Podcasts · The Family Tribe

What Pregnancy Really Does to Your Body

· 41 min · Explicit

Episode What Pregnancy Really Does to Your Body

0:00 41:18

Why can pregnancy leave you utterly exhausted before there is even a visible bump? How does your body adapt to support a growing baby? And why might your favourite shoes never fit quite the same way again?

This week on The Family Tribe, Prof Afif EL-Khuffash and Dr Anne Doherty explore the extraordinary changes happening throughout a woman’s body during pregnancy.

Anne shares her experience of first trimester exhaustion and pregnancy sickness, including why years of demanding hospital shifts had not prepared her for how tired she would feel. Afif reflects on what partners can miss when so much of that work is invisible.

Together, they discuss changes in the heart, circulation, breathing, kidneys and metabolism, alongside the less glamorous realities of reflux, constipation, pelvic discomfort, acne and changing feet. They also explore research into the maternal brain and why pregnancy deserves greater understanding and respect.

You can be amazed by what your body is doing and still feel sick, sore, exhausted or completely fed up. Needing treatment, rest or support does not diminish that achievement.

We finish with symptoms that deserve medical assessment, mental health support, and practical ways families can help during pregnancy and after birth.

Useful HSE information

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Pregnancy and birth information

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Warning signs in pregnancy and when to seek help

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When to get medical help after birth

Share this episode with a partner, friend or family member who would benefit from understanding what pregnancy asks of a woman’s body.

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