Anyone who has ever been pregnant can tell you, the truth about pregnancy is that it is one of the strangest experiences that any woman can have, one that is filled with joy, frustration, fear, and love. For some women, the experience is relatively straightforward. For others, it is confusing and challenging.
Sometimes, a woman experiences a pregnancy so strange and noteworthy that it goes down in history. Other times, they endure experiences that are painful and may seem strange but are completely normal. Read on to learn more facts about a woman’s body and things she may experience when pregnant.
The Shortest Pregnancy Was 21 Weeks and Four Days
Medical science continues to make astonishing advances in terms of prenatal and pregnancy care. Even as recently as a decade ago, the thought of a child surviving at just over 12 weeks would have been considered medical fiction, but today, it is fact. That child is Amillia Sonja Taylor, who was born in October 2017. Today, she is a healthy baby girl who survived after an extended hospital stay during which she was considered to be extremely vulnerable to infection.
The Longest Pregnancy Was Over a Year
This astonishing record for the longest pregnancy is held by Beulah Hunter, a 25-year old from Los Angeles, California. As you know, the average pregnancy is roughly nine months. However, in Hunter’s case, the pregnancy was 375 days from her last menstrual cycle, meaning that she had been pregnant for over a year, and a full three months longer than the average woman. Her daughter, Penny, was born normal and healthy, and Hunter reported no other negative problems during her pregnancy. To this day, no one knows what made Hunter’s pregnancy go so long. Both Hunter and her doctor, Daniel Beltz, faced repeated accusations of lying, forcing Dr. Beltz to produce all medical records to confirm the veracity of this case.
The Shortest Woman Ever to Give Birth Was Barely Over Two Feet Tall
Some women face extraordinary odds to become pregnant and have a baby. Stacey Herald is the smallest known human to ever give birth. The Kentucky woman was born with a condition known as Osteogenesis Imperfecta, a rare disorder that stunted the growth of her heart and lungs and resulted in her being significantly smaller than the average person. Doctors told Herald that becoming pregnant could kill her, as they didn’t believe her small body could handle the physical and biological changes that are common with pregnancy. However, defying the doctors and medical science, Herald ultimately had three children.
The above three situations are almost one-of-a-kind. However, the following pregnancy facts are much more common.
You Will Experience Major Physical Changes
There are some pregnancy anecdotes about women’s bodies that most people are aware of. A swollen belly, random food cravings, and moving slower are all common during pregnancy. That being said, as you will likely experience when you become pregnant, your body is more capable of change than you ever could have realized.
One of the more random changes you may experience is a vocal change. Pregnancy can wreak havoc on a woman’s hormone levels, causing major fluctuations in her levels of estrogen and progesterone. This can result in numerous physical changes, including increasing the size of a woman’s vocal cords. As a result, the sound of a woman’s voice can change significantly.
Of course, this is not the only strange physical change that you can undergo. Many women notice that their hair becomes shinier. This is normal for pregnant women, and it comes as a result of increased levels of estrogen and androgen, two hormones that can impact the health of your hair.
A Woman Experiences Significant Changes to Her Heart and Blood Volume
The fetus has numerous physical requirements while gestating, including the need to keep oxygenated. As such, a woman’s blood supply grows significantly – by as much as 50%. This doesn’t occur without other changes as well. For example, a woman’s heart grows as well to compensate for the increased blood levels. At the same time, a woman’s heart rate will also increase to somewhere around 80-90 beats per minute. For most women, this is not a challenge, but for women with heart or lung problems, this can present major physical risks.
A woman can also experience a significant increase in fluid levels. This comes as a side effect of the increased blood volume and heartbeat. In many cases, this leads to increased fluid retention, meaning that a woman can potentially experience swelling issues in her hands, wrists, and feet.
Unfortunately, these aren’t the only changes that can come from increased blood flow. Women are far more likely to develop nosebleeds and bleeding gums during pregnancy.
Your Baby Can Taste Some of the Foods You Eat
Numerous studies have noted that developing fetuses eventually gain the ability to taste certain foods since tastes and scents can travel through the amniotic fluid to a baby. This is harmless, but it does lead to an interesting side effect. Studies have found that babies can ultimately develop preferences for certain foods based on the foods that their mothers consume during pregnancy. Indeed, this fun fact about pregnancy can often result in some mother’s changing their diet to directly impact their baby’s tastes.
“Pregnancy Brain” and “Pregnancy Nose” Are Real Things
Many women complain about “pregnancy brain,” meaning that they get more forgetful and have a harder time focusing on what they are doing. This isn’t just some figment of a pregnant woman’s imagination. Thanks to sleep-related issues, many women find that their cognitive and memorization skills decline significantly. Furthermore, pregnant women will often experience real challenges in their ability to focus. All of these issues are further exacerbated by the major physical and emotional stressors placed on a pregnant woman.
Some women also experience a heightened sense of smell. This is tied to the increased levels of estrogen that they experience during pregnancy. In some cases, this can be a rather pleasant experience, but other times, it can make a pregnant woman sick.
Some extraordinary situations can happen during pregnancy – issues that, thankfully, are few and far between. However, as we have seen some of the significant physical and cognitive changes that a woman can experience as a result of pregnancy means that each pregnancy may feel extraordinary. If you are pregnant, we offer pregnancy care in Bradenton that will help you navigate all of pregnancy, the normal, and the strange.
At Women’s Care of Bradenton, your health, and the health of your baby, is our top priority. If you are looking for the best care, make sure to reach out to our facility. We offer a wide array of OB-GYN services that can help keep you and your child safe and healthy during pregnancy.