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How Your Body Changes During Pregnancy
During pregnancy, your body changes in many different ways. Here we go through how the pregnant body is affected by hormones, center of gravity, balance, and muscle activity—and why it is completely normal to feel a little "off" in your body sometimes.
⚡️ Article in brief
- Relaxin makes you more mobile - for better or worse
- The center of gravity changes, putting some muscles more out of action than before
- Back and ribs can also get sore
Hormones That Affect Your Body
The hormone relaxin increases during pregnancy and softens muscles, joints and connective tissue. This makes the pelvis a little more mobile for childbirth - but affects the whole body. Loading the body in extreme positions (e.g. clicking the knees back in an overstretch) can therefore be extra stressful for the joints during this period.
Your Center of Gravity is Changing...
As your belly grows, your center of gravity shifts forward. Your brain detects this, and we involuntarily compensate by putting more weight on our heels and turning our feet outwards to create stability. This contributes to the classic "pregnant walk" pattern!
...Which Affects Hips and Glutes
Our new movement pattern causes the hip joints to move differently. They will work in the outward rotated position, which means that the thighs no longer move as much "forward and backward" when we walk—but rather "side to side," like a rocking gait.
Glutes and hip muscles have a reduced range of motion, which can lead to reduced strength and mobility - especially if you have pelvic pain, which can further inhibit muscle activation.
Impaired Balance During Pregnancy
The pregnant body is constantly adapting, but growth spurts in the belly can make balance feel unsteady some weeks. In fact, the risk of falling increases during pregnancy because of the biomechanical changes and the new balance challenge.
💖 The Pregnancy Program
6 week training program to follow to maintain strength during pregnancy! Train with coach Isabel Boltenstern or on your own!
Back and Rib Pain
The growing uterus pushes the abdomen forward, which usually increases the lumbar curve while the thoracic spine becomes more rounded. With relaxin in the body, these curves are amplified, increasing the load on both the lumbar spine and ribs.
The lungs get a smaller space when the uterus grows, which can make the ribs sore - especially when the baby kicks upwards.
But a small dose of love can actually make a big difference! In the Back on Track program, you get our physiotherapists' best exercises for strength and pain relief!
Abdominal Muscles and Pelvic Floor
Both of these muscle groups are under a lot of pressure during pregnancy and are affected in different ways. Want to know more? Check out our articles on abdominal muscles during pregnancy and the pelvic floor and pregnancy.
Article written by
Carolina Jozic
Physiotherapist
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