As the baby grows inside you, your body will constantly be changing. Some physical symptoms will last a short time and others for longer. Some of these may be quite uncomfortable:

• Your breasts may grow larger and may become sensitive
• You may suffer from morning sickness (nausea or vomiting)
• You may urinate (pee) more frequently
• Your joints and back may ache and you may have cramps
• You may have excessive saliva
• Your feet and hands may swell up
• You may experience constipation, stomach ache or heartburn

Heartburn is harmless but it can be very uncomfortable and painful. To prevent it:

• Avoid drinking during meals
• Eat smaller meals more often
• Avoid eating big meals before bed
• Don’t eat too quickly
• Sit upright while eating
• Wear loose fitting clothes
• Bend from your knees, not from your waist
• Try to sleep with your head higher than your feet

In adults, these physical symptoms can be quite upsetting. But they can become unbearable when your body is already changing because of adolescence. Most of the time, the symptoms and physical changes due to the pregnancy go away after giving birth. Your body should be back to normal after 9 to 12 months, often sooner than that.

To ease heartburn, try this stretch

• Face a wall.
• Spread your knees apart.
• Keep your toes together and heels apart.
• Keep your bum firmly down on your feet and place your hands palm down against the wall.
• Walk your hands up the wall, keeping your bum and shoulder blades as low as possible, until you feel stretching between your shoulder blades and less pressure from your baby in your lower chest.