25 curious facts you need to know

Every pregnant woman, at some point, has searched for interesting facts about pregnancy. Whether on the internet, with friends, your mother, your grandmother or even your obstetrician.

Pregnancy is a very vast topic and, especially for first-time mothers, the questions are endless. After all, it is a new life that is coming and everything will change.

There are many new things and some, sometimes, you have never heard of, because before this topic was not part of your daily life.

But now that a new mother is being born, you need to be up to date with everything that goes around in this new world.

There are many questions and curiosities about pregnancy and to make your life easier we have prepared a list of 25 interesting facts about pregnancy that you need to know and that not everyone always knows.

Check out!

1- Fun facts about pregnancy: the uterus increases in size

When a woman is not pregnant, her uterus, under normal health conditions, is the average size of an orange.

However, when a woman is pregnant, her uterus increases in size, reaching up to 500 times its normal size by the time of birth.

2- The perception of tastes and smells changes during pregnancy

Due to the various hormonal changes suffered by women during pregnancy, it can change their perceptions of taste and smell, so much so that we already know several stories of women who get sick of flavors they previously loved or perfumes they used to use and, sometimes, even the smell of her husband.

These hormonal changes may also explain the “desire” that some women have during pregnancy.

3- Cravings can be a reflection of nutritional deficiencies

Everyone knows that some women during pregnancy feel the most different and even strange desires to eat something. Is not it?

However, what many people don’t know is that this could be a reflection of a nutritional deficiency and needs to be monitored and investigated by a doctor.

Sometimes, craving meat, for example, a normal everyday food, can be the body informing you about a deficiency of some nutrient in meat. Craving bananas could be a potassium deficiency. And so on.

Therefore, pay close attention when cravings arise.

4- Fun facts about pregnancy: is it normal to eat twice as much during pregnancy?

It is not normal to eat twice as much during pregnancy, although many women think it is.

In fact, according to experts, a woman only needs to eat 300 more calories a day during pregnancy.

So, keep an eye on your diet and follow your doctor’s instructions.

5- Pregnant women’s feet swell

It is quite normal for pregnant women’s feet to become more swollen during pregnancy.

This happens due to fluid retention, weight gain and also because, naturally, the female body increases in size during this period to adapt to the new little being that is arriving.

So, there is no need to be scared, as this is normal and part of the changes that the body undergoes during pregnancy.

6- Babies smell flavors in the womb

According to experts, babies actually have their first contact with flavors while they are still in their mother’s womb.

Babies ingest amniotic fluid, which varies in flavor depending on what the mother eats. So, they slightly feel when the taste is salty, sweet or even bitter.

7- Babies pee inside their belly during pregnancy

From the fifth month of pregnancy onwards, the child’s urinary system begins to form and the child actually pees on the mother’s belly.

This is when she begins to develop her urinary functions.

8- Changes in skin tone may occur during pregnancy

Among the most sought-after curiosities about pregnancy are those related to the skin.

And yes. During pregnancy, changes can occur in a woman’s skin due to hormonal changes.

The most common are the appearance of melasmas, darkening of the color of the breast areolas and the appearance of signs on the skin.

9- Facts and curiosities about pregnancy: most births in Brazil are cesarean sections

Yes it is true.

Brazil is the second country in the world with the highest number of cesarean sections.

While the WHO (World Health Organization) establishes a limit of 15%, Brazil reaches an alarming 57% in this ranking.

And the worst part of this data is that most of these surgeries are carried out without any criteria to justify them, that is, a large part is carried out by women’s choice or even due to hospital situations that do not favor normal birth.

10- March and May are the months with the most births in Brazil

According to a survey carried out by BBC News Brasil, with data from the last two decades, the months of March and May actually have more births.

According to the research, the numbers are 17% higher than the number of births in the last three months of the year.

December is the month in which the fewest babies are born.

11- A woman’s body creates a new organ during pregnancy

Yes it is true.

When a woman is pregnant, a new organ is born in her body. It is the placenta, responsible for transporting oxygen and nutrients to the baby.

It is the communication between mother and child during pregnancy.

The placenta also helps protect the child from infections and impurities in the body.

At the time of birth, the placenta weighs around 600 grams.

12- The baby listens when we talk to him during pregnancy

Yes. From the third month onwards, the baby’s hearing aid is already formed and he starts to hear not only his voice but also external sounds.

Research carried out with 3D ultrasound has observed that babies even make happy faces when the sound is pleasant and grimaces when they don’t like the sounds.

13- Fun facts about pregnancy: having sex does not harm the baby

There is no problem with having sex during pregnancy, as long as the woman feels comfortable with it and the doctor has not contraindicated it.

Babies do not understand what is happening during the act, but they perceive their mother’s changes as an increase in heart and respiratory rates.

However, don’t worry.

Having sex during pregnancy is not harmful to the baby.

14- The baby has musical preferences in the womb

While still in the womb, the baby hears external sounds and, consequently, also hears music.

He will probably tend to like more the musical style that his parents listen to during pregnancy, as this will be the musical reference he will have during this period.

However, experts say that classical music is best for babies, as it provides a feeling of calm and tranquility.

15- Fun facts about pregnancy: pregnant women’s skin becomes more beautiful

With the increase in estrogen and progesterone during pregnancy, some side effects occur in the woman’s body, but to everyone’s joy, the result is positive, reflected in the skin and hair, leaving everything much brighter, softer and more beautiful.

16- The baby’s personality is formed in the belly

Definitely, as each human being is unique, your baby will truly be born with its own unique personality.

However, experts say that babies who are fussier in the womb tend to be fussier and more active children, while babies who are calmer in the womb tend to be calmer children.

17- Fun facts about pregnancy: pregnant women feel excessive heat

Pregnant women feel hotter than a person who is not pregnant, due to the acceleration of metabolism.

A pregnant woman’s body temperature usually rises by around 0.5°C and, closer to the time of birth, this sensation worsens, as the pregnant woman ends up trying harder to complete any activity, due to the increase in weight and the size of the baby. stomach.

18- A woman’s blood volume increases during pregnancy

During pregnancy, a hormone called relaxin expands a woman’s blood vessels.

This even justifies the swelling in the feet and some pain that women feel during this period.

Blood volume can increase by up to 50% during pregnancy.

19- Babies see lights from inside their belly

Babies do see lights outside the womb.

Studies show that they not only see, but also react to them and can differentiate the intensity from one to the other.

20- The moon influences childbirth

There is no scientific evidence about this, but according to obstetricians, more births do occur during moon changes.

According to what they believed, the phases of the moon influence births just as they influence tides and ocean currents.

However, remember that there are no studies that prove this. This is just the opinion of experts based on the increase in the number of births during moon changes.

21- Talking to the baby during pregnancy is good for him

Talking to your baby while he is still in the womb, in addition to strengthening bonds between you, will also help him learn when he is outside.

At the end of pregnancy, around the 26th week, the baby’s neurological system is already formed and it already responds to external stimuli.

So, chat loudly with your baby. He’ll like it.

22- Curiosities about pregnancy: babies feel the time of birth

Childbirth is one of the most special and emotional moments in a mother’s life and, whether it is a natural birth or a cesarean section, the body suffers different influences, which vary from woman to woman.

These influences, however, do not reach the baby at the time of birth, as the body releases a calming and sedative hormone responsible for blocking the baby’s pain sensations.

23- If it’s a boy, the belly is pointy and a girl’s belly is round

This is one of the biggest myths known about pregnancy.

In fact, the shape of the belly does not show the sex of the baby.

This shape is a reflection of the amount of amniotic fluid available, the anatomy of the pelvis and the silhouette that mom had before getting pregnant. Therefore, the format varies from woman to woman and does not define the sex of your child.

24- Going a long time without eating makes heartburn worse

For pregnant women as for anyone else, going too long without eating can cause heartburn, as the production of acid in the stomach increases.

For pregnant women, this is even more worrying, as blood glucose levels can drop, which can harm the baby and even cause gestational diabetes.

25- Sleeping on the left side is better for pregnant women

Lying on the right side can cause compression of the vena cava, which can increase a woman’s blood pressure.

Therefore, lying on your left side is always more comfortable and safe.

Now that you’re up to date with all these curiosities, how about checking out other content about pregnancy?

Also check out Main mandatory and complementary pregnancy tests