Pregnancy is surely a roller-coaster ride. The extreme joy at the thought of embracing motherhood is often accompanied by mood swings, hormonal surges, pains and a waddling walk. During pregnancy, the elevated levels of hormones bring a lot of changes in the life of the mother which reflects on her body and mind. Managing these changes while addressing the job and daily household can be hectic. Though most of the changes are well documented and most of the doctors explain them to the pregnant woman during the visits, some facts about pregnancy are rare and can blow your mind.

Let’s discover 10 of such mind-boggling facts about pregnancy that you probably didn’t know!

1. The mind-blowing growth of the uterus

Over the course of pregnancy, your uterus will grow up to 500 times of its normal size. You can think of it as a change in size from that of an orange to that of a watermelon. It is essential for the uterus to grow like this to support the growth of the child. A major change in the size, however, starts to show after the first trimester.

2. Baby’s cry can make you lactate

No, we are not talking about after the child is born. During the last weeks of pregnancy, you may start lactating on hearing a crying voice of a child. The body of the mother is already prepared to produce milk in the last weeks of pregnancy to support the child’s food needs after birth. If someone else’s baby starts to cry around you the brain will send a signal to produce milk which may shock some expecting mothers. Also Read: I really wish I could be pregnant forever!

3. You may break bones easily

One of the main reasons the expecting mothers are advised to take it slow and not to do any heavy work is that they are more prone to broken bones. During pregnancy, a hormone named relaxin is released into the bodies to soften the joints of the hips and pelvis so that the body can support growing child. This hormone weakens the rest of the bones as well.

4. Increase in blood volume

To support the child in the womb, the body produces more blood which may go up to 50% of the total volume. The heart has to pump more blood into the womb and the child needs approx 1/5 of the total blood in the body for proper growth. To support the increased blood flow the size of the heart also increases. You can also expect more nose and gum bleeds during the pregnancy. Read: We Bet You Didn't Know About These Cool Things A Baby Does In The Womb

5. Taller and overweight women have greater chances of twins

If you are taller than normal women around you or you are little on the extra side weight wise you have more chances to conceive more than one child.

6. You can get pregnant, while you are pregnant

Don’t rub your eyes in disbelief. You read it right. A woman can get pregnant while she is already pregnant. For example in 2009 , a couple in Arkansas, USA were left puzzled during their ultrasound. The doctors found that Julia, the lady in question was expecting two babies. However, these were not twins and in fact the two foetuses differed in size and development. On further examination, Doctors found that Julia had conceived twice within two weeks. The two foetuses were growing in their own gestational sacs and had two different due dates. Though this is an extremely rare phenomenon and only around 11 such documented cases exist. This is called ‘superfetation’. Also Read: Girl or Boy? 9 Unique Ways to Predict your baby’s gender

7. Babies in the womb may do weird things

You can never know what you will see in the next ultrasound you are going to have. The documented acts by babies in the womb include sucking thumb, holding hands of twins, kicking twins, masturbating, waving hello, shaking heads, making fists and much more. So if you see your baby doing something weird just get a picture/video of it and relax as it is as normal as having a baby growing inside you.

8. Babies cry in the womb

Yes, the babies can cry in the womb as well. Because of the liquid around them, it is impossible to hear it even for the mother. It is kind of sad and scary to imagine your child crying and never know about it but it is a healthy aspect of a growing child.

9. Baby girls and eggs

While being in the womb the baby girls will develop all the eggs they are ever going to use in their lives while the baby boys will not produce any sperms until they hit puberty. Read: How Do Babies Sleep in the womb

10. Baby hair

During the pregnancy, the babies grow hair all over their bodies which are known as lanugo. In the majority of the cases, they shed the hair before being born. Being pregnant brings a lot of changes in the lives of both the partners. It is common to get overwhelmed with the mood swings and other changes in the body but that’s something that you have to go through to become a parent. It is also common for the father to experience some of the pregnancy symptoms like gaining weight which is common or even has sympathy pains which are comparatively rare. However, if you notice anything strange or unusual which you have never heard of before, it is better to consult your doctor before jumping your guns over the results that you see on the internet. Want to share your mommy experience with other moms through words or images? Become a part of the Moms United community. Click here and we will get in touch with you

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