Facts the doc won’t tell you

By Hannah Chira

Are you pregnant for the first time? Or do you want to better understand what your expectant wife will go through?

Here are things that may happen to a woman while pregnant, which in many cases doctors will not tell you. Prepare yourself, such that whenever they happen, they will not be strange or disturbing to you.

You could be pregnant  for over a year

We learnt in school that a human’s gestational period is nine months. Often, most pregnancies last for about that period, but even so, it is possible to be pregnant for a whole year. The world’s longest pregnancy lasted 375 days. Strangely, the baby was only a little under three kilogrammes.

A male foetus may get  erections in the womb

Hardly do mothers ever want to imagine their boys getting an erection, even in their teenage hood. Truth of the matter is, baby boys get boners while still in womb as caught in sonogram on many occasions.

Your entire undercarriage  will tear

Other than the typical vaginal tearing, some women may get really bad cases of tearing, from the vagina all the way to the anus requiring that area to be closed up surgically.  This is the last place any woman wants stitches. To prevent bad tearing, massage the area before childbirth.

Oh no! Not poop!

It is not a rare thing for a woman to accidentally expel the contents of her bowels during childbirth. Do not get embarrassed when this happens, as the same muscles you use to push the baby out are the same ones you ordinarily use during a bowel movement. Additionally, the baby directly pushes on the rectum as it makes its exit, helping to squeeze out anything near the exit.

Your skin will glow

Glowing skin is a real thing for pregnant women, thanks to increased blood flow and rise in hormones that cause the oil, glands to be more active. While you’re pregnant, the amount of blood in your body will increase by 50 per cent and combined with the oil results in a softer, shinier appearance. When the increased blood flow combines with shine, the result is a noticeable glow.

Contractions will continue after birth

Contractions will persist for a few days after birth. The cramping of these muscles is the body’s way of stopping excess blood loss.

Your feet can grow up to  one full size

The excess pressure on your feet paired with relaxed ligaments in your body causes your feet to enlarge. As your pregnancy progresses on, your body starts to release the tightness of its ligaments to help with the birthing process. Unfortunately for your shoes, this also means your feet may start to lose their arch and stretch out on the sides. This may be temporary, but if they grow too much, the change could end up being permanent. If your feet do stay a bit larger, it certainly will serve as a great excuse to buy more shoes.