what’s going to be important for you and for women in the future and for your family.