A Woman's Body
UNDERSTANDING THE BODY DURING PREGNANCY AND BIRTH
THE WOMB & CERVIX
Your sweet baby grows in the womb after a successful implantation makes its way to your uterine wall As the baby forms, so does the placenta which sticks to the uterine wall in any spot it desires. The first trimester is the worst as your body is growing the placenta which takes most of the energy from you, causing fatigue and nausea During pregnancy, your cervix is completely shut as it protects any outside factors from coming in and causing infection. Close to birth or even during labour you may lose your 'mucous plug' or 'bloody show' which is a vaginal discharge that protects anything from entering your cervix.
During pregnancy, baby is in a sac that has two layers filled with amniotic fluid. At first, amniotic fluid consists of water from the mother’s body, but gradually, the larger proportion is made up of the baby’s urine. It also contains important nutrients, hormones, and antibodies and it helps protect the baby from bumps & injury. If the levels of amniotic fluid levels are too low or too high, this can pose a problem so be mindful induction is normally bought up for this issue. Your baby grows over the weeks pushing organs into new spots which can cause things to feel a little uncomfortable. Your baby grows over the weeks pushing organs into new spots which can cause things to feel a little uncomfortable!
PLACENTA
The placenta is an organ that develops in the uterus during pregnancy. This incredible organ provides oxygen and nutrients to your sweet growing baby. It also removes the waste products from the baby's blood. The placenta attaches to the wall of the uterus, and the baby's umbilical cord arises from it. The placenta is usually attached to the top, side, front or back of the uterus and its position can determine how quickly you will feel baby movements. In some cases, the placenta might attach in the lower area of the uterus. When this happens, it's called a low-lying placenta (placenta previa) which is monitored over time as whilst it doesn't move, as your uterus grows it can end up in a position where it no longer effects your cervix
THE PELVIS
The pelvis is made up of 4 bones. A pregnant woman’s pelvis changes through pregnancy. Its shape, position, and joint and ligament behaviour adjust to support the baby during pregnancy, making childbirth easier for both mother and baby. The hormone named relaxin helps the pelvis relax during pregnancy and birth to accommodate the growing baby and to allow for an easier delivery. The sacrum becomes unfused to actually help get baby down. The pelvic floor is three layers of several muscles that rise into the lower pelvis to uplift the uterus, bladder, and other abdominal organs.
If there is an imbalance in the muscles, joints and ligaments then we know that this is going to have an effect on the pelvic alignment, making it harder for baby to move into and out of the pelvis. We know that if the mama has space available then the baby will move into that space. If there are imbalances in the alignment of the pelvis due to the ligaments or muscles being tight then the uterus may tip forward causing groin or leg pain, or if the pelvis tips backwards then this creates back pain, abdominal cramping and pressure. The uterus may also tilt sideways, and this will cause pain in the ribs or hip pain. If you are having any struggles with pelvic pain, I highly recommend seeing a physio, chiro or osteo to help relieve pain and provide some recommendations to ease discomfort