So carrying the extra weight makes you tired and the whole experience can leave you walking awkwardly for a bit, but being pregnant also has some amazingly positive effects on your health.
Some of them could even help keep you in good shape for the rest of your life.
Here’s how...
1.You clean up your lifestyle
You have been meaning to give up cigarettes, cut down on alcohol and eat more sensibly for years - and now you’ve got the ultimate motivation to do so. When what you put in your body not only affects you but also your unborn baby, being overly health-conscious is just not an option any more.
2. You feel more calm and positive
Being pregnant forces you to slow down. Your body can’t handle a frantic pace and you don’t need to rush around like crazy. Pregnancy and breastfeeding also releases feel-good hormones to de-stress you.
3. You build stronger bones
At last, there’s a plus side to gaining weight! Researchers believe the extra weight you carry in pregnancy increases bone strength, particularly in your pelvis, and may even strengthen hip muscles, too. This reduces your risk of hip fractures in later life by 44 per cent - plus a further nine per cent for every additional child you have.
4. Your hair, skin and nails look fabulous
Your pregnancy-boosted metabolism is nourishing for growing cells, resulting in much thicker, shinier hair, stronger nails and a complexion that positively glows with health.
5. You have great sex
You might not feel like it so often, but when you do - wow! Increased blood circulation means you’re ultra-sensitive, making arousal quicker and orgasm even more pleasurable.
6. You can get fitter
Even if you don’t exercise in pregnancy, you’re actually in better shape than a non-pregnant woman who does! In pregnancy, your aerobic capacity increases by up to 30 per cent and your heart gets a third bigger, pumping twice the usual amount of blood. These effects last for some months after birth so if you’re fit before you get pregnant and continue exercising in pregnancy, you can emerge fitter and stronger than ever.
7. You could live longer
Pregnant women ‘steal’ some of their baby’s new cells to replace their ageing ones. Researchers have found male stem cells in the bone marrow of the mums of boys. This may explain why women live longer than men, and why pregnancy protects against breast cancer.
8. You can pre-empt future illness
Pregnancy can be a crystal ball for your future health. For instance, if you develop gestational diabetes, you’re more likely to get type-2 diabetes later on; if you get pre-eclampsia you’re up to 10 times more likely to develop heart disease. This may not sound like good news, but it’s a window of opportunity. Doctors can pick up on potential health problems much earlier in a woman’s life, and then intervene to reduce her risk of serious illness in the future.
9. You reduce your risk of cancer
Pregnancy hormones reduce your risk of endometrial, breast and cancer. You also boost your protection against breast cancer by over four per cent for each year you breastfeed.
10. You may get a break from illness
If you have a chronic health condition, such as asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, or even multiple sclerosis, you may find your symptoms are less severe, or even disappear, in pregnancy.
Experts aren’t sure why this happens, but it’s thought to be the big changes happening to your hormones and your immune system. Sadly, once those hormones settle down after the birth, conditions tend to re-appear. But at least you get a break!
11. You get to hit the pause button
Life has a habit of whizzing on by, without giving us a moment to take stock. But getting pregnant is such a momentous event, it makes you plan and dream again. Is this where you want to live when your baby’s born? Is this the job you want to do once you’re a mum?
Taking time to reassess your life and make changes is a great way to boost your mental and emotional well-being.