I recently saw an article written about how pregnancy changes a woman’s body and why these things happen. It’s true-pregnancy does change your body. I know, we all know this, but I was slightly shocked when I became pregnant. I had assumed that some things would change as a result of my pregnancy, but I wasn’t prepared for all the changes that Mother Nature had in store for me!

Some of the things that shocked me:

I got acne! I was surprised when I began to break out and when my complexion became blotchy during my pregnancy.

My gums bled! I remember the first time I saw red on my toothbrush after brushing my teeth and I freaked out. It’s normal for this to happen at times during pregnancy. However, it is best to get your teeth checked at least once during your pregnancy to make sure everything is ok.

My nose was stuffy! This is the one thing I remember that REALLY bothered me. My nose just felt stuffy most of the time during my pregnancy. I found a little bit of relief by using a vaporizer at night, but I didn’t get total relief until my son was delivered.

I was incredibly tired during the first trimester! Some women aren’t bothered by a decrease in their energy levels. I noticed a drop in my energy during the first trimesters of my pregnancies. I also noticed a huge difference between my energy levels with my first pregnancy (when I was 22 years old) and my most recent pregnancy (when I was 36 years old).

My vision changed! My eyesight actually did change during some of my pregnancies. Sadly, it changed for the worse and it didn’t change back after the baby arrived either.

My feet got bigger! This was the biggest shocker for me, and I am not alone. Many women have admitted to me that their feet grew during pregnancy and never returned to their original size. I asked a doctor once about this and he explained to me that it was due to the fact that ligaments stretch in your feet during pregnancy. Sadly, they don’t seem to shrink back after the baby is born. My feet have grown about a size larger than they were before I began bearing children.

Many of these oddities disappeared after my children were born. As for my eyes and feet: I got a cool pair of glasses and treated myself to new shoes! I suppose you could say that every cloud has a silver lining.

A couple of years ago I went through a phase where I went to the dentist with toothache, he removed the tooth and then a week or two later I had another toothache and the process repeated itself. In the end I had 11 teeth removed in the space of a year. I went back to taking my calcium tablets and the problem cleared up, whether this was coincidence or not I don’t know, but now after a couple of years I have had no problems at all. Having asked around, I found that actually this is quite common for women in their forties to go through a phase like this.

We all know that diet affects our teeth, but I don’t think we all know how important it is. A healthy diet is essential for all parts of the mind and body. These days everybody has a reasonable idea of what they should be eating, even if they don’t follow those guidelines. We all know that we should be cutting back on sugar and salt increasing our intake of fruits and vegetables. On top of that I consider a good multinutrient to be essential, it gives a good foundation of everything that is required in a health diet and I shall cover here the most relevant nutrients.

Calcium is one thing that is very important, this is particularly the case with women who have had children, since pregnancy and breast feeding can deplete your calcium levels. Milk is often recommended as a good source of calcium, but, unfortunately, it is not very well absorbed. Green vegetables are also a good source of calcium or you can take a supplement and this can protect against osteoporosis as well. Calcium is best absorbed if take in conjunction with magnesium and boron. Vitamin D also helps the absorption of calcium.

As well as the teeth it is also important to look after the gums. If your gums are bad you can lose perfectly good teeth. Vitamin C is very good for the gums it reduces the chance of infection and helps the blood circulation, this is found mainly in fresh fruit and vegetables. A B vitamin deficiency can lead to bleeding gums and other mouth problems. CoEnzyme Q10 is highly recommended for many gum conditions, this has to be taken as a supplement.

Aloe vera is very popular for mouth disorders. It is recommended for the whole of the digestive system. It can be drunk or taken in capsules form and is particularly good for mouth ulcers and bleeding gums. It is also possible to get aloe vera toothpaste, which many people find helps various mouth conditions.

Further Information

Nutrition For Your Teeth

Nutrition and Gingivitis