100 amazing facts about pregnancy

1 MORNING SICKNESS DOESN’T OFTEN HAPPEN IN THE MORNING

Most women get all-day (or midday, afternoon or evening) sickness in the early part of the first trimester.

2 YOU MAY NOT ‘GET SICK’ FROM MORNING SICKNESS

Many women just feel nauseous (not much of a comfort, we know!). But in most women it subsides between 12 and 14 weeks. Many experts believe this is because the placenta begins producing hormones of its own at this time.

3 HORMONES PLAY A BIG ROLE IN PREGNANCY

Progesterone is nature’s sedative. It gives you a natural lethargy to make sure you do nothing strenuous that may affect the developing foetus.

4 LABOUR IS BROUGHT ON BY HORMONES

At the end of your pregnancy, the drop in the levels of progesterone helps initiate the start of labour.

5 HORMONES ALSO MAKE YOUR BOOBS BIGGER

Oestrogen stimulates the enlargement and development of your breasts for lactation.

6 TALL? MORE CHANCE OF TWINS

Researchers have found several genetic factors can lead to multiple births. These include: If you’re over the age of 35, have a history of twin pregnancies, there are twins in your family – or, weirdly enough, if you’re tall.

7 LOTS OF EGGS (POTENTIALLY) MEANS LOTS OF BABIES

If you’ve taken fertility drugs or used IVF to get pregnant, you have a far higher chance of carrying twins, or even more babies, because more eggs are released and/or implanted than during natural conception.

8 YOUR BODY IS RUNNING ON OVERDRIVE

The heart and blood vessels have to transport more oxygen, not just to the foetus, but also to all of the involved organs that have to start working a lot harder. These changes are the cause of many of the unpleasant symptoms of early pregnancy such as lightheadedness and dizziness, nausea, extreme fatigue, cravings, constipation, bloating and frequent urination. Although these symptoms are troublesome for you, they are also reassuring, because their presence usually means you’re having a healthy pregnancy.

9 STRETCHING SKIN

The average woman has 1.5 square metres of skin. This stretches to an unbelievable 1.7 square metres by the ninth month of pregnancy.

10 YOUR BLOOD LEVELS INCREASE

The amount of blood