Pregnancy Belly, Belly During Pregnancy

The most noticeable physical sign of pregnancy is of course the pregnancy belly. The uterus in which the baby is protected is situated to the front of the body, and the stomach expands in order to make room for the growing baby. As babies can weigh between 7- 12lbs before birth, and also multiply pregnancies are common, and this can mean that your belly feels like it has grown absolutely huge towards the end of the pregnancy.

The height of the uterus, and therefore the belly relates to which stage of the pregnancy you are in. The volume of the belly, its size, does depend though on each woman. This can be affected by body shape and structure as well, as smaller women with slim pelvis's commonly carry the weight of the belly very much out in front, meaning that their bellies appear bigger, whereas taller woman with full pelvis's can carry the baby more centrally, meaning their bellies can appear smaller. Also individual weight gain can vary, and some women will put on a little more weight than others, which can affect the size of the belly.

During pregnancy you will put on a bit of extra weight, because your body is preparing itself for the stresses of carrying the weight of the growing baby, the birth and also the demands of nursing and caring for a newborn. Each woman is different, but as a general rule doctors recommend the 'one, two three' approach to weight gain during pregnancy. If you are overweight before you begin your pregnancy then you should be gaining around a stone, if you are normal weight you should be gaining around two stones, and if you were are underweight then you should be gaining around 3 stones in additional weight during pregnancy. If you are expecting twins then you should add between 3-6 kg to these weight guidelines. Your doctor or midwife will work out your weight at the start of your pregnancy from your BMI (body mass index), and then advise you of how much weight you should expect to gain during your pregnancy.

Weight gain during pregnancy is not evenly spread, and you should normally gain 40% of your pregnancy weight during the first half of pregnancy, and 60% towards the end of the term, as the baby gets up to its birth weight. Your doctor or midwife will keep an eye on your weight during the first stages of pregnancy as morning sickness and fatigue can actually cause you to fall behind with your pregnancy weight targets, and during the second trimester food cravings and a lack of normal exercise routine can cause you to put on a little more weight than necessary.

There are some risks associated with being overweight during pregnancy, such as pregnancy diabetes, high blood pressure and premature birth. Too much weight can also make you feel very tired, and increase the circulatory problems normally caused by pregnancy. Poor blood circulation can lead to broken or varicose veins in the legs and also dizziness and palpations.

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